reverse osmosis

noun

|Updated on: 22 Jul 2018

Definition of reverse osmosis

: the movement of fresh water through a semipermeable membrane when pressure is applied to a solution (such as seawater) on one side of it

Recent Examples of reverse osmosis from the Web

Privacy - Terms As sap gushes into the sugarhouse, its first stop is to undergo reverse osmosis to extract water, which significantly cuts down the sap’s boiling time, reducing fuel and increasing efficiency.

— jason wilson, charlotteobserver, "Vermont’s maple syrup business is booming, thanks to technology and changing tastes," 4 May 2018
That level of purity is the result of the very same process that turns seawater fresh down in Carlsbad: reverse osmosis.

— matt simon, WIRED, "LA Is Doing Water Better Than Your City. Yes, That LA," 12 June 2018
Nearly 8,000 gallons an hour coursed through the spaghetti- like tubing, into the massive sterile holding tanks, and then into the reverse osmosis machinery that begins to remove the water.

— stephanie hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, "Maple syrup inc.: Vermont’s maple syrup tradition goes high tech, high finance," 18 Apr. 2018
The facility, which produces reverse osmosis membranes for water filtration and desalination, is the company’s first in the U.S. Carson Wagonlit Travel has leased 7,470 square feet at Towers at Westchase I, 10370 Richmond.

— katherine feser, Houston Chronicle, "Real estate briefs: Halliburton Westchase campus sells; developers start 2 spec industrial projects," 21 June 2018
Are reverse osmosis processes like desalination and wastewater treatment still expensive?

— matt simon, WIRED, "LA Is Doing Water Better Than Your City. Yes, That LA," 12 June 2018
The researchers believe that such an operation would cost a third of building a desalination plant and the operating costs would be about 1/50 of what the usual reverse osmosis technology costs, MIT said.

— martin finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "MIT says new system captures water in fog," 8 June 2018
However, Walsh said, the city is considering bringing in reverse osmosis facilities for emergencies.

— molly harbarger, OregonLive.com, "Salem water advisory causes questions, we answer them: 13 things to know," 1 June 2018
The membranes employed for reverse osmosis are rough, and so have a large surface area through which water can pass.

— The Economist, "A membrane that can remove salts from water more efficiently," 3 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reverse osmosis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.