New turbidity filter tops membrane performance
a new generation of turbidity filters with a capacity more than 20
times greater than conventional cartridges.
The Florida-based firm said that the high performance pleated Superfilter - used for purifying water and industrial applications - has superior filtering properties to standard microglass, melt blown and membrane media, removing particles from the micron scale down to a few nanometers.
The proprietary technology is based on a highly electropositive filter that rapidly adsorbs particles, no matter how small. The nominal pore size is 2 microns, yet the filter functions as if it had a 0.03 micron pore size rating. Flow rates and clogging resistance are tens to hundreds of times greater than equivalent performing membrane filters.
"Our innovative cartridges provide the user with filter life tens to hundreds of times greater than conventional filters with similar dimensions," said Fred Tepper, president of Argonide. "This gives the user major payback by reducing the cost and inconvenience of filter change-outs."
The new superfilter is currently available in a wide variety of discs and cartridges. Applications include industrial water purification, prefiltration for reverse osmosis membranes, chemical and pharmaceutical processing and the removal of virus, bacteria, endotoxins and DNA in biotech and pharmaceutical solutions, swimming pools, and food and beverage manufacture.
Membrane filters exclude particles on the basis of their pore size, but as pore size is reduced, there are major increases in pressure drop, reduction of flux and increase in clogging. This means that alternate means of that could result in higher throughput while still achieving equivalent or superior separation.
Argonide's filters are based on NanoCeram, a new form of alumina fibers that attracts and retains virus and other macromolecules by electrostatic forces.
