Ultra Filtration (UF)
Ultrafiltration is a Membrane separation process using membranes with pore sizes in the range of 0.1 to 0.001 micron. However, it is more customary to categorize membranes by molecular-weight cutoff. Typically, ultrafiltration will remove high molecular-weight substances, colloidal materials, and organic and inorganic polymeric molecules.
Low molecular-weight organics and ions such as sodium, calcium, magnesium chloride, and sulfate are not removed. Because only high-molecular weight species are removed, the osmotic pressure differential across the membrane surface is negligible. Low applied pressures are therefore sufficient to achieve high flux rates from an ultrafiltration membrane.
Configurations.
- Plate-and-Frame
- Spiral-wound
- Tubular
- Hollow Fibre
All configurations have been used successfully in different process applications. Each configuration is especially suited for some specific applications and there are many applications where more than one configuration is appropriate. For high purity water, spiral-wound and capillary configurations are generally used. The configuration selected depends on the type and concentration of colloidal material or emulsion. For more concentrated solutions, more open configurations like plate-and-frame and tubular are used
- Polysulfone
- Cellulose Acetate
- Ceramic
- Thin-film composite
