Microfiltration

One of the numerous membrane processes is microfiltration. By flowing across a

plastic or polymeric material with millions of tiny pores, raw water is filtered. Filtering
takes place since the membrane pores are both big enough to let water through and
small enough to stop the passage of unwanted elements like infectious germs and
particle matter. A microporous media is used in the filtration process known as
microfiltration to retain the suspended solids in a fluid. The membrane's pores have a
size that spans from 0.1 to 1 micron. Because it doesn't need pressure, microfiltration
differs from reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. It is frequently employed as a stand-
alone filtration method or as a preparation for reverse osmosis. The typical pore size of
this membrane is 0.2 m. It works well for removing suspended particles, turbidity,
particulate matter, and pathogens including Giardia and Cryptosporidium. An average
Cryptosporidium oocyst measures about 3 p.m., which is 15 p.m. larger than the pores.
Low pressures of roughly 3.15 TMP are required for this membrane to function
(Muilenberg, 2021).
Moreover, the microporous membrane sheet is a thin layer with open micropore
structures that allow fluids to pass while trapping suspended particles. Viscose flow
through the micropores transports mass in microfiltration membranes. Mechanical as
well as adsorptive retention keep the particles in the microporous membrane. Because
particles bigger than the openings are physically retained, mechanical retention is a
particularly intuitive retention method. This is often referred to as size exclusion.
Process conditions normally have no effect on mechanical retention. On the other hand,
adsorptive retention allows particles tiny enough to access the membrane pore structure
to be held by entering the pore walls. This is heavily influenced by the membrane
materials and their interactions. Adsorptive retention, unlike mechanical retention, is
affected by process parameters (Agarwal, 2022).
Microfiltration has several advantages: low including low energy usage, cheap
cost, no need for harsh or expensive chemicals, and no power-consuming phase
transition. However, some downsides of microfiltration include the difficulty in filtering
microscopic materials, the potential for membrane fouling, the potential for shear-
sensitive membrane damage, sensitivity to oxidative chemicals, and the vulnerability of
membranes to damage from sharp/hard particles (Agarwal, 2022).
Microfiltration, in comparison to other pressure-driven membrane filtration
processes such as ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, and gas separation,
employs membranes with the biggest pore diameters (Agarwal, 2022). The pore size of
an ultrafiltration filter is approximately 0.01 microns. Because the pore size of a
microfiltration filter is around 0.1 microns when water is microfiltered, many
microorganisms are eliminated, but viruses stay in the water. These larger particles
would be removed by ultrafiltration, as would certain viruses.
Agarwal, J. (2022). How Does Microfiltration Work? The Engineer’s Perspective.
https://www.theengineersperspectives.com/how-does-microfiltration-work-2/
Muilenberg, T. (2021, May 18). StackPath. https://www.wwdmag.com/membrane-
technology/microfiltration/article/10917069/microfiltration-how-does-it-compare-

Electrodialysis is a membrane-based procedure that uses an applied electric field

to transfer ions via semipermeable membranes. Pickling bath recovery, table salt
manufacture, whey demineralization, wine stabilization, and desalination are some of
the applications that use electrodialysis. An electrodialysis cell is used in the procedure,
with polyelectrolyte membranes separating the feed and permeate streams. Anionic
polyelectrolytes and cationic membranes are used as membranes. The cation exchange
membrane is an anionic polyelectrolyte, and the anion exchange membrane is a
cationic polyelectrolyte. Because these kinds of polymers are soluble in water or
dispersible, they are also often cross-linked for electrodialysis stability. Anion exchange
membranes allow anions to flow but refuse cation permeability, whereas cation
exchange membranes allow cations to pass but refuse anion permeability (Robeson,
2012).
The electrodialysis system isolates without modifying phases, which saves
energy. Moreover, when saltwater is desalted with an electrodialysis system, just a
minimal amount of pre-treatment is required. Also, only chlorination is usually required
for disinfection. Because it only removes ionized species, the electrodialysis system is
best for differentiating non-ionized from ionized components. Because osmotic pressure
is not a factor in the electrodialysis system, it can be utilized for concentrating salt
solutions to 20% or higher concentrations. The electrodialysis system, on the other
hand, fails to eliminate organic detritus, colloids, or SiO2. The feedwater must then be
pre-treated to prevent electrodialysis stacks from clogging. Furthermore, thorough
controls are needed, and keeping them in top condition may be difficult. Likewise, the
materials used to construct membranes and piles must be carefully chosen to ensure
compatibility with the supply stream (Limited, 2022).
The process of diffusion across the membrane is increased in ultrafiltration by a
pressure difference. An electrical field increases migration in electrodialysis. Because it
does not use heat or a phase change, ultrafiltration is an appealing alternative. This
approach is commonly used in the dairy sector to recover essential components and
chemicals and is typically utilized to retain macromolecules. Because of protein
retention and selective penetration of lactose, minerals, water, and low molar mass
substances, ultrafiltration allows for concentration variance across various components.
Electrodialysis on the other hand is an electrochemical method that has advantages
over traditional techniques since it does not require phase transition or the addition of a
chemical reagent, and its operational cycle is continuous. It has been widely utilized in
water and wastewater treatment for ion removal by the action of an electric field through
ion-selective, anionic, and cationic membranes (Oberherr, 2019).