Application of Osmosis

The effects and applications of osmosis in everyday life

1. Osmosis has a number of life-preserving functions:

it assists plants in receiving water,

it helps in the preservation of fruit and meat,

and is even used in kidney dialysis.

2. In addition, osmosis can be reversed to remove salt and other impurities from water.

3. The excessive use of chemical fertilizers will cause the plant cells to lose water. Plant cells plasmolysed and later on the whole plant wilt.

4. Dissolved ions from chemical fertilisers such as phosphates, nitrates, calcium, and magnesium, in the soil around the roots and root hairs, will cause the increase in solute concentration, but decrease in water molecules concentration, hence, water diffuse from the cell sap into soil water by osmosis.

5. When water is drawn out of the plant cell, the cytoplasm shrink away from the cellulose cell wall and cause plasmolysis.

6.Plasmolyzed cells lose turgidity and support, causing the whole plant to wilt.

7. Osmosis helps us in preserving food. So that it last longer. By using a concentrated salt or sugar solution, all the water molecules within the food cells are drawn out by osmosis.

8. The food without water will hinder the bacteria and fungus from growing.

9. Animals living in an aquatic environment which are not isotonic to their body tissue may face problem due to the process of osmosis.

10. For example, unicellular organism such Paramecium sp. Living in fresh water, Paramecium has a higher concentration of materials inside the cell than are present in the outside environment. Thus, water is constantly flowing into the cell through the process of osmosis. Paramecium has two contractile vacuoles that eliminate water entering the cell by through osmosis and help maintain osmotic equilibrium.(Figure 3.24)

11. Paramecium must constantly be expelling water to prevent the cell from becoming bloated with water and potentially bursting.

12.The plasma membrane, being semi permeable to certain substances will act as a gate keeper, regulating what goes in and out of the cell.

13. If there is any defect in the plasma membrane, many essential processes in the cells cannot be carried out. Thus the proper functioning of the plasma membrane is important to our health.

14. In order to maintain the proper function of the plasma membrane and the cell as a whole, it is important for us to take care of our food and water intake.

Reverse Osmosis

This process is best known for its use in desalination (removing the salt from sea water to get fresh water), but it has also been used to purify fresh water for medical, industrial and domestic applications since the early 1970s.