Definitions and glossary

Terms for familiarizing yourself with water treatment technologies.

The reverse osmosis process uses membranes allowing the passage of particles of molecular size. This process was designed in the years 60. The development of membranes has made it possible to achieve very good performance since the beginning of the 2000.

What is osmosis and reverse osmosis ?

Osmosis as such is different from the diffusion effect or from filtration. Unlike the broadcast, it is the solvents that circulate and not the solutes that dissipate. And unlike filtration, it is the ions which direct the direction of concentration of the solvents towards the zones most concentrated in solute.

Osmosis

In general, osmosis is a phenomenon that allows 2 solutions to equilibrate in their concentrations by exchanging, like here : some water (the solvent so).

Water, as a solvent, goes from the most dilute solution to the most concentrated to balance them. This attraction of water is measured by a concentration gradient. It represents in a way the proportion and its propensity to be saturated more or less quickly by the dissolved substances.

This concerns both the properties of the solvent and those of the solutes with their affinities. Osmotic balance is a natural phenomenon. It is due to ions and their properties of attracting solvents, in particular through a membrane.

reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis is the mechanism that will allow, on the contrary, to pass the water between the membranes of the most concentrated solution (sea ​​water) towards the less concentrated (fresh water). By forcing this mechanism in the opposite direction.

To succeed, just apply a sufficient pressure on the concentrated solution to pass the water to the less concentrated solution. It could look like pressure filtration but it is the properties of osmosis and ionization through the membranes that remain in place..

Unlike filtration, membranes for reverse osmosis are not composed of holes and meshes but they allow water to pass between the molecular bonds of their structure. Membranes are materials chosen for the properties of their molecular structure.

The reverse osmosis process is the most effective for perfectly purifying water by filtration. It can go so far as to transform salt water into fresh water. With a filtration of 0.4 nanometers, suitable for desalination, the material we use only lets through molecules equal in size or smaller than that of water. H2O being a small molecule, very few substances, particularly harmful, can cross the barriers to its dimension. Here's why H2O can come out particularly pure by reverse osmosis treatment.

Solutions using reverse osmosis

The SeamOb and the SeaSun use the principle of reverse osmosis. For this they also use micro and/or ultra filtration pre-filters which retain suspended particles and organic compounds present in seawater. (planctons, bacteria, virus, proteins…). Reverse osmosis then rids seawater of its salts, other minerals and dissolved chemical elements.

We then obtain a soft water which is neither calcareous., nor salty and which no longer contains chemical pollutants (heavy metals, pesticides, toxic compounds, etc.).

Reverse osmosis : very good drinking water

The very high purification capacity of reverse osmosis leads to a natural loss of minerals with fresh water. But it creates a mineral composition with seawater.

However, the sea ​​water treatment, very rich in different salts, leaves a significant portion of minerals like iodine, fluorine and a small amount of sodium.

If the taste of salt disappears perfectly, seawater treated by reverse osmosis is not held as demineralized water or dry. It contains nearly 1 gram of mineral salts per liter. Which classifies it in moderately mineralized waters and perfectly clean for consumption.

The fresh water treatment by our reverse osmosis machines can remove more than 90% mineral salts. This is due to a high standard for solutions treating the most polluted running water. And more particularly when there is a need to remove even nitrates from our taps. The fresh water thus treated becomes weakly mineralized. But for as much, this always gives it an excellent food and sanitary quality.

Does reverse osmosis produce nutritious enough water ? Otherwise what to do ?

Oui. As we have seen, with sea water the minerals are generally preserved and with soft water, they are enough.

Proper nutrition easily provides for the needs of minerals and trace elements. All of our needs are most generally covered by a balanced diet and there is no need to worry about the loss of minerals from the water..

However, If in doubt, specific individual nutritional needs and frequent use of water treated by reverse osmosis, it is possible to use several solutions of mineral supplements.

The natural method

The easiest solution is to use a few handfuls of clean stones the size of gravel, like those of rivers. You can wash and sterilize them by boiling before using them..

All you have to do is soak these stones for at least a few hours in the tank of your purified water. They will already provide the important elements of remineralization.

