Advantages:

• Belts can be made of asbestos fibers, neoprene, Teflon, and vinyl

polymer.
• Belt conveyors are for general-purpose installation and available
in relatively large sizes. These can travel several kilometers as in
the case of coal mines.
• Routine maintenance of the belt conveyor is easy.
• Belt conveyor is economical in terms of cost per unit ton that it
can handle.
 Pneumatic conveyors
• Pneumatic conveyors can move fine, dry material using
pressure differentials and a flow of gas, typically compressed
air or nitrogen. The material is totally enclosed within tubes or
pipes, where differences in pressures on either side cause a flow
of product.
Construction
• Fans or cycloidal blowers are connected to the conveying
system. An air slide consists of a chute with a porous base
through which air passes. The path of material travel may vary
from a few meters to several hundred meters. Conveyor
mechanisms can be operated for horizontal and vertical
distances. The material supply (feed) connected to the air slide
through a rotary feeder valve. The other end of the pipeline is
connected to a cyclone separator.
Pneumatic conveying is the movement of solids through pipe using gas (usually
air) as the motive force.
Applications of Pneumatic Conveyor:
• A pneumatic conveyor is the most important handling system
in the chemical industry.
• It is used in the formulation of powdered insufflations.
• Generally, light and bulky materials such as grains can be
transported easily.
• A pneumatic conveyor is used for handling unpleasant and
injurious (toxic) materials since it is a closed system.
• Powders containing poisonous constituents can be
transported.
• Fine powders and pellets having a size up to 6.0 millimeters
and bulk densities from 16 to 3000 kg per meter cube can be
handled by a pneumatic conveyor.
Advantages:
• While conveying the material, the path may involve many turns
and lifts. In such cases, other types of conveying become costly.
• The pneumatic conveyor is economical compared to other types
of conveyors.
• Friction losses are small. because there is no movement of
mechanical parts.

Disadvantages:
• The pneumatic conveyor needs more power than other types of
conveyor systems.
• Erosion of the internal surface of the vessel and attrition of
solids may take place.
• Uneven contact of gas and solids is observed.
 Bioseparation processes
• In the chemical and biochemical industries, downstream
processing deals with different unit processes. It is crucial for
the biochemical industry because the cost of chemicals depends
on the purity of products.

The nature of downstream processes may be classified as follows:

• Solid–liquid separation
• Concentration
• Purification
• Formulation
The parameters involved in different bioseparation processes are as
follows:
• Size, e.g., centrifugation, filtration, membrane separation
• Density, e.g., sedimentation, centrifugation, floatation
• Shape, e.g., filtration, centrifugation, sedimentation
• Polarity, e.g., chromatography, extraction, adsorption
• Solubility, e.g., precipitation, extraction, crystallization
• Electrostatic charge, e.g., electrophoresis, adsorption,
membrane separation
• Diffusivity, e.g., membrane separation
• Volatility, e.g., pervaporation, distillation, membrane distillation
 Filtration
• Filtration is used for the separation of solids from a fluid by
passing the fluid through a porous medium that retains the solids
but allows the liquid to pass through.

• Clarification is the process of separation of a solid from a liquid

when the suspended solid concentration is very low, i.e., not
exceeding 1.0% w/v.
Filtration has a role to play in even in Fermentation alongside
DSP.

For ex.
Medium sterilization plays a critical role in the biochemical
industry for a successful fermentation.
The objective is to prevent the growth of undesired
microorganisms during the fermentation, enzyme-catalyzed
reaction, or medium storage.
Sterilization may be achieved through the removal or destruction
of any organism that will adversely affect the process or product.
Sterilization can be done through two processes:
1. Filtration for the removal of microorganisms
2. Thermal treatment for killing microorganisms
The second process is generally considered in processing most
media used in biochemical processes.
The choice of the sterilization method depends on the following
factors:
• Effectiveness in acquiring an acceptable level of sterility
• Reliability
• Effect (positive or negative) on medium quality
• Cost, including operating and capital expense
 Filtration and Microorganisms
Physical Characteristics of Microorganisms
• The physical properties of microorganisms are required for
their removal from the liquid by filtration.
• The diameter of filamentous, mycelial organisms (such as
molds) is several micrometers. So the filtration technique can
be easily used for the removal of these organisms.
• The sizes of yeast, bacteria, and phages are 3.5 μm, 0.5–2 μm,
and 0.04–0.1 μm, respectively.
• Phage contamination is not a major issue in most fermentation
processes.
 Filter Type: Depth and Absolute Filters
Depth filters
• Depth filters are prepared from porous or fibrous materials.
The diameter of the pore is usually more than the minimum
size of the materials to be removed. Particle removal
efficiency is calculated from the amount of particles retained
by the filter.
• The principles of retention of particles by the filter are
interception, inertial impaction, diffusion, gravitation, and
electrostatic interaction.
• The examples of depth filters are porous glass wool, sintered
metals, ceramics, diatomaceous earth, and cellulose fiber.
Absolute filters
• Total removal of microorganisms can be achieved in an
absolute filter, which is based on the pore size of the
membrane, e.g., ultrafiltration, microporous membrane, etc.

• The size of the pore should be less than the minimum size of
the particles to be removed. So the principle of this filtration is
nothing but absolute size exclusion.
In general,
• Media filtration is more expensive than thermal methods.
However, it has the primary advantage because it is applicable to
retain the nutritional properties of the heat-labile materials
present in the medium.
• Sterilization by filtration is generally considered for the removal of
heat-labile nutrient present in the medium.

• Pyrogen-free water can be prepared by means of microporous

and ultrafiltration.

• Pressure drop in the filtration technique is high. The operational

cost of the process is directly proportional to the pressure drop.
In addition, the life of the filtration material also influences the
cost of the process. So this technique is usually preferred in the
case of high-value, low-volume products.