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There are many applications for the process of osmosis in addition to those examples in living organisms. One interesting application is the use of commercially available so-called "hydration bags" that can be used to produce safe drinking water by campers, hikers, or persons working in an environment where pure water is not available. These bags use "forward osmosis," a process that uses a selectively permeable membrane to separate the potentially polluted water into a hypertonic solution containing ingestible solutes inside the bag. The ingestible solutes are usually glucose or some other sugar. How do you think this works?

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Final answer:

Reverse osmosis is used in hydration bags to produce safe drinking water by separating potentially polluted water into a hypertonic solution containing ingestible solutes. Forward osmosis allows water to move through a selectively permeable membrane into the bag, producing safe drinking water.

Step-by-step explanation:

Reverse osmosis is a process that can be used to produce safe drinking water from potentially polluted water sources. Hydration bags use forward osmosis, where a selectively permeable membrane separates the potentially polluted water into a hypertonic solution containing ingestible solutes. The ingestible solutes, such as glucose, create a higher concentration inside the bag, allowing water to move through the membrane from the potentially polluted water to the bag, producing safe drinking water.

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