The Benefits of Using ultrafiltration membrane system

October 18,      Posted by :

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As a membrane separation technology, ultrafiltration (UF) is one of the hot spots of research in the world of water treatment.

Ultrafiltration (UF) is superior to the filtration ability in conventional water treatment technology for removing micron-level particles in water, and also has the ability to remove nanometer-level particles that filtration does not have, which meets the requirements of improving drinking water quality and the requirements of industrial water pre-treatment.

At present, in the water industry market, ultrafiltration (UF) technology has been widely used in industrial wastewater treatment fields such as electric power, steel, and chemical industry.

The increasing scale of urban water reuse projects and the introduction of new drinking water standards are putting forward higher requirements for urban and rural drinking water treatment, which also opens up wide market space for ultrafiltration(UF) membrane technology.

Advantages of ultrafiltration(UF) membrane technology

A high recovery rate of the system, and excellent quality of the product obtained, can achieve high-efficiency separation and purification of materials and high concentration.

No phase change in the process, no adverse effect on the composition of the material, and the separation and purification process are always at room temperature, which is suitable for the treatment of heat-sensitive substances, completely avoiding the disadvantage of high temperature on the destruction of biologically active substances, and effectively retaining the living substances and nutrients in the original material system.

The system has low energy consumption, a short production cycle, and low operating costs compared with traditional process equipment, which can effectively reduce production costs and improve the economic efficiency of enterprises.

Advanced system process design, high degree of integration, compact structure, small footprint, easy operation and maintenance, low labor intensity of workers.

The system is made of sanitary pipe and valve, the site is clean and hygienic, meeting the requirements of GMP or FDA production standards.

The filtration process is carried out at room temperature, with mild conditions and no component destruction, so it is especially suitable for the separation, classification, concentration, and enrichment of heat-sensitive substances, such as drugs, enzymes, fruit juices, etc.

The filtration process does not undergo a phase change, has no heating, low energy consumption, no need to add chemical reagents, and no pollution, and is an energy-saving and environmentally friendly separation technology.

ultrafiltration (UF) technology has high separation efficiency and is very effective for the recovery of trace components in dilute solutions and the concentration of low-concentration solutions.

The ultrafiltration method also has certain limitations, it cannot directly obtain dry powder preparations. For protein solutions, generally, only 10 to 50% concentrations can be obtained.

The disadvantages of ultrafiltration membrane technology

(1) Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane cannot effectively remove dissolved organic pollutants, such as oxygen consumption, UV254, ammonia nitrogen, etc.

(2) The membrane filament breakage may occur during use, resulting in the raw water entering the produced water side directly through the broken membrane filament, affecting the effluent water quality.

(3) The membrane system is greatly affected by temperature. When the water temperature is high, the viscosity of water is larger, if the flux remains the same, it will cause TMP and membrane resistance coefficient to rise more significantly, which will trigger frequent backwash membrane flux to drop rapidly. When the temperature is very low, the water in the membrane shell may freeze due to low temperature and cause harm to the membrane filament.

(4) There is a serious membrane contamination problem when ultrafiltration (UF) membrane filtration is used directly, membrane contamination is mainly caused by lower inorganic salts, colloids and dissolved organic matter and sludge, membrane biodegradation products, etc.

(5) Poor effect of removing chemical pollutants in water; poor effect on water supply special events; slightly worse mouth feeling of water discharge; cannot reduce the hardness of the water.

Ultrafiltration(UF) application development

The application of ultrafiltration(UF) membrane technology in the three fields of MBR, desalination pretreatment, and wastewater reuse are basically equally divided, each occupying about 20% of the market share.

However, at present in China, ultrafiltration membrane occupies a larger market share in the field of wastewater reuse, and in the water industry market, ultrafiltration (UF) technology has been more applied in industrial wastewater treatment fields such as electric power, steel, and chemical industry.

With economic and social development, there will be more and more large-scale wastewater treatment projects, opening up broad market space for ultrafiltration membrane technology. In recent years, various countries around the world have started to enter a period of serious water shortage, and water quality pollution has gradually become the biggest obstacle to safe water supply in cities of various countries.

Urban domestic sewage treatment and water reuse will become one the most effective ways to solve the future urban water crisis. Therefore, ultrafiltration membranes will have a broad market space in the future municipal wastewater treatment market.

With the development of membrane technology and the gradual reduction of membrane price, replacing traditional deep treatment units with ultrafiltration technology to a certain extent has gradually become a reality.

