Hybrid Reverse Osmosis for Water Filtration
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems face increasing pressure to handle challenging feed waters while maintaining high recovery rates. Current installations struggle with feed waters containing total dissolved solids (TDS) above 70,000 ppm, where energy requirements rise sharply and membrane fouling accelerates. Field data shows recovery rates typically dropping below 35% when treating such high-TDS streams.
The fundamental challenge lies in balancing membrane flux and fouling resistance while managing the energy penalties associated with overcoming osmotic pressure in concentrated solutions.
This page brings together solutions from recent research—including charged membrane systems for selective ion extraction, wave-powered desalination configurations, multi-stage cascade arrangements, and hybrid electrochemical-membrane processes. These and other approaches focus on practical implementations that can achieve higher recovery rates while reducing energy consumption in industrial-scale operations.
1. Water Purification System with Recirculating Storage Tank Configuration
HUNAN LONGXIN WATER PURIFICATION TECH CO LTD, HUNAN LONGXIN WATER PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2024
A new type of water purifier that prevents waste of purified water in pipes. It includes a raw water pump, an ultrafiltration membrane, a reverse osmosis membrane, and storage tanks connected by valves and pipes. The raw water enters, gets filtered, and then goes through reverse osmosis. The purified water flows to storage tanks instead of directly to equipment. Circulation pumps recirculate water between storage tanks and equipment. This prevents stagnant water in pipes and equipment, reducing waste.
2. Drinking Water Purification System with Multi-Tank Configuration for Reverse Osmosis Pressure Management
NINGXIA ZHONGYI INTELLIGENT WATER SAVING TECH CO LTD, NINGXIA ZHONGYI INTELLIGENT WATER SAVING TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2023
A drinking water purification system with multiple storage tanks to prevent back pressure damage to the reverse osmosis membrane. The system has separate tanks for storing purified water. The raw water is treated with multimedia, carbon, and precision filters before going through the reverse osmosis process. A high-pressure pump feeds the reverse osmosis membrane. The purified water goes into one tank, and when that tank is low, water is transferred to the other tank to maintain pressure. This prevents back pressure on the reverse osmosis membrane when the downstream tank is empty.
3. Water Treatment System Utilizing Reverse Osmosis with Two-Mode Process and Concentrate Accumulator
Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies Support, 2023
A system and method for treating water using reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration membranes allows high recovery rates without additional stages or pumps. It uses a two-mode process with a concentrate accumulator. In the first mode, feedwater is pumped through the RO unit, and the concentrate is stored at low pressure. In the second mode, the concentrate is drained while still pumping feedwater and recycled permeate through the RO unit. This maintains constant flow rates and pressures to achieve high recovery without requiring extra stages or pumps.
4. Water Treatment System with Multi-Stage Reverse Osmosis and Recirculating Concentrate Recovery
GUANGDONG HENGMAO TECH CO LTD, GUANGDONG HENGMAO TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2023
Efficient water treatment system using reverse osmosis filtration to reduce water waste and improve resource utilization. The system involves multiple stages of reverse osmosis filtration with recirculation and reuse of concentrated water. It includes devices like softening, pumps, tanks, valves, and gauges to filter and treat water at different purity levels. The recirculation loop allows recovering and reusing some of the concentrated water discharged from each filtration stage. This reduces water waste compared to directly discharging all concentrated water.
5. Modular Water Treatment System with Sequential Pre-Treatment, Reverse Osmosis, Post-Treatment, and UV Disinfection Units
DR. JITENDRA KUMAR SAHOO, DR. HARI SANKAR MOHANTY, DR. UTTAM KUMAR SAHU, 2023
A compact, cost-effective, and easy-to-use water treatment system that provides safe and clean drinking water for domestic and industrial applications. The system has four modules: pre-treatment, reverse osmosis, post-treatment, and UV disinfection. The pre-treatment removes solids, organic matter, and chlorine. Reverse osmosis removes dissolved impurities. Post-treatment adjusts pH and adds minerals. UV disinfection provides final disinfection. This combined treatment addresses a wide range of contaminants for reliable purification.
6. Integrated Desalination System Utilizing Nanofiltration, Reverse Osmosis, and Forward Osmosis with Brine Concentration Mechanism
KUWAIT INSTITUTE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, 2023
High recovery desalination system that combines nanofiltration (NF), reverse osmosis (RO), and forward osmosis (FO) to purify water from saline sources like seawater. The system uses an NF membrane to pretreat the feedwater and improve recovery. The NF permeate then goes through RO for final desalination. The reject from both NF and RO is sent through FO to concentrate the brine before disposal.
