Separation Process
is any of various mechanical, physical or
biological operations that separates solids
from fluids (liquids or gases) by adding a
medium through which only the fluid can
pass. The fluid that passes through is called
the filtrate. In physical filters oversize solids
in the fluid are retained and in biological
filters particulates are trapped and ingested
and metabolites are retained and removed.
Filtration is used to separate particles and fluid in a suspension, where
the fluid can be a liquid or a gas. Depending on the application, either
one or both of the components may be isolated.
Filtration, as a physical operation is very important in chemistry for the
separation of materials of different chemical composition. A solvent is
chosen which dissolves one component, while not dissolving the other.
By dissolving the mixture in the chosen solvent, one component will go
into the solution and pass through the filter, while the other will be
retained. This is one of the most important techniques used by chemists
to purify compounds.
Filtration is also important and widely used as one of the unit operations
of chemical engineering. It may be simultaneously combined with other
unit operations to process the feed stream, as in the biofilter, which is a
combined filter and biological digestion device.
Filtration differs from sieving, where separation occurs at a single
perforated layer (a sieve). In sieving, particles that are too big to pass
through the holes of the sieve are retained. In filtration, a multilayer lattice
retains those particles that are unable to follow the tortuous channels of
the filter. Oversize particles may form a cake layer on top of the filter and
may also block the filter lattice, preventing the fluid phase from crossing
the filter (blinding). Commercially, the term filter is applied
to membranes where the separation lattice is so thin that the surface
becomes the main zone of particle separation, even though these products
might be described as sieves.
Filtration differs from adsorption, where it is not the physical size of
particles that causes separation but the effects of surface charge. Some
adsorption devices containing activated charcoal and ion exchange
resin are commercially called filters, although filtration is not their principal
function.
Hot filtration
method is mainly used to separate solids from a hot
solution. This is done in order to prevent crystal formation in the
filter funnel and other apparatuses that comes in contact with the
solution. As a result, the apparatus and the solution used are
heated in order to prevent the rapid decrease in temperature which
in turn, would lead to the crystallization of the solids in the funnel
and hinder the filtration process. One of the most important
measures to prevent the formation of crystals in the funnel and to
undergo effective hot filtration is the use stemless filter funnel. Due
to the absence of stem in the filter funnel, there is a decrease in the
surface area of contact between the solution and the stem of the
filter funnel, hence preventing re-crystallization of solid in the
funnel, adversely affecting filtration process.
stemless filter funnel used in hot
filtration
Cold Filtration
◦ method is the use of ice bath in order to rapidly
cool down the solution to be crystallized rather
than leaving it out to cool it down slowly in the
room temperature. This technique results to the
formation of very small crystals as opposed to
getting large crystals by cooling the solution down
at room temperature.
Vacuum Filtration
◦ technique is most preferred for small batch of
solution in order to quickly dry out small crystals.
This method requires a Büchner funnel, filter paper
of smaller diameter than the funnel, Büchner flask,
and rubber tubing to connect to vacuum source.
Two main types of filter media are employed
in laboratories: a surface filter, a solid sieve
which traps the solid particles, with or
without the aid of filter paper (e.g. Büchner
funnel, Belt filter, Rotary vacuum-drum
filter, Cross-flow filters, Screen filter); and
a depth filter, a bed of granular material
which retains the solid particles as it passes
(e.g. sand filter). The first type allows the
solid particles, i.e. the residue, to be collected
intact; the second type does not permit this.
Fluids flow through a filter due to a difference
in pressure—fluid flows from the high-
pressure side to the low-pressure side of the
filter, leaving some material behind. The
simplest method to achieve this is by gravity
and can be seen in the coffeemaker example.
Certain filter aids may be used to aid filtration. These are often
incompressible diatomaceous earth, or kieselguhr, which is
composed primarily of silica. Also used are wood celluloseand
other inert porous solids such as the cheaper and safer perlite.
These filter aids can be used in two different ways. They can be
used as a precoat before the slurry is filtered. This will prevent
gelatinous-type solids from plugging the filter medium and also
give a clearer filtrate. They can also be added to the slurry before
filtration. This increases the porosity of the cake and reduces
resistance of the cake during filtration. In a rotary filter, the filter
aid may be applied as a precoat; subsequently, thin slices of this
layer are sliced off with the cake.
The use of filter aids is usually limited to cases where the cake is
discarded or where the precipitate can be chemically separated
from the filter.
diatomaceous earth
also known as D.E., diatomite,
or kieselgur/kieselguhr – is a naturally
occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary
rock that is easily crumbled into a
fine white to off-white powder. It has
a particle sizeranging from less than
3 μm to more than 1 mm, but typically
10 to 200 μm.
As a fixed volume filter, it is built to hold a specific quantity of
solids. The term "batch" refers to the fact the cycle must be stopped
to discharge the collected "filter cake" prior to restarting a cycle.
"Pressure" is created by the feed pump in the separation process.
The technique is well suited to slurries, and liquids with a high
solid content, which could clog other forms of filter. The drum is pre-
coated with a filter aid, typically of diatomaceous earth (DE) or Perlite.
After pre-coat has been applied, the liquid to be filtered is sent to the tub
below the drum. The drum rotates through the liquid and the vacuum
sucks liquid and solids onto the drum pre-coat surface, the liquid portion
is "sucked" by the vacuum through the filter media to the internal portion
of the drum, and the filtrate pumped
away. The solids adhere to the outside
of the drum, which then passes a
knife, cutting off the solids and a small
portion of the filter media to reveal a
fresh media surface that will enter the
liquid as the drum rotates. The knife
advances automatically as the surface
is removed.
