The process by which water is forced through a semi-
permeable membrane while under pressure, in order to
filter out unwanted
contaminants.
This process was first demonstrated in 1959 at
UCLA. Since then, cities have used reverse osmosis to provide
potable water to its inhabitants by converting
brackish or
saltwater to drinking water. The
bi-products of city-wide reverse osmosis are sometimes disposed of through
deep-well injection. Aside from city use, reverse osmosis is used in
desert regions such as northern Africa and the Middle East where water is
scarce. Not to mention, small reverse osmosis systems are now being sold to
individual homes in more developed regions.