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The Western Cape Province of South Africa has been afflicted with severe drought for three consecutive years starting in 2015, brought about by El Niño and very low rainfall ⁽¹⁾. Consequently, this drought resulted in water shortage in different areas of the province such as the Hessequa Municipality.

To alleviate the water shortage, the municipality of Hessequa together with the French Treasury, funded the construction of a reverse osmosis plant energized by solar power—prospected to be the first of its kind in South Africa ⁽²⁾. The solar desalination plant, which will collect water from the Breede River Estuary, is expected to produce 100,000 liters of water per day ⁽³⁾.

Starting its operation in December 2018, the Witsand Desalination Plant has since then produced more than 10 million liters of drinking water, providing consistent water supply to some 3,000 residents of  Hessequa ^{(4, 5)}. Apart from addressing water shortage, the solar desalination plant can contribute to reducing

Chemker 300 and Rocker 300C are among Sterlitech’s popular vacuum pumps offering excellent chemical resistance. Both pumps are resistant to acid, alkali, and organic solutions, which allows for a wide variety of microbiology testing applications.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) serves as their primary protection against harsh chemicals; however, there designs incorporate PTFE differently. The diaphragm and chamber of Rocker 300C are PTFE-coated, built with a valve made of a chemical resistant SS316 stainless steel. In contrast, all parts of Chemker 300 that can be exposed to chemicals are made of PTFE.

While the PTFE coating of Rocker 300C is made to be durable, it can wear off over time exposing the underlying material, especially if used with abrasive substances. Also, its stainless-steel valve does not offer the same level of resistance as PTFE, especially with halides, and strong acids and bases (1).

Chemker 300C avoids all these potential issues by having its parts completely made of

The Hydracell pump is a sealless positive displacement pump used to generate cross flow in our filtration systems equipped with cross flow test cells . The sealless design enables it to handle abrasives and particulates; the positive displacement design enables the pump to generate consistent flow rates regardless of the operating pressures up to 1100 psi (76 bar).

To ensure optimal performance of the pump over extended periods, observe the proper operation and conduct regular maintenance. Here are some of our tips for ensuring a reliable Hydracell pump.

Before Starting Up

Check the pump for the following items:

1. All pressure control valves in the system are open
2. Pump has adequate supply of fluid in the feed tank
3. All connections in the pump inlet and outlet are tight
4. Oil level is ¾ inch (20 mm) from the top of the fill port

Recommended Operating Condition

Maximum operating temperature: 160 °F (71 °C) (specified on the pump body)

NOTE: A few of our pump units can be operated up

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) measurements quantify particles larger than 2 microns found in a water column. These can include inorganic compounds (gravel, sand, silt) or organics (algae, plankton, and decaying plant or animal matter). TSS contributes to the optical clarity or turbidity of water, but also includes solids that can settle at the bottom of a body of water.

Using standard EPA methods 2540C and 2540D, TSS can be quantified via gravimetric analysis^1.2. A water sample is filtered through a pre-weighed glass fiber filter, capturing the solids larger than 2 um. Then, the filter is dried in an oven to remove remaining water and weighed again. The weight difference over the sample volume provides the TSS concentration in mg/L. An interesting technology advancement for TSS testing is offered in the WaterVac Filtration System. This vacuum filtration apparatus features two stainless steel filter holders for improved capacity when testing multiple water samples. And it features

Sterlitech is now offering the newest hollow fiber membrane module from Aquaporin: the HFF014. The HFFO14 module is ideal for researchers and product developers who have passed the proof-of-concept stage and area ready for scale-up.

This model boasts an active membrane surface area in this membrane module is 13.8 m². Compared to the other Aquaporin HF modules we carry, the production rate in the HFFO14 module is about 6 times larger than the HFFO2 (2.3 m² active membrane area) and 23 times larger than the HFFO06 (0.6 m² membrane active area).  

Both hollow fiber dimensions and membrane wall thickness in the HFFO14 are identical to those in HFFO06 and HFFO2 modules (Table 1). This means that once feasibility is established using the HFFO2 and HFFO06, researchers can easily reproduce their results at larger volumes. The HFFO14 eliminates the need to reevaluate established process parameters such as feed and draw solution cross flow velocities in the lumen and outside the fibers.

Microplastics are everywhere – in the air we breathe, in our oceans and soils, and in the water (and beer!) we drink.¹ These small plastic particles (<5mm in size) are the topic of a growing body of research that seeks to quantify the problem and impact of their prevalence. Despite the fact that plastic is the most prevalent type of debris found in the ocean and in the air, not much is currently known about how the presence of these particles will impact human and environmental health.² The primary concerns lie in the potential for these microplastics to accumulate in organisms, cause obstruction and inflammation, and in their ability to serve as a carrier for heavy metals, pathogens, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA^3.4.

Watch the video below for a quick overview of the microplastics problem in our oceans:

There are myriad sources of microplastics that end up in the environment, including:

• Car and truck tire pieces
• Clothing fibers (shed during from machine washing)
• Cosmetics

Our primary mission is to equip scientists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries with the filtration products to transform ideas into reality.  We support this goal by working to offer the broadest range of microporous membrane filters available from a single source – 14 different microporous membrane types and their derivatives.  Primarily used as disc filters, these membranes enable cutting edge research in laboratories worldwide.  But what happens when ideas do turn into reality? Don’t worry, Sterlitech still has you covered. We offer most of our membranes in formats conducive to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) production including large sheets and roll stock.

With exceptional lot to lot consistency and a wide variety of options, our polycarbonate and polyester track-etch membranes have proven remarkably versatile for incorporation into a broad array of OEM devices.  These include devices for rapid cytology of tissue and tumor samples, such as the Seq-Well.  Specialized transparent

Membrane Distillation (MD), an emerging non-isothermal membrane separation, is a promising alternative to energy intensive separation techniques such as Reverse Osmosis or Distillation.1 In this publication Sarah Azari, Application Engineer, investigates the current state of MD technology, Sterlitech’s role in the membrane distillation product development, and potential areas of future research in her recent whitepaper.  

Though the technology has been around for more than 50 years, membrane distillation processes require continued development for industrial implementation. Developing high performance membranes and optimizing the process design for large-scale operation are two major challenges precluding widespread industrial application.

 For the past ten years, Sterlitech has been active in equipping scientists with tools, membranes and systems, for exploring membrane distillation applications. We hope this publication will offer some insight into what’s to come for this promising

Nobuto Blood Filter strips are an easy and portable method of collecting wildlife samples in the field. Typically used by researchers in diagnosing common bird diseases, they can be utilized in testing wild animals for a whole host of zoonotic pathogens including toxoplasmosis, hantaviruses, measles, plague, and tularemia.^1,2 In fact, scientists often collaborate with local hunters and trappers to collect data from their harvests.

Made from high-purity cellulose fibers, Nobuto filter strips are structured for uniform sampling. Each strip holds approximately 0.1 mL of blood or 0.04 mL of serum.

Once blood is applied and the strip has dried, researchers can analyze, store, or mail the samples without refrigeration. Downstream testing for antibodies (i.e. ELISA) is employed to diagnose disease.³ They have proven a valuable tool in surveillance of avian influenza viruses, Newcastle disease virus (NDV), and West Nile virus (WNV) in wild birds. The strips can also be used in environmental