The difference between nanofiltration membrane and reverse osmosis membrane and the impact on water quality

The difference between nanofiltration membrane and reverse osmosis membrane and the impact on water quality

I. Nanofiltration Membrane

Nanofiltration membrane is a special film that can separate nanoscale substances. Its pore size ranges from a few nanometers to tens of nanometers, so it can remove heavy metals, bacteria, viruses and other harmful substances from water. The advantages of nanofiltration membranes are:

1. Retention of beneficial minerals: Nanofiltration membranes can filter out harmful substances from water, but not beneficial minerals. Therefore, the water filtered by nanofiltration membranes can retain the minerals that are beneficial to human body.

2. High Temperature Resistance: Nano-filtration membranes are highly heat resistant and can be used at high temperatures, which gives them an advantage in some specific applications.

3. Simple maintenance: nanofiltration membranes have a long replacement cycle, generally only need to be replaced every 3-5 years, and the replacement only needs to open the membrane shell, the operation is relatively simple.

However, nanofiltration membrane also has some disadvantages:

1. unstable filtration effect: the filtration effect of nanofiltration membrane may be affected by water quality, water temperature and other factors, resulting in unstable filtration effect.

2. Higher inlet water pressure: NFM requires higher inlet water pressure to work properly, which may increase the energy consumption of the water purifier.

3. easy to clog: nanofiltration membrane pore size is small, easy to be clogged by pollutants, so it needs regular cleaning and maintenance.

I. Reverse osmosis membrane

Reverse osmosis membrane is a thin film made of polymer material with a pore size of only a few nanometers to tens of nanometers. It can filter out all impurities and harmful substances in water through reverse osmosis, allowing only water molecules to pass through. The advantages of reverse osmosis membrane are:

1. stable filtration effect: the filtration effect of reverse osmosis membrane is not affected by water quality, water temperature and other factors, so it can provide stable filtration effect.

2. lower requirements for water pressure: reverse osmosis membranes only need lower water pressure to work properly, so the energy consumption is lower.

3. High filtration precision: The filtration precision of reverse osmosis membrane is very high, which can filter out all the impurities and harmful substances in the water, including bacteria, viruses, heavy metals and so on.

However, reverse osmosis membrane also has some disadvantages:

1. Can not retain the beneficial minerals: reverse osmosis membrane can filter out all the substances in the water, including beneficial minerals. Therefore, the use of reverse osmosis membrane filtered water, may lack some beneficial minerals. 2.

2. Higher pre-treatment requirements for incoming water: Because of the small pore size of reverse osmosis membranes, they are easily clogged by contaminants and therefore require strict pre-treatment to ensure their normal operation. This may need to increase the cost and complexity of the water purifier.

3. Maintenance is more troublesome: reverse osmosis membranes require regular cleaning and maintenance, and generally need to be replaced every 2-3 years. This requires certain maintenance operations by the user.

Nano-filtration and reverse osmosis membranes have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of which membrane is better depends on your specific needs and use scenarios. If you want to retain beneficial minerals in your water or use your water purifier at high temperatures, then a nanofiltration membrane may be better for you. If you have high water quality requirements and want to filter out harmful substances from your water without retaining the beneficial minerals, then a reverse osmosis membrane may be more suitable for you.

Whichever membrane you choose, you will need to take care of regular maintenance and replacement. In order to ensure the normal operation of the water purifier and prolong its service life, it is recommended that users carry out regular cleaning and replacement of the filter cartridge or membrane according to the product manual.