Vacuum microfiltration is a liquid filtration technique based on microfiltration membranes usage and air dilution at the membrane output. This filtration technique does not require a pump to apply liquid pressure to the membrane. It separates the whole liquid from impurities, composed not as a concentrate, but as nearly dry mass.
Vacuum microfiltration can be used when necessary to fully separate suspended or colloidal impurities from the liquid. It can be applied for cleaning solutions composed of a large number of impurities or when necessary to obtain an almost dry filtrate. This method is especially useful for a filtrate intended for further other-purposes-usage, or if it is easier to be disposed of dry.
Litech Aqua produces vacuum filtration systems for the above-described processes, in particular for the separation of powdered coal from liquids (including glycerin solution) after the sorption.
The vacuum filtration system includes microfiltration membranes immersed in a container filled with liquid to be filtered. The membrane filtrate chamber is connected to a container where a vacuum pump creates a dilution. After passing through the walls of the porous membrane, a filtrate affected by dilution enters this container. As a result, the concentrate received from the liquid remains in the container where the initial liquid was taken from, while the filtrate is poured from the “vacuum” container into the filtrate one. In this way, almost the whole liquid can be separated as filtrate, leaving wet impurities mixture in the initial container.
To clean the membrane surface, purified water or compressed air can be supplied in the reverse filtration direction, enabling the separation of impurities from the membrane surface.
To provide continuous operation of the vacuum microfiltration system, it is equipped with a control cabinet including a controller for filtering, washing, and draining liquids. Upon the required algorithm, the controller turns on/off the vacuum pump and opens/closes the needed valves on the filtration system. Level sensors control liquids in containers.
The microfiltration water treatment can be divided into several types: obtaining high-quality filtrate or obtaining a liquid concentrate. It depends on the kind of liquid (filtrate or concentrate) aimed to be obtained under microfiltration treatment.
If you have such a request, please contact us. Our experts will find the best solution. To obtain microfiltration results on your product, our company provides laboratory and pilot testing services.