In some regions of the southwest United States, the water is very hard. For example, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the tap water contains about 560 mg of dissolved solids per milliliter. Reverse osmosis units are marketed in this area to soften water. A typical unit exerts a pressure of 8.0 atm and can produce 45 L of water per day.
a. Assuming that all the dissolved solids are MgCO3, and assuming a temperature of 27oC, what total volume of water must be processed to produce 45 L of pure water?
b. Would the same system work for purifying seawater? (Assume that seawater is 0.60 M NaCl.)