Reverse osmosis purification: A case study of the Niger Delta region

The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is faced with the problem of drinking water supply. Different methods of water purification were compared and reverse osmosis was considered a choice method for the experiment. Among the region’s brackish water reserves with heavy metal contamination, nickel and cobalt were considered. Model solutions of nickel and cobalt were prepared to mimic the brackish water contamination levels and were purified with cellulose acetate reverse osmosis membrane. Experimental results showed that purifications were more dependent on the overall salt concentrations and not on individual components.