Steri-flow ® Filtration Systems: Stainless Steel Microfiltration

Metallic membrane utilised in filters with a tubular design provide the most robust solution to the filtration and separation of industrial liquid waste and within chemical based industrial processors. Sintered stainless steel as a filter medium is a material of choice due to its corrosion resistance while maintaining strength. Metal sinter tube filter membranes remove the need for o-rings as found in ceramic filters, while ensuring better cleaning ability than encountered with polymeric membranes. Microfitration ensures maximum suspended solids are removed from the process stream and thus reduce the BOD of the feed, leaving a highly polished filtrate or permeate and a concentrated retentate that can be reduced, to levels suitable for solids removal and disposal. The micro filter can dewater and concentrate mineral and organic sludge from a waste stream. Hence dewatering will minimise waste disposal charges. Micro-filtration can greatly reduce particulate loadings on reverse osmosis systems when used as a pre-filter. The metal filter element in the Steriflow crossflow filter system is employed in the surface filtration mode rather than depth filtration mode. Cross-flow filtration provides higher efficiencies than found in pad, leaf or dead end filters. The unique back pulse self cleaning regime ensures that a filter cake is not created at the membrane barrier. Traditional filter gel layers are minimised by the filter’s tuned operational parameters of pressure and velocity. The tangential cross-flow filter can be supplied for contract filtering situations. Sparging of waste liquid can reduce BOD and adjust pH levels. Stainless steel sparge elements, Steri-sparge provide a strong impact resistant alternative to ceramic sparges while providing gas bubbles in sizes less than a micron. The introduction of super fine bubble curtain of air, or oxygen can be used to great effect in industries such as winemaking, aquaculture and food processing. The micro-oxygenation and macro-oxygenation can reduce wine fermentation time in the winery and ensure faster growing fish at the fish-farm. Product recovery and separation is achieved via process pigging systems and easily integrated into new and existing CIP systems. The hygienic pig system produced and supplied by Definox and Steriflow’s SF Fabrication division is rated for all food, beverage and many pharmaceutical applications.