Which process should be chosen for your desired process?
What is ultrafiltration? Anyone who has studied (and paid attention to) the lowest level of biology at the high school level is familiar with the concept of membranes, especially a semi-permeable membrane. Biological cells are wrapped in semipermeable membranes that separate their function from the environment. The semipermeable aspect allows only certain ions and small organic molecules and other cells to enter or leave the cell. The membrane can be selected in inactive or active capacity. Ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF) processes use a semi-permeable membrane to separate fine contaminants from a stream of water.
What is the difference between UF ultrafiltration and MF microfiltration? We will first explain how a semi-permeable membrane works. Next, we will explain the difference between UF ultrafiltration and MF micro-filtration membrane treatment processes for water and wastewater treatment.
How does a semi-permeable membrane work?
One way, in biological systems (ie, living cell transport), is of active outer membranes at the surface of a membrane, which occurs in several different ways. Each of these transports requires a cell to expend a certain amount of energy. One way is through the transport channels, which absorb and excrete nutrients and metabolic wastes, respectively. Another is endocytosis, in which the cell wall forms something like a mouthpiece, wraps around a foreign body, and then sprouts inside the cell as a vesicle. The opposite is exocytosis – the internal vesicles are secreted by the fuse membrane and its contents into the surrounding solution.
Another way is through passive mechanisms known as diffusion and gastric osmosis.
Emission: The movement of ions and molecules from high-concentration regions to low-concentration regions in order to create equilibrium on both sides of the membrane. By moving these ions, it creates an osmotic pressure difference. Osmosis acts against diffuse diffusion, seeking to equilibrate by moving a solvent (normally water) to a higher concentration site, although both work to achieve the same equilibrium concentration in solution, so there is no difference in There is no osmotic pressure.
The passive release / osmosis process is a mechanism that is easily replicated in non-biological systems on a much larger scale. There are many potential applications for such technology, but it has particular benefits in water and wastewater treatment. Microfiltration and ultrafiltration are two membrane technologies. These refining / separation processes are very similar to one difference, making each ideal for its particular application.
Basically similar
MF microfiltration and UF ultrafiltration are different from each other. As mentioned in the introduction, they are both non-biological (non-living) membrane-based separation technologies. These system processes work by applying pressure differences across a semi-permeable membrane, and the pressure forces water, salts, and small particles through the membrane to retain larger solids on the other side.
These processes are also used for the pretreatment steps useful for reverse osmosis and reverse nanofiltration (RO / NF). Membranes must be installed in properly designed systems and sometimes require periodic cleaning so that they can continue for as long as possible without replacement. Purification and pretreatment reduce the concentration of larger solid particles and reduce the intensity of membrane deposition.
Purification membranes UF ultrafiltration and MF microfiltration are available in the same settings. Plates and frames, tubes, hollow fiber and helical gaskets are possible options. These settings offer different pros and cons. There are also different materials from which membranes can be made, namely polymers, ceramics and several metal models.
Similar benefits:
- No chemicals
- Consistent product quality regardless of supply quality
- Easily scalable
Similar costs:
- Equipment
- Tanks, pumps, slides, controls and more
- Building materials
Water properties
What is in the water and sewage determines what needs to be done to properly treat it. More complex compounds or high concentrations of contaminants require pre-treatment or system design with more energy or more resistant membranes to address these conditions. Low concentrations and simple contaminants tend to be less pre-treated and thus reduce operating costs.
Flow rate
Higher flow rates are associated with higher capital and operating costs
planning
required space
Installation
Comparison of Prepackaged Systems with Unassembled Systems
transport cost
Operating costs
The differences
It all goes to the size of boiling pores. At the membrane separation scale, micro- and ultrafiltration are larger than nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO), but still finer than filtration intermediates. Although there is no universal agreement, common definitions have microfilter pores in the range of 0.1 to 10 microns and ultrafiltration membrane pores in the 0.005 to 0.1 micron range. Ultrafiltration membranes are typically graded with the molecular weight of the solids they remove and typically cut from 5,000 to 300,000 molecular weights. The membrane selected for a treatment system is based on the size of the smallest particles that must be retained in the drinking water. The difference in their pore size indicates the applications that are most used for ultrafiltration treatment or microfiltration treatment process for specific applications.
Delete
Based on the pore size range of these two separation technologies, below is a list of some of the small pollutants that each technology can remove or reduce from raw water streams.
Microfiltration
- Algae
- bacterias
- Pathogenic protozoa (Giardia lamblia and Crypotosporidium)
- Sediment (sand, clay, some metals and complex particles)
Ultrafiltration
All MF contaminants can also remove the following:
- Endotoxins
- Colloids (including colloidal silica)
- لجن
- viruses
- proteins
Applications
Both MF and UF treatment models are useful for water and wastewater treatment in a wide range of industrial and commercial settings. This involves processing different types of end products. Below are just a few of the many applications that may exist for each membrane filter process.
Microfiltration
- Cold disinfection of beverages and drugs
- Separation of bacteria from water, liquid drugs
- Transparency of juice, wine or beer
- Oil
- Ultrafiltration
- Reduce sludge concentration for reverse osmosis
- Remove the virus from the water
- Separate oil / water emulsion
- Elimination of pathogens from milk
- Medical applications
- Eat food