The cost of reverse osmosis system isn’t simply the purchase price of the equipment. Because, it’s a comprehensive cost system encompassing multiple dimensions, including initial investment, operation and maintenance, and hidden expenses. Multiple factors—including equipment specifications, water quality, and application scenarios—influence this, so we need to conduct a comprehensive breakdown and analysis.
Initial investment cost of reverse osmosis system
Equipment procurement constitutes the first major expense for a reverse osmosis system, and it typically links directly to the system’s processing capacity and configuration level. Core component prices vary significantly between specifications and brands. Therefore, we can describe it by three factors: processing capacity, brand and pre-treatment equipment cost.
1. Divided by processing power
The smaller the treatment volume, the lower the purchase cost of a single unit. For example, a 10m³/h system costs approximately $21,000-42,000 USD, while a 50m³/h medium-sized system costs $112,000-210,000 USD. If special water quality, such as high-salinity wastewater, is being treated, the price will increase.
2. Influence of core component brand
The reverse osmosis membrane is the most critical component of the system, and the brand choice significantly impacts cost. For example, industrial-grade reverse osmosis membranes from Dow, Hyde Energy, and Toray typically cost between $280 and $700 per unit. Meanwhile, Chinese-made Huitong and Times Vonton membranes are priced approximately 60% to 80% of these other brands.
3. Pretreatment equipment cost
If the raw water quality is poor (e.g., containing large amounts of suspended solids, organic matter, and hardness ions), we will need to add a softener to remove calcium and magnesium ions. This will increase the equipment procurement cost by 10%-30%.
Operation and maintenance cost of reverse osmosis system
After the equipment is put into use, it actually needs long-term maintenance, which mainly includes four parts: energy consumption, chemicals, consumables replacement, labor and maintenance.
1. Main expenses of high-voltage operation
Reverse osmosis systems require a high-pressure pump to provide sufficient pressure to force raw water through the membrane. Energy costs are calculated based on three factors: system capacity, operating pressure, and local electricity prices.
Processing capacity and operating pressure influence energy consumption. For example, a 50 m³/h system with a high-pressure pump power of 37-55 kW, operating 20 hours per day at an electricity price of $0.084 per kWh, results in a daily energy cost of $62.16-92.4. Treating wastewater with a salinity exceeding 5000 mg/L requires a high pressure of 2.5-4.0 MPa, increasing pump power to 75-110 kW, and increasing annual energy costs to $38,400-56,500.
2. Pharmaceutical cost
To prevent reverse osmosis membrane scaling and fouling and maintain stable system operation, we must regularly add various chemicals to the system. These include flocculants, biocides, and scale inhibitors during the pretreatment phase, as well as acid and alkaline wash chemicals during the cleaning phase.
For a 50 m³/h system, for example, a flocculant dosage of 2-5 mg/L costs $84-210 per month. A scale inhibitor dosage of 3-8 mg/L costs $1,900-$5,000 per month. A biocide dosage of 1-3 mg/L costs $315-945 per month. The combined annual cost is $27,500-$91,100.
3. Consumables replacement cost
The main equipment consumables include reverse osmosis membranes, filter elements, sealing rings, etc., and we need to replace them regularly to ensure the system’s performance.
Reverse Osmosis Membrane Replacement
Reverse osmosis membranes typically have a lifespan of 2-5 years, depending on the raw water quality and cleaning frequency. A 50m³/h system requires 40-60 8-inch membranes, costing an average of US$2,800 to US$10,500 per year. Severe raw water contamination can reduce membrane lifespan to 1.5-2 years, increasing costs.
Filter and seal replacement
For a 50m³/h system, we should replace the precision filter element monthly, with a cost of $28–84 USD per replacement. We need to replace the activated carbon filters every three to six months, averaging $28–74.5 USD per month. We should replace the seals every one to two years, at a cost of $700–1400 USD per replacement. The average annual cost of consumable replacement (excluding membranes) is approximately $700-2100 USD.
Summarize
When selecting an industrial reverse osmosis system, we must consider treatment capacity, raw water quality, cost budget, and long-term needs.
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