Reverse Osmosis vs. SCM 24/60

Thursday, 04 November 2010 08:45

Reverse osmosis by definition is a commonly used filtration method that removes many types of large molecules and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane . The machine is a widely overlooked method; because it uses a colossal amount of wattage to push contaminated water through a membrane (this process wastes 50% of the water to backflow ).

Looking at reverse osmosis systems at a water store in San Diego, immediately you see the bulkiness of the system. The machine incorporates an air compression tank three times the size of the reverse osmosis membrane tanks to push the water. When inspecting the system further you will notice 50% of the water incoming is wasted to the backflow system and uses the energy equivalent of the 100, 75 watt light bulbs. The reverse osmosis system in addition to only outputting half of the clean water, the output flow rate is relatively slow and inefficient . See the table below or download the Reverse Osmosis vs. SCM 24/60 PDF

Assume 5,000 Gallon output day.	Reverse Osmosis Machine	Swiss Cleanwater Machine 60
Price of Electricity(Avg. $/kWh) (San Diego County)	$0.10	$0.10
Energy Consumption (Average kWh)	15.7	0.9
Cost (Average U.S.$/day)	$37.68	$2.16
Price of Electricity(Avg. $/kWh) (Los Angeles County)	$0.20	$0.20
Energy Consumption (Average kWh)	15.7	0.9
Cost (Average U.S.$/day)	$75.36	$4.32
Price of Water (Avg. $/HCF) (San Diego County)	$3.75	$3.75
Water Consumption (Average HCF/day) (Assuming 5,000 gallons water output )	12.8	6.38
Cost (Average U.S. $/day)	$48.00	$23.93
Price of Water (Avg. $/HCF) (Los Angeles County)	$5.34	$5.34
Water Consumption (Average HCF/day) (Assuming 5,000 gallons water output )	12.8	6.38
Cost (Average U.S. $/day)	$68.35	$34.07
Total Cost per day (San Diego County)	$85.68	$26.09
Annual expense of:	$31,273.20	$9,522.85
Total Cost per day (Los Angeles County)	$143.71	$38.39
Annual expense of	$52,454.15	$14,012.35

Download the Reverse Osmosis vs. SCM 24/60 PDF

References
San Diego County Gas & Electric. Public website.
Water Department of San Diego. Public website.
Los Angles Department Water and Power. Public website.
O.K. Buros, et. al.. The USAID Desalination Manual, Englewood, N.J., U.S.A., IDEA Publications
reverse osmosis