What is Microfiltration?

Microfiltration (MF) membranes are plastic or polymeric material which has pore sizes that vary from 0.075 micron to 3  microns. Raw water is filtered by passing through such a microfiltration membrane which contains millions of small pores.

Filtering occurs because the membrane pores are large enough to allow water to pass though, yet small enough to restrict the passage of undesirable materials such as particulate matter and pathogenic organisms. This results in a excellent removal of particulate contaminants, including coliform bacteria. Membranes are absolute barriers to parasites which size exceed the membrane's pore size.

Microfiltration is gaining popularity as a process for providing clarification and a physical means of disinfection or microbial removal.

How Microfiltration Modules work

Membrane configuration can vary between manufacturers, but the "hollow fiber" type is the most commonly used.

Membranes in the hollow fiber type are cast into small diameter tubes or straws, nominally one meter in length.

Thousands of these straws are bundled together and the ends are bonded into an epoxy bulkhead or "potting." The ends of potting are cut off to allow access to the inside of the fibers from the end of the potting.

The bundles are then sealed into a housing which is usually PVC or stainless steel. The sealed potting creates a separate, sealed space in the module that isolates access to the inside of the fibers from access to the outside.

This membrane and housing combination is called a module. It allows water to be forced through the fiber walls without short-circuiting.

The modules are then piped together in a manner which will allow water to be forced from one side of the fibers through the membrane wall and collected from the filtrate side of the modules. Typically, the water is pumped from the outside of the fibers, and the clean water is collected from the inside of the fibers. This is called "outside-to-inside" flow.

Microfiltration is a burgeoning technology which can fulfill the needs of increasingly stringent regulatory and public pressures, and now this advanced technology is available for your wastewater treatment in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Contact us now for more information: info@Clean-Water-Thailand.com