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Solecta - Model Ultrafiltration (UF) -Polymeric Membrane Solution
Ultrafiltration (UF) products are widely used today, typically in separating high value feed streams. Separation processes, such as clarification or fractionation, are ideally suited for UF and have been utilized now for several decades. UF can follow a microfiltration (MF) treatment step for and can also be followed by another membrane technology, such as nanofiltration (NF) or reverse osmosis (RO), to further purify, concentrate, or improve the quality of an end-product.
- Productivity
- Yield
- Quality
- Operating Efficiencies
- Peace of Mind
In the spectrum of membrane technology, UF has smaller pore sizes than microfiltration MF and uses size exclusion for rejection of particles in the micrometer to nanometer size range. Examples of solids that will not pass through the membrane into permeate include proteins, fats, bacteria, and suspended solids greater than 0.01-0.1 µ, or with a molecular weight cut-off (“MWCO”) of 1,000 Da (1kDa) to 1,000,000 Da (1,000 kDa). Other high value materials such as sugars, dissolved salts, and lower molecular weight molecules will pass through into permeate, making this format attractive as a bulk concentration/fractionation step where the enrichment of macromolecules is desired.
While there are many form factors (e.g. tubular, spiral wound, plate and frame) and materials of construction (e.g. polymeric, ceramic) for Ultrafiltration, the most commonly used is polymeric spiral-wound technology. Solecta is proud to offer polyethersulfone (PES) or polysulfone (PS) polymer spiral-wound membranes in a variety of pore sizes and feed spacers to accommodate the needs of numerous process applications.
What are some key benefits of Ultrafiltration?
When properly designed and operated, UF and specifically spiral-wound membranes can offer several benefits over traditional separation process:
Compact footprint
With advances in element construction and system design, substantial surface area can be designed into a membrane solution vs traditional filtration technologies
Lower energy consumption
These systems generally consume less energy than other complex separation processes, particularly if they are thermally driven
Minimized waste generation
With proper operational protocols, including cleaning procedures, UF membranes can generally run with a higher proportion of runtime vs cleaning/downtime
Ease of operation
UF membrane operations are well understood, and control systems can ensure smooth, safe separation operations
Lower cost of operation
When considering capital and operating costs, including those mentioned above, UF membranes offer an attractive solution for filtration based on size exclusion of 0.01-0.1 µ or 1-100 kD.
UF is used broadly across process industries, most namely dairy, food ingredients, biotechnology/life sciences, beverages, and automotive manufacturing operations. Some of the key applications across these industries include the following:
- WPC and WPI production (protein fractionation/concentration)
- Milk production (protein fractionation/concentration)
- Sugar/sweetener processing (dextrose clarification prior to refining)
- Gelatin processing (protein concentration)
- Edible oils (phosphatide removal, degumming)
- Other fermentation processes (clarification)
- Cell mass removal (downstream processing of bulk fermentation)
- Beer, wine, and juice production (color removal and clarification)
- Paint recovery (clarification)
- Oil-water separation (for water/waste treatment and/or recovery of oils)