Microfiltration 1

Microfiltration
Microfiltration is a filtration process which removes contaminants from a fluid (liquid & gas) by passage through a
microporous membrane. A typical microfiltration membrane pore size range is 0.1 to 10 micrometres (µm).
Microfiltration is fundamentally different from reverse osmosis and nanofiltration because those systems use
pressure as a means of forcing water to go from low pressure to high pressure. Microfiltration can use a pressurized
system but it does not need to include pressure [1] .

History
Developed by Professor Richard Adolf Zsigmondy at the University of Göttingen, Germany, in 1935, membrane
filters were first commercially produced by Sartorius GmbH a few years later. Membrane filters found immediate
application in the field of microbiology and in particular in assessment of safe drinking water. Further development
of microfilters in the mid-1970s led by the United States Food and Drug Administration requirement for non-fibre
releasing filters to be used in the production of injectable solutions. Microporous membranes are used by the
micro-electronics industry as an integral part of water production. Membrane filters are widely used in
biotechnology and food and beverage applications where sterile product is required.
Increasingly used in drinking water treatment, it effectively removes major pathogens and contaminants such as
Giardia lamblia cysts, Cryptosporidium oocysts, and large bacteria. For this application the filter has to be rated for
0.2 µm or less. For mineral and drinking water bottlers, the most commonly used format is pleated cartridges usually
made from polyethersulfone (PES) media. This media is asymmetric with larger pores being on the outside and
smaller pores being on the inside of the filter media.
Microfiltration membranes were first introduced to the municipal water treatment market in 1987 and applied
primarily to waters that were relatively easy to treat. These were cold, clear source waters that were susceptible to
microbial contamination. Low pressure membranes were selected to remove turbidity spikes and pathogens without
chemical conditioning. As low pressure membranes increased in acceptance and popularity, users began to apply the
technology to more difficult waters which contained more solids and higher levels of dissolved organic compounds.
Some of these waters required chemical pretreatment, including pre-chlorination. These shifts in water quality
triggered change in low pressure membrane technology. New products and processes were introduced to deal with
higher solids and chemical compatibility.

Process
Microfiltration is the process of filtration with a micrometre sized filter. The filters can be in a submerged
configuration or a pressure vessel configuration. They can be hollow fibers, flat sheet, tubular, spiral wound, hollow
fine fiber or track etched [1] . These filters are porous and allow water, monovalent species (Na+, Cl-), dissolved
organic matter, small colloids and viruses through but do not allow particles, sediment, algae or large bacteria
through [1] .
Microfiltration systems are designed to remove suspended solids up down to 0.1 micrometres in size, in a feed
solution with up to 2-3% in concentration. And is very suitable for use in place of traditional clarifiers or as a
pre-filter to a water recycling/recovery reverse osmosis system.
Microfiltration 2

Notes and references

[1] [Crittenden, John; Trussell, Rhodes; Hand, David; Howe, Kerry and Tchobanoglous, George. Water Treatment Principles and Design, Edition
2. John Wiley and Sons. New Jersey. 2005.]

External links
• www.kontekecology.com (http://www.kontekecology.com)-Kontek Ecology Systems Inc. Specialists in
wastewater treatment
Article Sources and Contributors 3

Article Sources and Contributors

Microfiltration  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=397152771  Contributors: Amokbel, Andycjp, COGDEN, Chilin, CommonsDelinker, Docu, Dysprosia, Fabiform, Firebat08,
Fratrep, Gabriel Kielland, Gene Nygaard, Giftlite, GirasoleDE, Grutness, Itbilly, Jaganath, Journeyman, Kaarel, Kboom, Lightmouse, Mindak3, Mion, Moreau1, PaddyM, Peter in s, Pjbflynn,
Pkapitola, Quixada, Richard.decal, Rifleman 82, Steven Zhang, Theblog, Vegaswikian, YUiCiUS, 27 anonymous edits

License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
http:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/