Ultrafiltration Plant

Contents
1 ULTRAFILTRATION (UF)........................................................................................................................2
1.1 Applications of ultrafiltration.......................................................................................................2
1.2 How ultrafiltration works.............................................................................................................3
1.3 Reverse osmosis vs ultrafiltration................................................................................................3
1.4 Ultrafiltration vs nanofiltration and microfiltration.....................................................................4
1.5 Ultrafilter vs. Conventional Filter.................................................................................................4
1.6 When is ultrafiltration used?.......................................................................................................5
1.7 What can ultrafiltration remove?................................................................................................5
1.8 Ultrafiltration benefits.................................................................................................................6
1.9 Membrane Geometry..................................................................................................................6
1 ULTRAFILTRATION (UF)
Ultrafiltration (UF) is a variety of membrane filtration in which forces like
pressure or concentration gradients lead to a separation through a
semipermeable membrane. Suspended solids and solutes of high molecular
weight are retained in the so-called retentate, while water and low molecular
weight solutes pass through the membrane in the permeate .
1.1 Applications of ultrafiltration

UF can be used for removal of particulates and macromolecules from raw water, to
produce potable water. It has been used to either replace existing secondary
(coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation) and tertiary filtration (sand filtration and
chlorination) systems employed in water-treatment plants or as standalone systems
in isolated regions with growing populations. When treating water with high
suspended solids, UF is often integrated into the process, using primary (screening,
flotation and filtration) and some secondary treatments as pre-treatment stages.
Ultrafiltration processes are preferred over traditional treatment methods for the
following reasons:
1. No chemicals required (aside from cleaning)
2. Constant product quality regardless of feed quality
3. Compact plant size
4. Capable of exceeding regulatory standards of water quality, achieving 90-100%

pathogen removal.
When water recycling is simple, it often needs very little processing. However,
when more intensive processing is required, the industry standard procedures
include using UF, which is meant to remove physical solids from water by passing it
through a semi-permeable membrane. Using ultrafiltration, solids are primarily
captured by the filter and discarded.
Recycled water can also be used for a number of industrial purposes, including
boiler or cooling tower feed water supplementation, pH adjustment, washing
equipment, hardstands and vehicles, fire protection, process rinse water or
processing water for production lines in manufacturing industries, toilet flushing,
dust control, construction activities, and concrete mixing.
1.2 How ultrafiltration works
Ultrafiltration is one membrane filtration process that serves as a barrier to

separate harmful bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants from clean water. An
ultrafiltration water system forces water through a .02 micron membrane.
Suspended particles that are too large to pass through the membrane stick to the
outer membrane surface. Only fresh water and dissolved minerals pass through .
1.3 Reverse osmosis vs ultrafiltration

Many ultrafiltration systems use a hollow fiber membrane, which filters water from
the inside out. This provides a large surface area for particles to adhere to. Other
membranes, like the spiral wound RO membrane, filter from the outside in. The
hollow fiber membrane has a high chemical resistance to oxidants and chlorine, but
a TFC reverse osmosis membrane cannot tolerate any chlorine.
A reverse osmosis system provides the most extensive filtration because the RO

membrane has the smallest pore size, but this level of filtration is not always
necessary or preferred. A UF system retains beneficial minerals that an RO system
removes. However, this means that an ultrafiltration system does not remove salts,
fluoride, or TDS dissolved in water. An ultrafiltration system also operates on low
water pressure, but a reverse osmosis system needs a booster pump to increase
water flow.
1.4 Ultrafiltration vs nanofiltration and microfiltration
The difference between all four types of membrane filtration-- reverse osmosis,
nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, and microfiltration-- is the membrane pore size or
reduced particle size. The method you need depends on the level of water quality
you want or need. The chart below shows the spectrum of reduction for each type
of membrane filtration.
1.5 Ultrafilter vs. Conventional Filter

Ultrafiltration, like reverse osmosis, is a cross-flow separation process. Here liquid
stream to be treated (feed) flows tangentially along the membrane surface, thereby
producing two streams. The stream of liquid that comes through the membrane is
called permeate. The type and amount of species left in the permeate will depend
on the characteristics of the membrane, the operating conditions, and the quality of
feed. The other liquid stream is called concentrate and gets progressively
concentrated in those species removed by the membrane. In cross-flow separation,
therefore, the membrane itself does not act as a collector of ions, molecules, or
colloids but merely as a barrier to these species. Conventional filters such as media
filters or cartridge filters, on the other hand, only remove suspended solids by
trapping these in the pores of the filter-media. These filters therefore act as
depositories of suspended solids and have to be cleaned or replaced frequently.
Conventional filters are used upstream from the membrane system to remove
relatively large suspended solids and to let the membrane do the job of removing
fine particles and dissolved solids. In ultrafiltration, for many applications, no
prefilters are used and ultrafiltration modules concentrate all of the suspended and
emulsified materials.
1.6 When is ultrafiltration used?

