Industrial water operators are under more pressure than ever. Rising water prices, tightening sustainability goals, and increasingly complex feedwater conditions make it essential to get the maximum performance out of every Reverse Osmosis system.
To help the industry address these challenges, Kurita hosted a new webinar featuring experts Javier Martinez, Dan Freeman and Georgia Skordalu, who shared practical, high-impact strategies to optimize RO performance across the entire water treatment chain – from pretreatment to membrane cleaning and biological control.
This article highlights the most valuable lessons from the session. If you want the full technical depth, real case examples, and engineering guidance, you can watch the full webinar on demand.
Why RO Optimization Matters Today
RO systems are no longer just filtration – unit they are critical assets that directly influence water footprint, OPEX, energy consumption, and compliance.
The webinar began with a key message: “We must consider the system as a whole”.
RO performance is heavily shaped by:
- Pretreatment efficiency
- Feedwater variability
- Scaling potential
- Biofilm activity
- Cleaning strategies
- Operational settings
Even small inefficiencies can result in higher energy use, reduced production, and premature membrane failure. But with right approach, these same areas offer some of the biggest opportunities for improvement.
Water Savings: Where the Biggest Opportunities Lie
In most industrial plants, the RO membrane stage is responsible for most of the water use. Because the process creates a constant brine stream, optimizing recovery rate has an immediate impact.
A practical example from the webinar
A 75 m³/h RO system increasing its recovery from 75% to 80% can save nearly:
80,000 m³ of water per year
This translates into tens of thousands of euros in annual savings for many European operations.
But raising recovery isn't risk-free
Higher recovery increases:
- Scaling potential
- Membrane fouling
- Salt passage
- Sensitivity to water quality fluctuations
- Cleaning frequency
That’s why Kurita relies on advanced modeling tools, such as Avista AdvisorCi™, to simulate scaling behavior, validate antiscalants, and ensure hydrodynamic feasibility before adjusting recovery.
Scaling Prevention: the silent factor that determines success
Scaling can damage an RO system in days if left unchecked. Kurita breaks down scaling assessment into three pillars:
- Water Chemistry. Understanding ion concentrations, saturation indexes, induction times, and inhibitor compatibility is essential before any operational change.
- Hydrodynamics. Even if chemistry looks good, the wrong crossflow conditions can trigger scale deposition.
- Antiscalant Strategy. Increasing recovery often requires re-evaluating antiscalant selection, optimal dosage, pH control and membrane manufacturer specifications.
Kurita’s software tools help operators simulate scenarios and safely push recovery without risking membrane damage. New systems aim to reduce induction time and allow significantly higher recoveries than standard RO. These are increasingly common in Europe and worth evaluating for future upgrades.
Pretreatment Matters: Optimizing multimedia filters
Pretreatment quality determines:
- Energy consumption
- Membrane lifetime
- Cartridge filter replacements
- Cleaning intervals
- Overall system stability
Many plants still rely on timed backwash cycles, which waste water and reduce filter effectiveness. The recommended approach:
- Backwash based on differential pressure and filtrate quality
- Ensure correct media layering
- Reassess coagulant type and dosage
Recycling backwash can save water but introduces risks such as biofilm formation – it must be tightly controlled.
Ultrafiltration & microfiltration: when standard cleaning isn't enough
UF/MF systems consume water during:
- Backwash
- Chemically Enhanced Backwash (CEB)
- CIP (Clean-in-place) cycles
Generic chemicals are increasingly insufficient for complex feedwaters. Kurita’s specialist formulations have demonstrated the ability to fully recover modules that were considered irrecoverable, significantly extending UF membrane life and improving downstream RO performance.
Cleaning strategies: finding hidden water & cost savings
CIP cycles consume large volumes of high-quality water. Reducing their frequency relies on:
- String biofilm control
- Optimized pretreatment
- Proper cleaning protocols
- Controlled backwash strategy
Even small operational improvements can translate into thousands of euros saved per year.
Energy Efficiency: Why clean membranes matter most
The high-pressure pump is the main energy consumer in an RO system.
Fouling is the enemy of energy efficiency.
Even small improvements in:
- Pretreatment quality
- Anti-scalant selection
- Biofilm control
- Cleaning effectiveness
… translate into significant reductions in pump pressure requirements.
Sustainability: Reducing plastic waste & extending membrane life
Sustainability in RO isn’t just about water and energy – it’s also about solid waste:
- Reducing cartridge filter consumption
- Using membranes for 5-10 years with proper maintenance
- Leveraging Kurita’s offsite membrane services to restore fouled elements
Offsite servicing identifies which membranes can be recovered, repurposed, or need replacement – preventing unnecessary disposal.
Biofilm control: the most misunderstood challenge in RO
Georgia’s segment highlighted how chlorination can backfire:
- It breaks biological matter into nutrients à microbes regrowth downstream
- Surviving bacteria become more resistant
- EPS (biofilm matrix) formation increases
Kurita recommends membrane-safe, non-oxidizing biocides, such as Kuriverter™ 110 and Kuriverter™ 220, which:
- Remove existing biofilm
- Avoid nutrient generation
- Prevent microbial adaptation
- Are NSF approved
This is one of the fastest ways to improve RO performance and reduce cleaning needs.
Watch the Full webinar & boost your RO System Performance
This article only scratches the surface of the deep insights, examples, and engineering guidance shared in the 1-hour session.
→ Request your free plant survey
→ Stay tuned for upcoming sessions on membrane autopsy, advanced software tools, and real-world case studies.
If you’re serious about optimizing water and energy use while improving plant reliability, this webinar is a must-watch.
The webinar’s core message was powerful:
Optimizing RO systems is not a one-step action – it’s a holistic journey. But the benefits can be transformative.
Kurita’s global team is ready to support industries in making these improvements safely and effectively.