7. Hybrid System for Silica Removal in Water Using Electrodialysis Reversal, Reverse Osmosis, and Electrodeionization
Magna Imperio Systems Corp., 2023
Hybrid electrochemical and membrane-based water treatment systems can effectively remove silica from water with varying concentrations to produce ultra-pure water. The systems involve a sequence of treatment steps, including bulk demineralization through electrodialysis reversal, high recovery reverse osmosis, and final polishing by electrodeionization. The specific treatment steps and configurations are tailored based on the silica level in the feed water to optimize removal efficiency and economics.
8. Integrated Multi-Stage Water Treatment System with Sequential Mineral-Content Filtration and Mixing
SHANDONG TELANG ENVIRONMENTAL PROT ENGINEERING CO LTD, SHANDONG TELANG ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ENGINEERING CO LTD, 2022
Integrated reverse osmosis membrane water treatment system that provides a range of drinking water options with varying mineral contents. The system uses multiple stages of filtration including quartz sand, activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and ultrafiltration. Water is progressively filtered through the stages with each stage adding minerals. The final ultrafiltration stage concentrates the water while the others produce filtered water. The concentrated water goes to the next stage. This allows sequential production of water with increasing mineral content. The concentrated water is discharged and the filtered water is mixed in storage tanks to provide a range of options for users.
9. Hybrid Electrodialysis and Reverse Osmosis System with Sequential Brine Concentration Processing
KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, 2022
A hybrid system combining electrodialysis (ED) and reverse osmosis (RO) to desalinate brackish water. It applies a low electric potential across the saline water in the ED cell to separate it into concentrated brine and dilute water. The RO chamber then processes the brine to remove more salt. Using the RO only on the concentrated brine avoids the high energy cost of treating the full feedwater volume.
10. Multi-Stage Reverse Osmosis System with Intermediate Tanks and Pressure-Boosting Feed Pumps
Shanghai Chenju Electromechanical Technology Co., Ltd., SHANGHAI CHENJU ELECTROMECHANICAL TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2022
A multi-stage reverse osmosis water purification system with intermediate stages and feed pumps to improve purity and yield compared to traditional single-stage systems. The system has multiple stages of reverse osmosis filtration connected by intermediate tanks and feed pumps between stages. The intermediate tanks allow recycling of partially purified water back to the previous stage for further filtration instead of waste. This improves overall water purity compared to single-stage systems. The feed pumps boost the pressure of the recycled water between stages to match the incoming pressure.
11. Integrated Water Treatment System with Multi-Stage Filtration, Reverse Osmosis, and Ion Exchange Units
DONGGUAN HUISHENG ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECH CO LTD, DONGGUAN HUISHENG ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2022
Integrated pure water treatment system that provides highly purified water using multiple stages of filtration, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange. The system has a storage tank, raw water filter, reverse osmosis unit, and ion exchange unit. The raw water filter includes multi-media, carbon, softening, and precision filters to thoroughly clean the raw water. The reverse osmosis unit further sterilizes and purifies the water. The ion exchange unit removes remaining ions. This multi-stage treatment improves overall water quality compared to just reverse osmosis or ion exchange alone.
12. Reverse Osmosis System with Dual-Stage Precision Filtration and Centrifugal Pump for Membrane Protection
NINGXIA CHANGHAI ENVIRONMENTAL PROT MACHINERY EQUIPMENT CO LTD, NINGXIA CHANGHAI ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION MACHINERY EQUIPMENT CO LTD, 2022
A novel water treatment reverse osmosis system that improves efficiency and longevity of reverse osmosis membranes. The system has components like pumps, filters, and a control system. The key innovation is using a precision filter to capture impurities before the reverse osmosis membrane. This prevents buildup on the membrane walls that can reduce performance. The precision filter is further divided into a primary and secondary stage. The system also has a centrifugal pump for higher pressure feeding into the reverse osmosis device, which reduces deformation of the membrane under high pressure. This extends membrane life compared to traditional setups.
13. Multi-Stage Filtration System with Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis for Water Desalination and Purification
TIANJIN ACAD OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES, TIANJIN ACADEMY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES, 2021
Desalination and purification system for surface water and shallow groundwater as irrigation water for facility agriculture. The system uses a multi-stage filtration process with multi-media filters, melt blown filters, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis. The stages remove impurities, colloids, and salts while retaining nutrients. Nanofiltration pre-treats reverse osmosis to prevent scaling and improve water recovery. The mixed nanofiltrate and reverse osmosis permeate provides irrigation water with high quality and nutrients.
