Reverse Osmosis Filtration

Reverse Osmosis is the most convenient and effective method of water filtration. It filters water by squeezing water through a semi-permeable membrane, which is rated at 0.0001 micron. Clean water passes through and impurities that are too big to pass through the membrane are left behind and flushed away. It is also the only technology capable of desalinating sea water, making it into drinking water.
Reverse Osmosis was developed in the late 1950's under U.S. Government funding, as a method of desalinating sea water.
Reverse Osmosis systems have two major drawbacks. First, they waste a large amount of water. They’ll use anywhere from 3 to 9 gallons of water per gallon of purified water produced. This could be a problem in areas where conservation is a concern, and it may be slightly expensive if you’re paying for municipal water. On the other hand, this wastewater can be recovered or redirected for purposes other than drinking, such as watering the garden, washing the car, etc. Second, reverse osmosis treats water slowly: It takes about 3 to 4 hours for a residential Reverse Osmosis unit to produce one gallon of purified water. Treated water can be removed and stored for later use.
The most obvious solution to water pollution is a point-of-use water purification device. Reverse Osmosis Filtration makes the most sense for water purification when pure water is desired for ones household or industrial use.