INTRODUCTION TO MEMBRANE FILTRATION TECHNOLOGY

Prepared By:

Faraz Nazar
Environmental Engr. (National Environmental Consultants)

28th May, 2009

 What is MEMBRANE FILTRATION

 Membrane filtration is a technique which is used to separate

particles from a liquid for the purpose of purifying it.

 The range of particle sizes is extended to include dissolved

constituents (typically 0.0001 to 1.0 micron range).

 Microfiltration, Ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration, and Reverse

osmosis are all membrane filtration techniques.
Particle Size Definition

 The unit of measure generally associated with filterable particles is microns. One
micron equals 1/25,400 of an inch (or one millionth of a meter).

 Human hair for example has an average diameter of 90 microns.

 Particles smaller than this often times require the use of a microscope.

 However, even with a microscope, a particle less than 1 micron in diameter is

difficult to see.

 Tobacco smoke, for example, typically ranges in size from 0.01 to 1.0 microns.
When the naked eye "sees" tobacco smoke, it is actually seeing the light that is being reflected or
scattered from millions of small particles.

 The wavelength of such light is in the ultraviolet range, hence the blue haze normally
associated with a smoke-filled room.

 As particles such as tobacco smoke become very small, they cease to behave as
particles. Instead, they begin to behave more like gas phase molecules.

 Traditional methods of separation do not apply to particles below .01 microns and
removing them from air requires techniques reserved for gaseous materials.

 Particles above 0.01 micron, however, are usually considered to be filterable.

http://www.porex.com/by_function/by_function_filtration.cfm
http://www.porex.com/by_function/by_function_filtration/part_size_def.cfm
Mechanism Operation

Difference between Pore flow, Diffusion and Sieve

Diffusion

 Molecular diffusion often called simply diffusion is a net transport

of molecules from a region of higher concentration to one of lower
concentration by random molecular motion.

Example :
Diffusion of Cigarette smoke
Diffusion of a Drop of an ink in water

 Diffusion of water is classified as osmosis.

 Osmosis is the diffusion of water through a semi-permeable membrane,
from a low concentrate solution (high water potential) to a highly
concentrated solution (low water potential).

 The simplest definition is that it is diffusion of water across a

semipermeable membrane.

 It is a physical process in which a solvent moves, without input of energy,

across a semi-permeable membrane (permeable to the solvent, but not the
solute) separating two solutions of different concentrations.

 The semi permeable membrane is selectively permeable, so only

necessary materials are let into the cell and waste left out.

Haynie, Donald T. (2001), Biological Thermodynamics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,

pp. 130–136 (pt 1, 2, 3)

Maton, Anthea; Jean Hopkins, Susan Johnson, David LaHart, Maryanna Quon Warner, Jill
D. Wright (1997). Cells Building Blocks of Life. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice
Hall. pp. 66–67. (pt. 4)

http://www.answers.com/topic/osmosis?method=8
 Natural Examples

 Osmosis can also be seen when potato slices are added to a high
concentration of salt solution. The water from inside the potato moves to
the salt solution, causing the potato to shrink and to lose its 'turgor pressure'.
The more concentrated the salt solution, the bigger the difference in size
and weight of the potato slice.

 Soaking effect in dry fruit when put in water.

 Function of a Kidney

 Keep the concentrations of various ions and other important substances constant.

 Keep the volume of water in your body constant.

 Remove wastes from your body (urea, ammonia, drugs, toxic substances).

 Keep the acid/base concentration of your blood constant

 Physical Example of osmosis process

 If you were to insert a hollow tube of a certain diameter into a beaker of

water, the water would rise inside the tube and reach the same level as the water
outside it. But suppose you sealed the bottom end of the tube with a
semipermeable membrane, then half-filled the tube with salt water and again
inserted it into the beaker. Over a period of time, the relative levels of the salt water
in the tube and the regular water in the beaker would change, with the fresh water
gradually rising into the beaker.

http://www.answers.com/topic/osmosis?method=8
 Biological Example of osmosis process

 Cells in the human body and in the bodies of all living things behave
like microscopic bags of solution housed in a semipermeable membrane. The
health and indeed the very survival of a person, animal, or plant
depends on the ability of the cells to maintain their concentration of solutes.

