Title

Filtration

Objective
To understand the working principles of plate and frame filter press.
To determine the water flux of filter medium and pollution index (NTU).

Introduction
There are many industrial filters corresponding to the funnel-and-paper laboratory filtration
apparatus. One type of industrial filter is the plate-and-frame filter press. The role of the filter
press is to separate the solids from the liquid in a slurry. In this laboratory experiment, each side
of the frames is covered with a filter cloth and the whole assembly is held together by a mechanical
screw pressing on the end plate. Holes in plates, frames and cloths must be lined up to form
channels for the slurry to enter and the filtrate to leave. The solids in the slurry cannot pass through
the cloth and build up inside each frame, eventually filling them with “cake”. At this stage filtration
is stopped and the press is dismantled for removal of the cake. Filtration in this case is a batch
process.

There are a few advantages of using plate-and-frame filter press, which include, easy to
clean and replace the filter cloth or membranes, Low maintenance cost, capable in operating with
high pressure drop conditions and “difficult” slurries, provides large area for filtration on a small
floor space, as well as ease of internal inspection as leakage is easily detected.

However, the disadvantage of using plate-and-frame filter press to perform solid-liquid

separation includes inconvenience caused due to filtration by batch, requires higher labour costs,
especially when manual discharge of filter cake is involved, as well as having tendency to
encounter blockage and leakage at inlet ports of the filter if large feed concentration is involved.
 The efficiency of this filter press separation can be expressed using the equation below,

J= Q
At

where J = water flux, L/m2 h

Q = quantity of permeate, L
A = filter area, m2
t= time to obtain the quantity of Q, h

Besides, another parameter to indicate the separation efficiency of filer press is turbidity. Turbidity
can be defined as the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by individual particles (suspended
solids) that are generally invisible to the naked eye. The measurement of turbidity is also a key test
of water quality. Nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) is used as a measurement unit for turbidity
and 1 NTU is defined as a water containing 1 milligram of finely divided silica per litre.

Procedures
Experiment 1: Determine the Pure Water Flux of Filter Medium (cloth medium)
1. The filter plates and filter frames is released by turning the hand wheel of the screw stem.
2. The filter plates and filter frames is removed from the horizontal guided beam.
3. All the filter plates and frames are cleaned using clean water.
4. The filter medium is placed onto the filter frame.
5. The filter plates and frames are placed back to the horizontal guided beam. The filter plates
and filter frames are ensured to be installed alternatively between the movable heavy end plate
and stationary end plate by following the number engraved on the plates and frames.
6. The filter plates and frames are compressed by tighten the hand wheel. The filter plates and
frames are ensured to be fully tightened in order to eliminate water leakage between the plates
and frames.
7. A water hose is connected to the drain of the filter press.
8. The water tank is filled up with clean water.
9. The main switch at the control panel is turned on.
10. The water pump is started by pressing the green button. The MCB/ELCB switch at control
panel is also ensured to be switched on.
11. The exhaust valve is opened slightly to discharge the air.
12. The operating pressure is adjusted to 1 bar to ensure the value constant throughout the
experiment.
13. The liquid is allowed to circulate for 10 minutes.
14. The time required to collect 900 mL of filtrate is recorded every 5 minutes and last for 15
minnutes. The average values are obtained.
15. The pure water flux (L/m2·h) of the filter medium (cotton cloth) is obtained.
16. The feed valve is closed and the pump is stopped.

Experiment 2: Determine the Water Flux and Separation Efficiency of Different Filter
Medium
1. The same setup as Experiment 1 is used to determine the water flux (L/m2·h) of the filter
medium (cotton cloth) for solid-liquid slurry.
2. The pollution index (NTU) of the solid-liquid slurry in the water tank as well as the filtrate is
measured (using turbidity meter) and recorded.
3. All the filter mediums from the filter frames are removed and the appearance of the filter
mediums are observed after the experiment.
4. The experiment is repeated using different type of filter medium (satin cloth).
Result

The amount of calcium carbonate in water to produce slurry = 40.0g

Table 1: Result for Clean Water Filtration using Cotton Cloth

Quantity of Quantity of Time Time

Time Time Water flux Turbidity
permeate permeate interval interval
(min) (second) (L/m2 h) (NTU)
(mL) (L) (s) (h)
0 0 900 0.9 5.20 0.00144 27439.69 14.45
3 180 900 0.9 5.69 0.00158 25076.69 14.47
6 360 900 0.9 5.90 0.00164 24184.13 13.2
9 540 900 0.9 6.28 0.00174 22720.76 11.47
12 720 900 0.9 6.95 0.00193 20530.41 9.45
15 900 900 0.9 6.55 0.00182 21784.18 9.35

