How Reverse Osmosis Shapes the World
Pure water isn’t just necessary for our personal health and the health of communities. It’s a vital ingredient in the production of our foods, beverages, and medicines. It plays an important role in manufacturing, fuel, and power generation. It even plays a part in national security. However, strains on natural water sources pose a threat to all of the industries, institutions, and individuals that rely on pure water. Reverse osmosis is one of many purification technologies that provides a versatile and sustainable solution for the production of pure water.
RO systems and the food and beverage industry
When paired with pretreatment components, and electrodeionization (EDI), reverse osmosis produces Purified Water (PW) that meets or exceeds stringent FDA and USP standards for food and beverage industry manufacturers. Using a comprehensive Purified Water system like MECO’s MASTERpak™, allows food and beverage manufacturers to meet higher purity demands that meet FDA and USP approval. Eliminating the risk of using municipal water supplies, which are often plagued with contaminants like the carcinogen chromium found in more than 8000 municipal water supplies nationwide.
Reverse osmosis and biopharmaceutical manufacturing
The regulations surrounding pure water for biopharmaceutical manufacturing are even more stringent than the food and beverage industry. Water is considered a critical utility and is produced in several bulk classifications. Water for Injection (WFI) is one of the classifications and how it’s produced is heavily specified and regulated by pharmacopeias around the world. For years, WFI was to be made via distillation until recently when the Ph. Eur., USP, and JP allowed for WFI to be produced via membrane-based systems. Since the ruling, MECO has carefully reviewed these monograph changes and designed the MECO MASTERpak™ULTRA. The MASTERpak™ ULTRA is a complete solution for producing WFI quality water safely and efficiently using membranes. The streamlined system integrates MECO’s pretreatment, RO, EDI, and UF product technologies following rigorous company standards that exceed current industry guidelines guaranteeing another sustainable option for WFI production.
RO and the energy sector
RO provides a cost-effective water purification solution for power plants, where pure water extends the lifespan of water-cooled equipment. On a much larger scale, reverse osmosis makes the offshore oil and gas industry possible. Pure water protects process equipment from corrosion, and every aspect of daily life on offshore platforms – from meal time to showers – is made possible by water desalination units. Utilizing custom MECO marine reverse osmosis plants built to withstand arctic conditions off the northeast coast of Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East, oil and gas companies are able to continue operations in one of the world’s harshest environments. The MECO MMRO desalination plant is the muscle behind the operation, producing over 392 m3/day of drinking and process water.
Reverse osmosis and national defense
Pure water is critical to national security. Lack of a pure water supply impacts the abilities of the armed forces to protect countries during wartime. Using mobile water purification units like the MECO LWP, the world’s most advanced lightweight mobile water treatment unit, removes nuclear, biological or chemical agents from the water supply. The MECO LWP is set up in 45 minutes and operated by one soldier. It can be transported on a HMMWV or in a Blackhawk helicopter and is air transportable and air droppable. The system is capable of operating on highly turbid waters and treats water contaminated by weapons of mass destruction. MECO LWP units are presently operating throughout the world in support of armed forces and disaster relief.
MECO offers over 60 years of RO experience across a broad spectrum of industries
At MECO, our pioneering water solutions allow the U.S. Army to make freshwater from contaminated water in combat zones. Our systems desalinate seawater so oil and gas companies can fuel the world. Our packaged, customizable technologies are critical to the production of pharmaceuticals and bottled water. We lead the world in the engineering and manufacturing of water purification solutions, and our experts are respected across every industry impacted by water security. Contact us today to learn more about how our solutions can help you.