Hence, reverse osmosis facilitates the filtering of water in water purification processes.
Other molecules such as dissolved salts, organics, bacteria and pyrogens will not pass through the membrane. Consequently, water molecules move through a reverse osmosis membrane from low water potential to higher water potential. A pressure that is greater than the natural osmotic pressure is applied to water and pushes water to pass through a semi-permeable membrane against the concentration gradient. As the name implies, it is the process of osmosis in the reverse direction. Reverse osmosis is a process applied in desalination of water or purification of water. Therefore, only via osmosis, water molecules and solvent molecules transport in and out the cell in order to balance the solute concentration inside and the outside the cell. Since the cell membrane is a selectively permeable membrane, it allows selected molecules to pass through it. Osmosis is the primary process that facilitates the water movements of cells via the cell membrane in both plant and animal cells. Since osmosis occurs along the concentration gradient, it does not use energy. It refers to the movement of water molecules from a higher water potential area to lower water potential area through a semi-permeable membrane. Osmosis is a natural phenomenon taking place regularly in all living beings. Side by Side Comparison – Osmosis vs Reverse Osmosis in Tabular Form Similarities Between Osmosis and Reverse Osmosisĥ. This article will explain the difference between osmosis and reverse osmosis in detail. Moreover, there is another related concept of osmosis called reverse osmosis that employs in water purification process in order to make water pure. This diffusion of water is through a selectively semi-permeable membrane allows passage of water but stops passage of other molecules that are either large or are ions. Hence, osmosis is the net movement of water from one side of a semi-permeable membrane to the other side due to the difference in the solute concentration between the two sides. The concept of osmosis is significant as it helps to maintain the osmotic pressure inside both animal and plant cells. The key difference between osmosis and reverse osmosis is that osmosis is a natural process in which water molecules pass along the concentration gradient while reverse osmosis is a procedure of water purification process that passes water molecules against the concentration gradient across a semi-permeable membrane.