Reverse osmosis forces water through a membrane fine enough to block salt ions, and it's the pump pressure — powered here by renewables — that does the work.
flux = A * (deltaP - deltaPi)
rejection% = 1 - C_permeate/C_feed
- Feed salinity — dissolved salt-ion concentration in the incoming seawater.
- Membrane pore sites — active pores in the reverse-osmosis membrane letting water through while blocking ions.
- Applied pressure — hydraulic pressure driving water across the membrane against osmotic pressure.
- Renewable power availability — how much solar/wind power is on hand to run the high-pressure pumps.
Solar-powered RO desalination now supplies drinking water to off-grid coastal communities without the diesel-generator emissions of older plants.