Table 2: Result for Slurry Filtration using Cotton Cloth

Quantity of Quantity of Time Time

Time Time Water flux Turbidity
permeate permeate interval interval
(min) (second) (L/m2 h) (NTU)
(mL) (L) (s) (h)
0 0 1000 1.00 5.270 0.00146 30083.57 898
3 180 920 0.92 5.380 0.00149 27111.00 687
6 360 1050 1.05 6.690 0.00186 24883.03 539
9 540 800 0.80 4.600 0.00128 27572.25 290
12 720 900 0.90 5.300 0.00147 26921.96 173
15 900 900 0.90 5.330 0.00148 26770.43 93

Table 3: Result for Slurry Filtration using Satin Cloth

Quantity of Quantity of Time Time

Time Time Water flux Turbidity
permeate permeate interval interval
(min) (second) (L/m2 h) (NTU)
(mL) (L) (s) (hour)
0 0 880 0.88 4.27 0.00119 32673.44 1000
3 180 900 0.9 4.88 0.00136 29239.01 714
6 360 900 0.9 4.93 0.00137 28942.47 408
9 540 900 0.9 5.28 0.00147 27023.94 111
12 720 900 0.9 5.24 0.00146 27230.23 49.4
15 900 900 0.9 5.55 0.00154 25709.26 80.4
Discussion

Water Flux against Time

34000.00
32000.00
Water flux (L/m2 h)

Clean Water with

30000.00
Nylon
28000.00 Slurry with Nylon
26000.00
Slurry with Satin
24000.00
22000.00
20000.00
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Time (s)

Figure 1: Graph of Water Flux against time

To have a better view of the comparison, a graph was drawn and shown as Figure 1. Overall, the
water flux decreased as time increased. This is because when the water passed though the nylon
filter, the solid in water would remain on the surface of nylon and formed a layer of filter cake.
The filter cake formed can act as a secondary filter and additional resistance was created. Hence,
more time was required for the same amount of water to pass through, and the water flux decreased.

For the filtration of clean water with nylon, the water flux decreased as time increased.
Theoretically, the water flux of separation of clean water should be constant. This is because there
will be less contaminant in the clean water. In this experiment, there were a decrement in water
flux as the clean water consisted of impurities, the calcium carbonate.

For the filtration of slurry using nylon, there was an increment in the water flux between 6 to 9
min. At 6th min, error occurred when collecting the data. From 0 to 3 min, the water flux decreased
as the calcium carbonate had been filtered out and formed a layer of filter cake on the surface of
nylon. The overall water flux was nearly constant at 9 to 15 min as there was lesser amount of
calcium carbonate in the water.

The water flux, Q was obtained in experiment 2 and 3, which used the different filter
medium of nylon and satin cloth respectively with the constant of filter area, A and filtration stage,
n=10. The water flux between these two filter mediums can be compared and discussed.
According to Figure 1, the graph of water flux against different types of filter medium, the initial
values of water flux with satin cloth from 0-6 minutes is higher than of water flux with nylon cloth.
At 9th minute, the water flux of nylon filter cloth exceeds the satin filter cloth. At 12th minute, the
water flux of satin filter cloth exceeds the nylon filter cloth however at 15th minute, the water flux
of nylon filter cloth exceeds the satin cloth again. Besides, starts from 6 minute onwards, the water
flux of both filter mediums decreases together as this might be due to after the long operation of
filter, the filter cake clogged and blocked at the filter mediums that slows down the flowrate of
filtered water. According to this motion of graph having high fluctuation starts from 9th minute,
where the satin cloth is having higher water flux in the initial states, this might be due to the
inconsistent flow of water being filtered at the filter medium. The filter cake at each stage may not
be clogged on the filter medium with consistent capacity which cause the inconsistent flow of
filtered water. When the water flux is high, it used shorter time to get the desired volume of the
filtered water, and this means that the impurities and slurries was washed off together easily
through the filter cloth which means that it is not efficient in the filtration compares to the one
having lower water flux. Thus, it can be said that the nylon cloth is having better filtration
compares to the satin cloth according to the water flux results based on the initial period of 0 to 6
minutes.

Then, the separation efficiency of filter medium based on the NTU values obtained was discussed.

𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 −𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
Satin: 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
× 100%

898−93
= × 100%
898

= 89.64%
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 −𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
Cotton: 𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
× 100%

1000−80.4
= × 100%
1000

= 91.96%
Based on the calculation above, the efficiency of cotton filter is higher than satin filter based on
the NTU values obtained. The filter press clothes are cotton cloth which is plain weave pattern and
satin cloth with satin weave pattern. In theoretical the plain weave has better filtration efficiency
compared to satin weave.
 The face of a Satin weave cloth is nearly entirely made up of wrap or filing floats formed
in the weave's repetition, giving one side of the fabric a distinct appearance than the other. One
file (weft) thread floats over three or more wrap threads before passing beneath one. A satin weave
is a smooth cloth surface that adapts smoothly to most curved surfaces and is possibly the most
flexible of weave patterns. The most common satin weaves are four, five, eight, or twelve harness
satins, which are utilized when excellent cake release is necessary. Sateen is a kind of fabric made
from filler (weft) yarns. When one warp yarn threads over three and under one fill yarn, the result
is Crowfoot Satin Weave. Plain weave textiles have less drapability than "crowfoot" weaves.

One of the most basic weave designs is the Plain Weave. The warp and filler threads
cross alternately in this weave. Plain-woven textiles are the least flexible and the most stable.
Particle retention is strong, blinding resistance is poor, and cake release is mild (Micronics,
n.d.). Plain weaves may provide the tightest fabric with the maximum filtering efficiency and
rigidity. Satin weave fabrics are more flexible than the other two kinds of weave because
yarn-to-yarn movement is easier, reducing the chance of particles being stuck in the structure.
Longer floats enable for proportionately more warp threads to be inserted, resulting in
improved surface smoothness and simpler cake discharge. Satin weaves, on the other hand,
do not attain high filtering efficiency unless the threads in both the wrap and weft directions
are packed densely together, and the long floats are more prone to abrasive wear (Sparks,
n.d.). Therefore, the calculation can show that the plain weave of cotton cloth have better
filtration efficiency compared to satin weave cloth.

Besides nylon filter cloth and satin filter cloth, the other filter medium that can be used in
this filtration process is polyester filter cloth. The polyester filter cloth has been widely used in an
increasing number of manufacturing industries due to its strongest acid resistance compared to
other synthetic fabric cloths. It has excellent resistance against most organic acids except for high
concentrations of nitric, sulphuric and carbolic acids. In addition, polyester filter cloth is resistant
to high temperatures where it is able to withstand operating temperatures up to 150oC (Boegger
Industech Limited, n.d.). Apart from that, it has high tensile strength as well as elongation of
around 20%-50% (Boegger Industech Limited, n.d.). Polyester filter cloth is also recognized for
its excellent abrasion-resistance property where it can withstand repeated wearing, rubbing and
scrapping due to the solid particles during the filtration process. This makes polyester filter cloth
have a longer lifespan without having to replace it so frequently.

Conclusion
The water flux of pure water using cotton cloth decreases from 27439.69 L/m2 h to 21784.18 L/m2
h in 15 minutes time. The water flux of slurry liquid (consist of 40.0g of CaCO3) using cotton cloth
decreases from 30083.57 L/m2 h to 26770.43 L/m2 h in 15 minutes time. Whereas, the water flux
of slurry liquid using satin cloth decreases 32673.44 L/m2 h to 25709.26 L/m2 h in 15 minutes time.
Based on the NTU values, cotton cloth has the separation efficiency of 91.96% where satin cloth
has the separation efficiency of 89.64%. Cotton cloth has the higher separation ability compared
to satin cloth.
References
Boegger Industech Limited, n.d.. PE Filter Fabric Tops Priority Among Synthetic Fabric Cloths.
[Online] Available at: https://www.filtercloths.org/filter-cloth/polyester-filter-cloth.html
[Accessed 2 February 2022].

Micronics, n.d. Is a Filter Press Cloth with Satin Weave Best for My Process or a Different
weave Pattern? [Online] Available from: https://www.micronicsinc.com/filtration-
news/filter-press-cloth-weave-patterns/ [Accessed from 13 March 2022]

Trevor Sparks, George Chase, n.d. Filters and Filtration Handbook. [Online] Available from:
https://books.google.com.my/books?id=tGniCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=sat
in+weave+in+filtering+efficiency&source=bl&ots=fKnoUdc8W5&sig=ACfU3U2xF1g
Wjil5dq_33RIrnAG1PgjHIg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwid6Larw832AhXE4jgGHQz
sCE4Q6AF6BAhDEAM#v=onepage&q=satin%20weave%20in%20filtering%20efficien
cy&f=true [Accessed from 15 March 2022]