Osmosis is a natural process of water diffusion that happens in our daily life. The osmosis process is simple yet it holds an important role in living organism.
The process of osmosis is the diffusion of water through a semi permeable membrane. The key factor that causes this process to occur is the difference in concentration of solute at both side of the membrane. Water diffuses through the membrane when there is a high concentration of solute across the membrane. The water will continue flowing until a dynamic equilibrium state is achieved.
A dynamic equilibrium state is a situation where the solute concentrations at both sides of the membrane are the same. At this state, there isn't any concentration gradient (the difference in concentration) to support osmosis. Although the water level at both sides of the membrane will not be the same after osmosis, the solute concentrations at both sides are similar.
The osmosis process doesn't requires energy at all. Osmosis occurs in plants' root hairs in the absorption of water. In the human body, osmosis helps in the re-absorption of food in the small intestine.