The low presence of ions in osmosis water will dissolve the minerals of the stones on the surface (limestone, magnesite…). This makes it possible to sufficiently supplement any mineral deficiency to which excessively demineralized water could be exposed..

The in-store solution

Several rich solutions exist in pharmacies and sports stores to complement dry water by adding a complex of mineral salts.

Ultrafiltration is a pressure filtration process through very small meshes. Filters can have values ​​of 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). Ours are very fine with a value of 5 nm (0.005 micrometers).

Highly efficient filtration

Ultrafiltration is very well suited to fresh water (unsalted) since it allows to massively get rid of pathogenic microbes without altering its mineral composition. It provides purified water and preserved in trace elements.

The filtration at 5 nanometers (5 nm) that we offer is among the finest in ultra filtration. It is a perfect compromise between sterility and throughput capacity..

At this mesh size, many unwanted substances are filtered out. Like most toxins, proteins and organic molecules, polymers (of which dissolved plastics), colloids (colloids, colloids, slime animals, plant mucilage…) colloids (issues of the humus).

Humic substances can react toxically with subsequent treatment with chlorine in case of long-term water storage. Chlorine treatment may be necessary in areas facing contamination by external parasites after treatment. Ultrafiltration therefore allows this practice without fear of leaving humic pollutants.. However, EauNergie does not provide any chlorine treatment which must be carried out by external specialists..

Beware of chemical pollution

The ultrafiltration process is particularly well suited to natural waters that are not drinkable but not polluted by certain chemical agents.. It only filters pesticides or heavy metals that can pollute rivers and streams. To do this, we recommend that you use our solutions using reverse osmosis described above and contact our design office to endorse and guarantee your project.

Solutions using ultrafiltration

L’EaumOb and our tailor-made pumping stations use Ultrafiltration. They have the advantage of having a high flow rate for a minimum energy expenditure.. They guarantee good sterility of the water obtained as well as effective filtration of most natural pollutants..

If according to the analyzes of your drinking water, certain pathogenic microbes are likely to partially pass through ultrafiltration, we offer you the addition of one of our Ultra-Violet sterilization modules to your pumping station which will make the water sterile and fit for human consumption.

Photovoltaic energy is obtained by photovoltaic solar panels, commonly called “solar panels”.

clean energy

It is a renewable energy process among the most used by individuals but also on a large scale by various companies and governments.. Its use does not emit any discharge during its use. Its design and the recovery of its waste requires only 15% embodied energy compared to conventional power plants. However, given the long life of solar panels, this carbon emission figure tends to be much lower. According to EPIA (European Photovoltaic Industry Association) in France, a solar module restores on average in two and a half years the energy that was necessary for its manufacture.

A sustainable product

Photovoltaic solar panels are a very recent invention whose exploitation only began in the years 90. Since, the manufacturers have been able to observe a long life expectancy of these panels since they now guarantee that after 25 years, less of 20% of their performance is lost. And that beyond 10 to 25 years, the losses are getting smaller and smaller. So, it is estimated that after 40 years, solar panels always provide at least 70% of their initial capacity. However, it is necessary to consider these losses as normal and expected when installing a photovoltaic power plant to ensure a very long life for the installation..

Optimized for recycling

Solar panels have a very good recycling capacity and various laws such as French law oblige manufacturers to ensure the recovery of their waste. However, individuals may tend to ignore it and some of the panels may end up wasted in the landfill.. It is therefore very important that individuals are aware of the recycling of their panels and contact the manufacturers or suppliers as we when they think they should get rid of it.

It is also essential before thinking about replacing a solar panel to check if the failure is not repairable. (default , due to need for cleaning (can lose up to 10% capacity) and/or simply add one more module to it if the fault came from the normal loss of power and had not been anticipated at the time of installation.

Solutions using photovoltaic panels

The SeamOb, the SeaSun and LaDouche use solar energy through photovoltaic panels.

The SeamOb uses rollable and transportable panels. The SeaSun and LaDouche use fixed panels adapted to the power of the installation.