However, there is still a need to invest more human and financial resources in the independent research and development of membrane components and membrane systems.

Through the development of new processes to solve the ultrafiltration membrane in the operation of the need for more stringent raw water quality requirements, membrane pollution caused by the membrane life-shortening and other problems, increase the membrane varieties, improve the membrane technology application of process design, system set capacity, improve the degree of industrialization, strict control of process parameters.

In this way, the ultrafiltration membrane technology can be more widely developed in the process of drinking water treatment, so that the quality of the effluent from drinking water treatment can be further improved.

As one of the earlier developed polymer separation membranes, ultrafiltration membrane replaces traditional purification processes such as activated carbon decolorization, resin impurity removal, and crystal extraction, and can achieve the purposes of decolorization, impurity removal, and product classification.

High-quality ultrafiltration membranes have the characteristics of good thermal stability, chemical stability, acid resistance, alkali resistance, microbial erosion resistance, and oxidation resistance. So what are the advantages and disadvantages of UF membranes?

1. What is an Ultrafiltration Membrane?

Ultrafiltration membrane is a polymer semipermeable membrane. During the ultrafiltration process, pressure is used as the driving force, and the incoming water containing impurities passes through the ultrafiltration membrane.

Since the pore size of the ultrafiltration membrane is 1 to 100 nm and the filtration precision is in the range of 0.001-0.1 micron, polymer colloids or suspended particles of a certain size will be separated from the solution. For example, particles, colloids, bacteria, proteins, viruses, divalent ions, etc.

2. What are the Advantages of Ultrafiltration Membranes?

(1) Use in a normal temperature environment, the conditions of use are mild and there is no component damage.
(2) No heating is required and no phase change will occur.
(3) No chemical reagents need to be added and there is no pollution. It is a very good energy-saving and environmentally friendly separation technology.
(4) The separation efficiency is very high.
(5) The equipment has low energy consumption and long service life.
(6) Operation and maintenance are very simple, making it easier to control and maintain.

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3. Disadvantages of Ultrafiltration Membranes.

Ultrafiltration membranes are a common type of filter membrane product in the field of water treatment, and many users with relevant needs purchase ultrafiltration membranes for use. Issues with the ultrafiltration membrane used to treat the water may arise for these consumers while in use.

We’ll go over the most common problems with ultrafiltration membranes and how to fix them.

Common faults of ultrafiltration membranes in water treatment include:

• Broken membrane fibers
• Seal ring leakage
• Decrease in water production
• Decrease in water quality

The specific reasons and solutions for these faults are as follows:

1) The fault of broken membrane fibers. 

Broken fibers are a fault that may exist in some hollow fiber ultrafiltration membranes. The reasons that may cause broken fibers include water hammering inside the ultrafiltration membrane, too much system pressure, or damage to the membrane fibers during handling or installation.

For this type of fault, users can solve the problem by repairing or replacing the membrane fibers. They should also develop good usage habits to prevent possible damage to the membrane fibers.

2) The fault of seal ring leakage. 

The seal ring is an important device inside the ultrafiltration membrane to prevent water pollution from entering the produced water.

If the seal ring becomes loose, deformed, or detached, it will cause the seal ring to leak. The reasons for its leakage include too high system pressure or incorrect installation.

If the seal ring of the ultrafiltration membrane leaks, users can solve the problem by reinstalling or replacing the seal ring. However, it should be noted that the seal ring must be installed accurately and securely fixed.

3) The fault of decreased water production.

The decrease in water production of the ultrafiltration membrane is mostly caused by clogging and scaling, which slows down the flow rate and reduces water production. It may also be caused by changes in operating conditions.

This fault, users can solve this by cleaning the ultrafiltration membrane components to restore their flux and adjusting the relevant parameters of the operating conditions.

4) The fault of decreased water quality. 

The main reason for the decrease in water quality produced by the ultrafiltration membrane is clogging seal ring leakage and poor quality of the inlet water. This fault, users can solve this by cleaning the ultrafiltration membrane components, replacing the seal ring, and strengthening the pretreatment.

These are some common faults of ultrafiltration membranes in water treatment and their corresponding solutions:

• Repairing damaged membrane fibers is a good solution.
• If the seal ring is leaking, simply replace it.
• To restore normal water production and quality, it is necessary to clean the ultrafiltration membrane components.

