Antiscalant Technical Guide

As reverse osmosis (RO) recovery increases, the corresponding salt concentrations increase in the RO reject stream and exceed the saturated limits of the sparingly soluble salts. Over time, hard scale deposits will form on membrane surfaces and within the feed channel spacers. Scaling within RO systems is a serious matter, for not only does scaling drastically reduce system performance, but also the irreversible damage on the membranes can come from more than just scale deposition. If we are talking about strictly scaling, then the damage to the membrane can include telescoping, mechanical damage to the components, and also abrasion. Examples of some common sparingly soluble salts are calcium carbonate and the sulfates of calcium, barium, and strontium. Less common salts include calcium phosphate and calcium fluoride.

Download our Antiscalant Technical Guide to learn more how to detect and treat this common issue on RO systems.