included in these cost estimates, nor is system installation or any PVDF lined storage tanks, since sizing of these com› ponents are very site specific. 

Summary 

The new HERO brand RO technology has been shown to exhibit very high rejection of all contaminants, especially weak acid anions. In addition, RO recovery of ninety percent (90%) or higher can be achieved with the vast majority of feedwater. Biological fouling is essentially eliminated while particulate fouling is substantially reduced. A flux consid- erably higher than is normally practical using conventional RO system design can be achieved with the new HERO technology. Although the benefits of this new process might justify higher UPW system cost, just the opposite is true. The overall cost as well as the complexity of the UPW system are both reduced dramatically. 

The method and apparatus for processing water via mem› brane separation equipment, and in particular, via the HERO brand reverse osmosis ("RO") process design as described herein, provides a revolutionary, paradoxical result, namely, simultaneous increase in levels of silica in the RO reject, but with lower levels of silica in the purified RO permeate. This method of operating membrane separation systems, and in particular, for operating reverse osmosis systems, represents a significant option for reducing water use while simulta- neously reducing capital and operating costs of the water treatment system. Water recovery, that is, the ratio of the quantity of the permeate product stream produced to the quantity of the feedwater stream provided is clearly in excess of about 50%, and easily will be up to about 85% or more, and often, will be up to about 95%, and, at times, will reach levels of about 99%. Further, given the efficiencies, dramatically less usage of chemical reagents, either for ion exchange regenerant or for RO cleaning, will be consumed per gallon of pure water produced. 

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, including those made apparent from the proceeding description, are efficiently attained, and, since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above method and in construction of a suitable apparatus in which to practice the method and in which to produce the desired product as set forth herein, it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For example, while I have set forth an exemplary design for simultaneous hardness and alkalinity removal, other embodiments are also feasible to attain the result of the principles of is the method disclosed herein. Therefore, it will be understood that the foregoing description of representative embodiments of the invention have been presented only for purposes of illustra- tion and for providing an understanding of the invention, and it is not intended to be exhaustive or restrictive, or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the inven- tion as expressed in the appended claims. As such, the claims are intended to cover the methods and structures described therein, and not only the equivalents or structural equiva› lents thereof, but also equivalent structures or methods. Thus, the scope of the invention, as indicated by the appended claims, is intended to include variations from the embodiments provided which are nevertheless described by the broad meaning and range properly afforded to the language of the claims, or to the equivalents thereof. 

What is claimed is: 

1. A process for treatment of a feedwater stream in membrane separation equipment, said membrane separation 

equipment comprising at least one unit having a membrane separator, to produce a low solute containing product stream and a high solute containing reject stream, said process comprising: 

( a) providing a feedwater stream containing solutes therein, said solutes comprising 

(i) hardness, 

(ii) alkalinity, 

(iii) at least one molecular species which is sparingly ionized when in neutral or near neutral pH aqueous solution said at least one molecular species compris› ing one or more of 

(1) at least some TOC, or 

(2) at least some silica, or 

(3) at least some boron; 

(b) concentrating said feedwater stream in a first unit of said membrane separation equipment after reducing the tendency of said feedwater to form scale when said feedwater is concentrated to a preselected concentra› tion factor at a selected pH, by effecting, in any order, two or more of the following: 

(i) removing hardness from said feedwater stream; 

(ii) removing substantially all alkalinity associated with hardness from said feedwater stream; 

(iii)removing dissolved gas from said feedwater stream, whether initially present or created during said hardness or said alkalinity removal step; 

( c) raising the pH of the product from step (a) to a selected pH of at least about 8.5, to urge said at least one molecular species which is sparingly ionized when in neutral or near neutral pH aqueous solution toward increased ionization; 

(d) passing the product from step (c) above through said membrane separation equipment, said membrane sepa› ration equipment substantially resisting passage of dis› solved species therethrough, to concentrate said feed› water to said preselected concentration factor, to produce 

(i) a high solute containing reject stream, 

(ii) a low solute containing product stream, and 

(iii) wherein TOC in said product stream is less than five percent (5%) of said at least some TOC in said feedwater. 

2. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein the steps of ( a) removing hardness, and (b) removing substantially all alkalinity, associated with hardness, are accomplished in a single unit operation. 

3. The process as set forth in claim 2, wherein said single unit operation comprises a weak acid cation ion-exchange system. 

4. The process as set forth in claim 3, wherein said feedwater stream contains contains more hardness than alkalinity, further comprising, before feeding said feedwater to said weak acid cation exchange system, the step of adjusting the ratio of hardness to alkalinity by adding a base to said feedwater, so as to raise the alkalinity of said feedwater. 

5. The process as set forth in claim 3, wherein said feedwater stream contains more alkalinity than hardness, further comprising, before feeding said feedwater to said week acid cation exchange system, the step of addition of acid to said feedwater, so as to destroy the excess alkalinity in said feedwater. 

6. The process as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein in step (c), pH is raised to at least about 10. 

7. A process for treatment of a feedwater stream in membrane separation equipment, said membrane separation 