4. How Long Will the Ultrafiltration Membrane Last?

The normal service life of ultrafiltration membranes can reach 5-8 years. Cleaning and maintenance of the membrane during use will affect the service life of the ultrafiltration membrane. Therefore, the better the membrane elements are maintained, the longer their service life will be and the lower the system cost will be. Any improper method during operation will reduce the life of the ultrafiltration membrane system(de,ru,fr).

If the ultrafiltration membrane can always maintain good flux, it can not only improve production efficiency, but also extend the service life of the membrane, reduce the replacement frequency of the ultrafiltration membrane, and reduce cost investment.

5. How to Maintain Ultrafiltration Membranes?

Using proper methods when operating an ultrafiltration system can effectively maintain the ultrafiltration membrane and extend its life. The following are some suggestions on how to effectively extend the service life of ultrafiltration membranes:

1) It is best to choose an ultrafiltration membrane made of PVDF. It uses hollow fiber membranes with high mechanical strength and superior chemical stability. It has relatively low requirements for incoming water quality and is more durable.
2) Improve the quality of incoming water. Suspended solids in the incoming water will affect the degree of damage to the membrane elements. Therefore, it is best to add an ultrafiltration pre-filter before the ultrafiltration system to reduce the degree of water pollution.
3) Clean the ultrafiltration membrane elements regularly. Including backwash and chemical cleaning. Regular chemical cleaning of membrane elements can reduce the accumulation of contaminants and maintain membrane element performance.

4) Regularly test the produced water quality. The produced water quality can intuitively reflect the operating status of the ultrafiltration system.

6. Ultrafiltration Membranes Applications.

As ultrafiltration technology becomes increasingly mature, ultrafiltration systems can be seen in more and more application fields. Ultrafiltration membranes are cheaper than reverse osmosis membranes, so they are the first choice for many companies. Common application areas include:

• • Water production industry
  • Sterile liquid food manufacturing
  • Medical and health applications
  • Applications in the food fermentation industry
  • Dairy Industry Applications
  • Applications in biologics
  • Medical applications
  • Pool water purification

7. How to Choose Ultrafiltration Membrane？

There are many types of ultrafiltration membranes on the market, and the quality and uses of ultrafiltration membranes made of different raw materials are also different. How to choose the ultrafiltration membrane that suits you based on different materials and characteristics? We provide answers below.
The main materials of ultrafiltration membranes are: polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyethylene plastic (PS), polyvinylidene fluoride
(PVDF), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP).

1. Polypropylene fluoride (PAN): hydrophilic material, easy to form film. The advantages are that the materials are easily available, the film production cost is low, the processing technology is simple, and the daily output is large.
The disadvantages are low strength, high brittleness, and weak acid and alkali resistance.

2. Polystyrene plastic (PS): It has good chemical stability, good acid and alkali resistance, good water permeability, good strength, high-temperature resistance, and good biointegration.
The disadvantage is that the price of raw materials is very high, and ultrafiltration membranes with very low molecular weight cutoffs can be made. Suitable for special material separation, concentration and purification, and high-temperature resistant applications.

3. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF): high elongation, not easy to break, good acid and alkali resistance, strong pollution resistance, chemical cleaning resistance, and resistance to high-concentration residual chlorine solutions. The material cost is relatively high and it is suitable for industrial wastewater treatment applications.

4. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC): It has good strength and elongation, is not easy to break, has high filtration accuracy, is resistant to strong acids and alkalis, has a long life, and has a wide range of material sources. Low price but poor hydrophilicity. Used in water filtration and industrial water treatment.

5. Polypropylene (PP): The material price is low, the film-making process is environmentally friendly, low consumption, low cost, has good acid and alkali resistance and is resistant to organic solvents.
The disadvantages are low filtration precision, easy contamination, difficulty in backwash recovery, high tensile strength, and large membrane area. Used in water filtration and sewage treatment.

UF ultrafiltration membrane has the characteristics of good thermal stability, chemical stability, acid resistance, alkali resistance, microbial erosion resistance, and oxidation resistance, and is widely used. If you are considering purchasing ultrafiltration membranes you can get the best purchasing advice by contacting NEWater.

The reverse osmosis membranes, seawater desalination membranes, nanofiltration membranes, ultrafiltration membranes, and MBR flat membranes provided by NEWater have the advantages of better cost performance, better quality, and more comprehensive services. Contact us to get the best quote!