14. Drinking Water Purifier with Sequential Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Stages and Integrated Ultraviolet Sterilization
GUANGXI HUAYUAN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECH CO LTD, GUANGXI HUAYUAN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2021
Drinking water purifier with both nanofiltration and reverse osmosis filtration stages for efficient purification of water with improved quality and reduced maintenance. The purifier has a raw water pump, nanofiltration filter, reverse osmosis filter element, and control system. The raw water pump pumps water into the nanofiltration filter, which removes larger impurities. The filtered water then goes into the reverse osmosis filter element to remove smaller impurities. The purified water goes into a storage tank, and the concentrated waste water exits. An ultraviolet sterilizer is used after the reverse osmosis filter. The control system monitors and controls the pumps, filters, and UV sterilizer.
15. Two-Stage Reverse Osmosis System with Sequential Filtration and Ultraviolet Sterilization
KUNSHAN GUANGSHENGYUAN WATER TECH CO LTD, KUNSHAN GUANGSHENGYUAN WATER TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2021
Two-stage reverse osmosis water purification system designed for rural households with high salt and polluted groundwater. The system uses multiple filtration stages with ultraviolet sterilization to adapt to varying water qualities. It starts with ball valve, pump, and UV sterilizer for initial treatment. Then super filter, activated carbon, and precision filter stages follow. The final stages are reverse osmosis membranes with UV sterilization. This allows effective purification of heavily contaminated rural water sources.
16. Water Treatment System with Two-Stage Ultrafiltration and Nanofiltration Featuring Reverse-Cleaning Sealing Ring
TORAY BLUESTAR MEMBRANE CO LTD, 2021
Water treatment system and process that improves water quality, reduces energy consumption, and increases water recovery compared to reverse osmosis systems. The system uses a two-stage filtration process with an ultrafiltration membrane followed by a nanofiltration membrane. The unique nanofiltration membrane sealing ring allows reverse cleaning. This enables higher retention of beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium in the product water. The system also has higher water recovery compared to reverse osmosis due to the two-stage filtration.
17. Water Purification System with Sequential Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Stages and Integrated Ultraviolet Sterilization
GUANGXI HUAYUAN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECH CO LTD, GUANGXI HUAYUAN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2021
A drinking water purifier with both nanofiltration and reverse osmosis filtration stages, along with ultraviolet sterilization, for improved water purification. The system uses a pump, nanofiltration filter, reverse osmosis filter, and UV sterilizer. The raw water is pumped through the nanofiltration filter, then the filtered water is sent to the reverse osmosis filter. After reverse osmosis, the purified water goes to a storage tank, and the concentrated wastewater exits. UV sterilization is done between the reverse osmosis and storage tanks. The system is controlled by a central system monitoring various components.
18. Drinking Water Purification Module with Sequential Reaction, Filtration, and Production Components
INFINITE WATER TECH GUANGZHOU CO LTD, INFINITE WATER TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2021
Direct drinking water purification module and equipment that improves efficiency, conservation, and health benefits compared to reverse osmosis systems. The module has a sequence of components: a reaction module, low-pressure pump, filtration module, and water production module. This allows staged purification, backwashing, and regeneration. A control module coordinates the pumps and valves. The reaction module oxidizes and destroys pathogens, viruses, and heavy metals. The filtration module removes particles. The production module concentrates and stores the purified water. This avoids wasteful reverse osmosis and retains beneficial trace elements.
19. Drinking Water Preparation System with Integrated Filtration, Desalination, and Disinfection Stages
JIANGSU CHINA ELECTRONICS INNOVATION ENVIRONMENTAL TECH CO LTD, JIANGSU CHINA ELECTRONICS INNOVATION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY CO LTD, 2021
A cost-effective drinking water preparation system for buildings that uses a combination of filtration, desalination, and disinfection techniques to provide high-quality, direct-pipe drinking water. The system includes stages like multi-media filtration, activated carbon filtration, membrane capacitive deionization, reverse osmosis, dosing, and circulating disinfection to treat the raw water and produce purified water that is sent to the building's pipes for direct drinking. This optimized configuration aims to reduce costs compared to traditional two-stage reverse osmosis systems by leveraging technologies like capacitive deionization and cyclic disinfection.
20. Water Production System with Multi-Stage Filtration and Reverse Osmosis Desalination
KUNSHAN HUIYE ENVIRONMENTAL PROT EQUIPMENT CO LTD, KUNSHAN HUIYE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT CO LTD, 2021
Pure water production equipment with improved filtration and treatment stages to reduce contaminants and salt levels while extending component life. The equipment has a multi-stage filtration system with sand, carbon, and security filters before reverse osmosis. This pre-treatment removes particles and impurities to reduce load on the RO membrane and mixed bed resin tower. The RO system desalinates and further filters, followed by a mixed bed resin tower for final polishing. A 1µm filter and UV sterilizer complete the purification.
By combining the power of reverse osmosis with various filtration processes, the hybrid filtration system is one of the most effective ways to combat contaminants and purify water efficiently. This advanced RO technology is much more superior to the traditional methods of water filtration.
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