A recently published pilot study at the City of Santa Monica’s Arcadia Water Treatment Plant demonstrated the effectiveness of ROTEC’s Flow Reversal Reverse Osmosis (FR-RO) technology for brackish groundwater desalination. The system achieved 90% water recovery while maintaining stable performance, strong salt rejection, and extended intervals between chemical cleanings.

The FR-RO pilot was operated in a three-stage configuration with flow reversal integrated into the second stage. This design reduced membrane fouling compared to conventional RO, helping the system sustain performance under challenging feedwater conditions.

Compared to traditional RO systems, FR-RO operated at lower feed pressures with no significant increase in differential pressure between stages, contributing to both energy efficiency and operational stability. The flow reversal mechanism also distributed the scaling burden across membrane elements, improving cleaning frequency and system uptime.