RO Systems and Water Filtration Systems for Agriculture

Recently, reverse osmosis systems have been getting a lot of attention as one of the premier filtration systems to use with agriculture activity. However, with this popularity, there has been a lot of misinformation spread that provided some faulty logic surrounding the viability of reverse osmosis systems. To help you understand why these systems are favored with agriculture business, here are the different reasons to use RO systems and water filtration systems for agriculture!

What Is Reverse Osmosis?

The passage of a liquid across a membrane from a lower concentration to a higher concentration is known as osmosis. The way plants absorb water is a good illustration of osmosis. The term "reverse osmosis" refers to the process of applying pressure to a more concentrated liquid and forcing it through a membrane to a less concentrated liquid. The membrane captures particles and contaminants down to 0.0009 micron, resulting in extremely clean effluent or permeate water. Reverse osmosis, at its most basic level, removes contaminants from a liquid—in this case water.

RO water can help make growing more calculable because the process helps make water quality consistent and free of pollutants and minerals. This way, nutrients can be better controlled without having to worry about what's in the water source at the start of the irrigation process. Contaminants in the water supply, such as iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium, and chlorine might react with the nutrients in the fertilizer mix and produce difficulties.

Growing Without Contaminants

Growing with good water and adding nutrients as needed makes the growing process more predictable. Because the fertilizers aren't reacting with the contaminants in the water, it's easier to set up the EC (electrical conductivity) of a nutrient solution without iron, manganese, calcium, or magnesium. The only nutritional minerals added to irrigation water are those that are beneficial to the plant.

Biggest Benefits of Using RO Technology for Agriculture

Here are some of the biggest benefits one can expect from using RO technology:

1. Protects Environment – Irrigating farmlands isn't as healthy as it once was. Water is not good for crop quality since it contains various pollutants, including chemical components from industrial waste and local sewers. You can raise the odds of fertile soil and improve crop quality by installing reverse osmosis systems for agriculture.
2. Provides Clean and Reusable Water – In today's world, clean and reusable water is required for farming. In farms, a RO water filtering system is a necessary because it provides clean, reusable water to your plants.
3. Improves Soil Quality – Advanced agricultural techniques and fertilizers have always proven to be advantageous to farmers in producing high-quality crops. Still, the introduction of reverse osmosis water filtration devices has improved soil quality to the point where plants no longer require chemically treated nutrients to grow their harvest.
4. Prevents Water Depletion – The RO water technology reduces the depletion of water resources by allowing wastewater to be reused if necessary. Around 80% of farming problems are caused by rapidly dwindling water resources around the world. Water wastage can be greatly reduced by employing technology such as RO water systems.
5. Strengthens Economy – The agricultural business is the bedrock of any country's economy. RO water filtration systems on farms will undoubtedly boost the economy and open up a slew of investment opportunities.
6. Reduces Low Source Water Quality – The advantage of putting RO in your farm is that it works effectively to convert low-quality source water into high-quality crop water. Carbonates, which are present in huge numbers in water sources, are one of the leading causes of water pollution. RO water treatment plants for agriculture not only clean the water but also remove the carbonate.
7. Drip Irrigation Filter System – RO Farm water purification systems also include drip irrigation, which delivers water straight to the roots of plants with minimal waste. The drips are timed, which means they reduce evaporation and improve plant irrigation efficiency.
8. Easy To Maintain – RO technology is not only a godsend, but it is also widely acknowledged for its low-cost, easy-to-maintain nature.
9. Gives High Productivity – Due to their reusable water approach, RO water purification systems used in fields speed plant growth and save a lot of agricultural costs as compared to standard irrigation systems.

Purchasing Tips

The implementation of RO can be perplexing, with financial considerations being the most vexing. Furthermore, wastewater is a disadvantage of this system. In RO designs, two types of membranes are used, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. The rejection rate of cellulose triacetate membranes is lower than that of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes. Chlorine, on the other hand, can tear down TFC membranes more quickly and cause the system to fail sooner, hence a carbon pretreatment is recommended to eliminate chlorine. Otherwise, the membranes will foul if the influent water is not pretreated.

If the pretreatment problem is not addressed, it might result in high maintenance and labor expenses. Membranes that aren't pretreated become blocked and need to be replaced or cleaned more frequently than they should be. Membranes survive longer when used with softened water because additional minerals are eliminated before they enter the system. When using RO, the usage of a softener adds to the cost and work, but it must be considered to offset the greater cost of membrane replacement, labor, and water treatment system downtime.

Another consideration while utilizing RO is the wastewater generated. In general, 4 gallons of water are required to generate 1 gallon of RO water, depending on the pressure and size of the unit. Therefore, this would not be a good treatment choice in regions where water usage is restricted. There are newer systems on the market that are more efficient and produce less waste, but these systems have a long way to go before being embraced by the industry due to the amount of water a plant requires.

Because RO water is devoid of minerals, it is extremely aggressive and corrosive, especially to metal piping. RO water should never be run through galvanized or copper pipes since the water's aggressive nature will destroy them. RO water must be able to withstand pipes, tubing, drippers, misters, and foggers.

We hope our article on RO systems and water filtration systems for agriculture has shown you why these systems are so amazing for you! If you are considering switch to a different home water filtration company, be sure to reach out to Premier H2O!