Reverse Osmosis - Practice Questions & MCQ

The direction of osmosis can be reversed if a pressure larger than the osmotic pressure is applied to the solution side. That is, now the pure solvent flows out of the solution through the semi-permeable membrane. This phenomenon is called reverse osmosis and is of great practical utility. Reverse osmosis is used in the desalination of seawater. A schematic setup for the process is shown in the Figure given below. When pressure more than the osmotic pressure is applied, pure water is squeezed out of the seawater through the membrane. A variety of polymer membranes are available for this purpose.

The pressure required for reverse osmosis is quite high. A workable porous membrane is a film of cellulose acetate placed over suitable support. Cellulose acetate is permeable to water but impermeable to impurities and ions present in seawater. These days many countries use desalination plants to meet their potable water requirements.