Page 3 - Water and Fluid Separation News
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December 13, 2021As the world's energy economy shifts to lithium-ion batteries for transportation, energy storage systems, and electric mobility, battery-grade lithium solids are predicted to become increasingly scarce. The cost of extracting battery-grade lithium has historically proved expensive, as the demand for the material continues to rise. But a new core technology, developed by Richmond, BC-based Saltworks, renowned for developing technologies that treat the toughest water, uses wastewater for making high-quality battery-grade lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide solids.
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December 13, 2021Necessity is the mother of invention. Time, a leading authority on current affairs in almost all facets of life, recently published “The Best Inventions of 2021: 100 Innovations Changing How We Live”, a list of novelties in disciplines as diverse as artificial intelligence, education, wellness, and so much more. We’ve filtered through the list and highlighted a few of our filtration related favorites.
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December 11, 2018
The Innovator Cross Flow Filtration Kit is a plug and play system designed for conducting lab scale filtration experiments. With a total hold-up volume <1 liter in the test cell and circulation line, this bench-scale cross flow filtration system is also ideal for filtering valuable feed solutions and or small sample volumes.
This assembly enables microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration separations using Sterlitech’s Innovator (CF016) or Explorer (CF042) membrane test cells. Our flat sheet membranes are available in pre-cut coupons to fit these cells. The system comes complete with a gear pump, feed carboy, stand-mounted membrane test cell, and all the necessary tubing, pressure control valve, flow and pressure sensors.
Features:
- Pressure control valve to adjust the pressure in the system
- Variable speed knob on pump to adjust feed flow rate
- Cell stand for easier access to membrane and tubing
- Stainless steel or inert thermoplastic construction of wetted parts
- Optional conductivity,
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November 09, 2018
We have observed a growing need in the research community for a high pressure stirred cell to test 25 mm membrane discs. The Membrane Area Reducer was developed in collaboration with Christopher M. Stafford, PhD. and Chris Amigo , Machinist, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to add more versatility to our standard HP4750 high pressure stirred cell. Researchers are now able to test 25 or 47 mm discs in the cell with relative ease.
A smaller membrane disc diameter is ideal in the following research applications:
Fabrication of new membranes
Researchers may prefer to test the membranes in a cell with small membrane active area initially. Casting large areas of homogenous membranes at lab-scale production is challenging, whereas testing smaller disks ensure membrane homogeneity across the active area.
Membrane surface modifications
Researchers who modify the membrane surface using plasma, UV radiation, vapor deposition, or one of the many other techniques with lab-size
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November 08, 2018
When selecting the right membrane for a microfiltration application, one of the most important factors to consider is membrane wettability. While hydrophobic membrane filters are ideal for air and gas filtration, they are not suitable for filtering aqueous solutions. Hydrophilic membrane filters, on the other hand, are commonly used for clarification and sterilization of water-based fluids but are not typically used for venting applications.
To conceptualize the forces contributing to membrane wettability, you can start by thinking of a water drop on a material’s surface.
(Yuan & Lee, 2013)
When the electrostatic attraction between the water molecules and the material is greater than the attraction between the water molecules themselves, the water drop will spread out. Here, the instantaneous angle between the edge of the drop and the surface, the water contact angle, will be <90°. Such materials are called hydrophilic, literally meaning “water loving”. The more hydrophilic
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May 08, 2018
Sterlitech now offers our full range of microfiltration and ultrafiltration flat sheet membranes cut in disk sizes compatible with our polymeric stirred cells. These include membranes from SUEZ (GE Osmonics), Synder Filtration, and Microdyn Nadir. These discs are available in 25, 43, 62, 76, 90, and 150 mm diameters.
Disk filters in combination with the low-pressure polymeric stirred cells can be used as a fast and easy method for a wide variety of filtration/separation applications, such as performing filtration of fluids with heavy particle loads or concentrating biological components and macrosolutes (DNA, RNA, protein, etc.). Other examples of applications for low-pressure filtration include cell harvesting, diafiltration, lysate clarification, and suspended solids removal. Additionally, mechanical stirring mechanism minimizes concentration polarization and membrane fouling while operating at high permeate flow rates and recovery.
Our technical sales representatives are happy
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May 08, 2018
Sterlitech has seen a rising trend in the need for highly resistant membrane filtration systems from researchers. In response to this trend, HastelloyTM (C-276)1 versions of bench-top stirred cells, cross flow and forward osmosis test cells have been developed and are now available for the Stirred cells, Developer, Explorer, and Innovator product families.
HastelloyTM (C-276) is a steel superalloy containing nickel, chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten. It has outstanding resistance to corrosion, pitting and cracking when exposed to a wide range of aggressive chemicals and corrosive solutions: such as concentrated halide salt solutions, strong acids, and oxidizing acids.
How about highly resistant system components and parts?
To provide ultimate support, Sterlitech now offers high pressure feed flow pumps and pressure gauges with HastelloyTM (C-276) wetted parts. We also supply fittings, tubing and valves made of HastelloyTM (C-276). Users can now assemble membrane systems
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April 05, 2018
After months of living under the looming threat of “Day Zero”, Cape Town has tentatively pushed back the deadline of extreme water crisis for the remainder of the year. Day Zero, which had originally been scheduled for April 22, reflects the date when water levels in the city's major dams reaches 13.5% of their capacity. If this day arrived, taps would be shut off and Cape Town residents would need to stand in line to pick up their 25-liter daily ration of water.1 For perspective, this equivalent to the amount of water consumed in a four-minute shower.2
Drought-driven water shortages are a worldwide crisis. The cities at highest risk to run out of water include Jakarta (where the city is sinking from illegal groundwater extraction as sea levels around it rise), Mexico City (where taps are already turned off for many city citizens for parts of the day), Tokyo, London, and Miami.3 In California, almost 50% of the state is currently experiencing moderate drought.4
Cape Town is South Africa’s
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March 09, 2018
As cities and urban landscapes expand across the globe, water resource management continues to pose a huge challenge. Natural wetlands are often built over as cities grow, but a recent strategy of green infrastructure applies the opposite principle – wetlands are protected and constructed as part of city planning.
Wetlands, whether natural or man-made, act as large-scale storage and filtration centers for water streams. Beyond providing a habitat for wildlife and greenery in otherwise urban landscapes, they can remove many harmful contaminants from water, including heavy metals, excess nutrients, pesticides, and bacteria.1
Wetlands can improve an area’s resilience to extreme weather by storing excess flood water. For example, the Staten Island Bluebelt Project created 400 acres of freshwater wetlands that resolved seasonal flooding issues and saved New York City the $300 million it would have required to accomplish this by constructing storm sewers.2 In the Wade Park Wetland off the coast
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June 14, 2017Researchers frequently ask, “what is the purpose of the shims and spacers for use with the membrane test cells, and do I need them?” Curious to know more? In response to this common question Sterlitech’s own Sepideh Jankhah explores this topic in her recently published Paper, which investigates the hydrodynamic conditions in a bench-scale membrane flow-cell (CF042 Cell). It looks at the ways in which parameters such as the feed crossflow velocity, geometry of the cell, and feed spacers, affect system hydrodynamics.