 Two illustrations involving salt water demonstrate how osmosis can

produce disastrous effects in living things.
 Biological Example of osmosis process

 If you put a carrot in salty water, the salt water will "draw" the water
from inside the carrot—which, like the human body and most other
forms of life, is mostly made up of water. Within a few hours, the
carrot will be limp, its cells shriveled.

 Worse still is the process that occurs when a person drinks salt
water. The body can handle a little bit, but if you were to
consume nothing but salt water for a period of a few days, as in the
case of desert island, the osmotic pressure would begin drawing water
from other parts of your body. Since a human body ranges from 60%
water (in an adult male) to 85% in a baby, there would be a great deal of
water available—but just as clearly, water is the essential
ingredient in the human body. If you continued to ingest salt water, you
would eventually experience dehydration and die.
 Biological Example of osmosis process

 How, then, do fish and other forms of marine life survive in a salt-
water environment? In most cases, a creature whose natural habitat is
the ocean has a much higher solute concentration in its cells than does a land
animal. Hence, for them, salt water is one that has the same
concentration of solute and hence the same osmotic pressure as in their
own cells.
 Biological Example of osmosis process

 One vital process closely linked to osmosis is dialysis, which is critical to

the survival of many victims of kidney diseases. Dialysis is the process by
which an artificial kidney machine removes waste products from a
patients' blood—performing the role of a healthy, normally functioning kidney.
The openings in the dialyzing membrane are such that not only water, but
salts and other waste dissolved in the blood, pass through to a surrounding tank of
distilled water. The red blood cells, on the other hand, are too large to enter the
dialyzing membrane, so they return to the patient's body.
 Osmosis in Plants

 Plants depend on osmosis to move water from their roots to their

leaves. The further toward the edge or the top of the plant, the
greater the solute concentration, which creates a difference in osmotic
pressure. This is known as osmotic potential, which draws water
upward. In addition, osmosis protects leaves against losing water through
evaporation.

Francis, Frederick J., editor-in-chief. Encyclopedia of FoodScience and Technology. New York: Wiley, 2000.
Gardner, Robert. Science Project Ideas About KitchenChemistry. Berkeley, N.J.: Enslow Publishers, 2002.

http://members.tripod.com/~urila/>
Lessson 5: Osmosis" (Web site). <http://www.biologylessons.sdsu.edu/classes/lab5/semnet
http://www.answers.com/topic/osmosis?method=8
Osmotic Pressure

 Net movement of solvent is from the less-concentrated to the

more-concentrated solution, which tends to reduce the difference in
concentrations, untill equiblirium in solution is achieved.

 The osmotic pressure is defined to be the pressure required to

maintain an equilibrium, with no net movement of solvent.
Feed Water / Feed Stream
Input stream to the membrane

Permeate
The portion of the feed stream that passes through the membrane that
contain lower TDS than the feed stream.

Concentrate/ Retentate/ Reject

The portion of the feed stream that does not pass through the membrane that
contains higher TDS than the feed stream
Fouling

Deposition of existing solid material in the element on the feed stream of the
membrane.
Fouling Causes resistance to flow of feed stream:

Three major mechanisms of resistance flow:

 Pore narrowing

 Pore plugging

 Gel/cake formation
Module
A complete unit comprised of the membranes, the feed inlet and outlet permeate
and retentate ports, and an overall support structure.
Typical RO System in Collier County, Florida
RO System in Yuma
Ultrafiltration System
Flux

 Flux is a term which describes the rate of flow of liquid through a given
area of membrane surface.

 Permeate flux is usually stated in gallons passed trough an area of

membrane surface during some unit of time.

 Flux is monitored at start up.

 While a membrane is in use in-order to determine its efficiency.

