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Membrane Filtration
Systems
Membrane filtration can recover valuable materials from waste streams that are not recoverable using standard filters, such as cartridge filters or sand filters. Typical particle filtration uses a porous barrier to separate substances based on their material phase (gas, liquid or solid). Examples include removing dust and paint from air, or removing solids from wastewater.
Membrane filtration separates materials based on their size, regardless of their material state. Materials in the same state, such as a solution of dissolved sugar in water, can be separated by applying pressure across a membrane designed with the proper pore size.
The key advantage of membrane filtration is its ability to retain particles or molecules that are small enough to pass through an ordinary filter. This allows for separating without the need for an energy intensive, expensive phase change process such as evaporation or distillation.
After separation, the two streams, 1) the concentrate, rich in particles or molecules, and 2) the permeate, purified water, can often be put back to use in the process. Or, at the very least, they should be less expensive to dispose. Consider membrane filtration of wastewater if you would like to recover product or process chemicals that are currently going down the drain, or if you have high oxygen or solids loading.
Membrane filtration is a general term that covers a variety of separation technologies including reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration, ultrafiltration and microfiltration. Each technology is effective within a range of molecule/particle sizes. Some of the ranges for the technologies overlap. The figure below shows how the membrane filtration technologies compare.
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Dewatering Example
Traditionally in maple syrup processing all of the water in sap is removed by evaporation, which is energy intensive. To reduce the cost of dewatering, many maple syrup producers concentrate the sugar solution using RO.
RO applies pressure across a membrane. The water molecules in the solution pass through the membrane, but the sugar molecules cannot because they are too large for the membrane pores. This results in a concentrated sugar solution and a water stream mostly free of sugar. RO allows 75 percent of the water to be removed from the maple sap before it is sent to an evaporator.
Removing the majority of the water with RO reduces energy costs for evaporation by about 60 percent. An added advantage of membrane filtration, often valuable to food processors, is reducing the product’s exposure to heat.
Equipment Manufacturers and Suppliers
MnTAP maintains the list of membrane filtration equipment manufacturers and suppliers below solely as a service to Minnesota companies. This is not a complete list of available manufacturers or suppliers and does not represent an endorsement by MnTAP. By providing the list, MnTAP does not guarantee that the products do or do not comply with environmental and safety laws in any specific application.
For More Information
MnTAP has a variety of technical assistance services available to help Minnesota businesses implement industry-tailored solutions that maximize resource efficiency, prevent pollution, increase energy efficiency, and reduce costs.Our information resources are available online. Or, call MnTAP at 612.624.1300 or 800/247 0015 from greater Minnesota for personal assistance. |
| Manufacturers and Suppliers of Membrane Filtration Equipment |
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Company
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Local Representative
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Equipment Type
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Complete Filtration Resources Inc.
Minneapolis, MN
612/728-8907 |
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Microfiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration |
GE Osmonics
Minnetonka, MN
952/933-2277 |
Filtra Tech Systems, Inc.
Shakopee, MN
952/988-9600
800/783-4955
filtratechsys.com
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Microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis
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Infinitex
Clarence, NY
716/741-8381 |
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Microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration
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Koch Membrane Systems
Wilmington, MA
888/677-5624 |
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Microfiltration, ultrafiltration
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PCI Membrane Systems Inc.
Milford, OH
513/575-3500 |
Minnesota representative
Lewis Pain
920/923-5869 |
Microfiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration
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Sanborn Technologies
Walpole, MA
508/660-9150 |
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Nanofiltration, ultrafiltration |
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