The distinction in pore size and types of particles removed means each type of
filtration serves a unique purpose.
Ultrafiltration is the filtration method of choice for people who prefer minerals left in
their water but still want microscopic contaminants taken out. A UF system may be
selected over an RO system because it wastes less water to the drain. Someone
may choose UF in California where water use is regulated. Someone in South
Carolina, where the water has few dissolved minerals to begin with, may choose UF
since RO wouldn't be necessary. Sometimes, ultrafiltration is used to recycle
effluent water after filtration, so the water can be reused for irrigation.
Reverse osmosis is used in situations where all particles including dissolved

substance must be stripped from the water. Some people prefer RO water from
their refrigerator or tap, especially if they're on well water supply. RO is also
favored for saltwater aquariums, where an exact amount of salt can be added back
to the clear water. Nanofiltration is frequently used to remove heavy solids in dairy
and for some softening purposes. Microfiltration removes suspended solids like
algae and sediment.
1.7 What can ultrafiltration remove?

The UF membrane is a super fine filter that reduces particles 5,000 times smaller
than a human hair. Ultrafiltration gives 90-100% reduction in these contaminants.
While UF can't reduce some organics, a .05 micron carbon block prefilter can be
added to a system to reduce chlorine taste and odor, lead, cysts, volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), and metallic trace elements (MTE). A UF membrane lasts about
two years.
1.8 Ultrafiltration benefits
 System operates at a low pressure
 Removes bacteria and viruses
 Keeps essential minerals in water
 Installs quickly and easily
 Does not generate waste water
An ultrafiltration system is eco-friendly. Ultrafiltration has a 90-95% recovery rate

and can be used to treat wastewater for reuse. Using a home ultrafiltration water
system benefits the environment by reducing the amount of plastic water bottles
discarded in landfills.
1.9 Membrane Geometry

There are 4 membranes geometries:
Spiral wound module: This design tries to maximize surface area in a minimum
amount of space. It is the less expensive but more sensitive to pollution due to its
manufacturing process. It consists of consecutive layers of large membrane and
support material in an envelope type design rolled up around a perforated steel
tube.
Plate and frame module: It is normally used for bad quality water. They are set
up with a stack of membranes and support plates.
Tubular membrane: Generally used for viscous or bad quality fluids. These
modules do not need a preliminary pre-treatment of the water. As the feed solution
flows through the membrane core, the permeate passes through the membrane
and is collected in the tubular housing.
The main drawback is that the system is not very compact and has a high cost per
m2 installed and it is not very compact. Diameter’s tube is generally between 4 and
25mm.
Hollow fiber membrane: The modules contain several small (0.6 to 2 mm

diameter) tubes or fibers. As the feed solution flows through the open cores of the
fibers, the permeate is collected in the cartridge area surrounding the fibers. It can
carry out the filtration in two ways, either “inside-out” or “outside-in”

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Contents

1.1 Applications of ultrafiltration

1. No chemicals required (aside from cleaning)

2. Constant product quality regardless of feed quality

3. Compact plant size

4. Capable of exceeding regulatory standards of water quality, achieving 90-100%

Ultrafiltration is one membrane filtration process that serves as a barrier to

1.3 Reverse osmosis vs ultrafiltration

A reverse osmosis system provides the most extensive filtration because the RO

1.5 Ultrafilter vs. Conventional Filter

1.6 When is ultrafiltration used?

Reverse osmosis is used in situations where all particles including dissolved

1.7 What can ultrafiltration remove?

An ultrafiltration system is eco-friendly. Ultrafiltration has a 90-95% recovery rate

1.9 Membrane Geometry

Hollow fiber membrane: The modules contain several small (0.6 to 2 mm

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