 Flux is the best overall indicator of system efficiency within the

acceptable range of operating pressures.
Membrane Material

 Biological: Animal or Plant origin

 Synthetic: Organic (polymeric) and Inorganic (ceramics)

membranes

 (Example of organic membrane: cellulose acetate, cellulose esters,

polypropylene polyamides, polysulfones, etc.); organic- cheaper.

 Also Ceramic: Alumina, Titania, and Zirconia: high thermal/chemical

resistant
MEMBRANE MATERIAL AND THEIR APPLICATION

Material Application
Microfiltration Ultrafiltration Reverse
Osmosis
Cellulose Acetate X X X
Cellulose triacetate X X X
Cellulose nitrate X
Polyacrylonitrila (PAN) X
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) X X X
Polyvinylchloride copolymer X X X
Polyamide X X X
Polysulfone (PS) X X
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) X
Polyvinylideneflouoride (VF) X X
General characteristics of membrane processes

Membrane Membrane Typical Pore size Typical Permeate Typical

Process driving fore separation Operating description constituents
mechanism range, µm removed
Microfiltration Hydrostatic Sieve Macropores 0.08-2.0 Water + TSS, turbidity,
pressure (>50nm) Dissolved protozoan
difference solutes oocysts and
cysts, some
bacteria and
viruses
Ultrafiltration Hydrostatic Sieve Macropores 0.005-0.2 Water + small Macromolecul
pressure (2-50nm) molecules es, colloids,
difference most bacteria,
some viruses,
proteins
Nanofiltration Hydrostatic Diffusion Macropores 0.001-0.01 Water + very Small
pressure (<2nm) small molecules,
difference molecules, some virses
ionic solutes
Reverse Hydrostatic Diffusion Macropores 0.0001-0.001 Water, very Very small
osmosis pressure (<2nm) small molecules,
difference molecules, color
ionic solutes hardness,
sulfates,
nitrate,
sodium and
other ions
MEMBRANE MODULE

Tubular Module

 Membrane is cast inside the support tube

 Tubular membranes have a diameter of 5 - 15 mm

 Mainly MF and UF

 Low packing density, high prices per module

Tubular Module

Feed
Retentate

Permeate (flows radially)

MEMBRANE MODULE

Hollow Fiber

 The hollow fiber membrane module consists of a bundle of hundreds to

thousand of fibers.

 The feed can be applied to the inside of the fiber (inside out flow) or the
outside of the fiber (outside in flow).
Hollow Fiber
Hollow Fiber
MEMBRANE MODULE

Spiral Wound

 Rolled arrangement of the membrane

 Flexible permeate spacer is provided between two flat sheet membranes

 Membrane: sealed three side and open side is attached to perforated pipe

 Flow is in a spiral pattern.

 Filtrate is collected within the envelop and piped out

 RO and NF
Spiral Wound
Spiral Wound
Spiral Wound
 MICROFILTRATION

 -6)
Micro : Denoting a factor of one millionth (10

 Comes from Greek word mikro [source oxford dictionary]

 Sieving phenomena

 Pore size = 0.08 μm - 2 μm

 P = 7 to 100 kPa

 Most effectively remove particles and microorganisms (bacteria)

 High flux
Ultra means extreme (adjective) [source: oxford dictionary]

Sieving Phenomena

Pore size

0.005 μm - 0.2 μm


P

70 to 700 KPa

Moderate pressure
 NANOFILTRATION

 Nano denoting a factor of 10 -9

 Dwarf in Greek (Oxford dictionary)

 Diffusion phenomena

 Pore size = 0.001 micron range.

 P = 500 to 1000 kPa.

 NF is essentially a lower-pressure version of reverse osmosis.

 NF performance characteristics between reverse osmosis and

ultrafiltration.

 Water softening, removal of organic matter, desalting of organic

reaction products.
 REVERSE OSMOSIS

 Diffusion Phenomena

 Operating Pressure: 850 - 7000 kPa

 RO has the separation range of 0.0001 to 0.001m

 Color removal from textile effluents, production of high purity water

(boiler feed, electronics, medical, pharmaceutical).
 Thanks to ..

 The Seniors of EED

…. For making me preparing presentation on this topic.

 The Audience
…. For being patient with me during presentation.