31  US  6,537,456  B2  32  7. A process for treatment of a feedwater stream in  membrane separation equipment, said membrane separation  6.  The process as set forth in claim  1  or claim  2,  wherein  in step (c), pH is raised to at least about 10.  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.  1.  A process for treatment of a feedwater stream in  membrane separation equipment, said membrane separation  What is claimed is:  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.  3.  The process as set forth in claim  2,  wherein said single  unit operation comprises a weak acid cation ion-exchange  system.  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.  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.  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.  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.  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:  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  ( 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. 