Technology

Ultrafiltration

Ultrafiltration is a pressure operated membrane process in which solid, colloidal and emulsified particles with a separation limit of 0.1 - 0.01 µm are separated from a liquid.  Molecules and ions below the separation limit pass the membrane.

The process follows the principle of classical filtration through pores. The transport of substances and fluids through the pores takes place by convective transport. Diffusion transport, which forms the basis for nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, plays a subordinate role in this process.

Our typical applications for ultrafiltration are:

• river water treatment
• Processing of fermentation broths
• Concentration of paints and lacquers

Separate the best from the rest - Individual process combinations for highest efficiency

 Ultrafiltration is often used as a preliminary stage in an overall process. The filtrate can be further treated in the following process steps. Even the concentrate, if it contains valuable substances, can often be further utilised profitably due to the strong concentration. This enables us to get the most out of your process and avoid waste water by an intelligent process control (Minimum Liquid Discharge / MLD ; Zero Liquid Discharge / ZLD)

The right support in every stage of the project

We have gained experience with a variety of different process fluids. We would be pleased to assist you as a plant engineering company in the selection of the suitable membrane and the optimal process control! For special applications, we are also happy to offer you the possibility of process screening in our laboratory with subsequent industrial piloting as part of our 4 steps 2 separation!

Reverse Osmosis / High Pressure Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis is a pressure operated membrane process in which the smallest molecules as well as polyvalent and monovalent ions are almost completely separated from a solution. Modern reverse osmosis membranes have a retention of 99.5 - 99.8 % based on a 2000 ppm NaCl solution.

Reverse osmosis works analogous to nanofiltration by transport through diffusion over a dense membrane.  Water can diffuse through the membrane, but ions are almost completely retained. The pressure required to force the water through the membrane is directly dependent on the osmotic pressure of the solution, which in turn depends on the salt concentration in the solution.

OSMO offers high pressure reverse osmosis systems with a system pressure of up to 160 bar!

The pressure of standard systems for the treatment of well or brackish water is approx. 16 bar. In contrast, seawater plants are operated at up to 80 bar. The operating pressure of a high pressure reverse osmosis is usually about 120 bar. This makes it possible to concentrate many solutions to near their solubility limit.

Our typical applications for Reverse Chromosis / High Pressure Reverse Osmosis are:

• Desalination of well water / process water / drinking water
• Concentration of salts and organic solutions
• Recycling of waste water
• Treatment of acids

Separate the best from the rest - Individual process combinations for highest efficiency

Solutions can be desalinated by reverse osmosis. By combining the process with an upstream ultrafiltration, river water can also be used for the desalination process. If the salt concentration achieved by reverse osmosis is not sufficient, an ion exchanger can also be connected downstream to separate the remaining salts.

OSMO Faktor-X - Maximum recovery for your reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis plants for well and brackish water are operated with a yield of approx. 75 - 80 %. Thus, usually 20 - 25 % of the supplied water is discharged into the wastewater. If drinking water is used for the operation of the reverse osmosis, there are high purchase costs and disposal fees. With the OSMO Factor X, we have developed a system with which the yield can be increased economically to over 90 %, thus more than halving the waste water produced.

Hochdruckumkehrosmose - Maximum concentration for maximum efficiency

 For waste water with a high salt load or solutions which have to be concentrated, high-pressure reverse osmosis is used. By this it is possible to reduce waste water and to return valuable resources back into your process (Minimum Liquid Discharge / MLD ; Zero Liquid Discharge / ZLD).

The right support in every stage of the project

We have gained experience with a variety of different process fluids. We would be pleased to assist you as a plant engineering company in the selection of the suitable membrane and the optimal process control! For special applications, we are also happy to offer you the possibility of process screening in our laboratory with subsequent industrial piloting as part of our 4 steps 2 separation! 

Nanofiltration

Nanofiltration is a pressure-operated membrane process in which the smallest molecules and multivalent ions are separated from a solution.  Monovalent ions like Na⁺ or Cl^- pass the membrane almost completely.

Nanofiltration works like reverse osmosis using a dense membrane via transport by diffusion. Nanofiltration is distinguished by a membrane structure which is more permeable for monovalent ions than for bivalent ions. In addition, some of the nanofiltration membranes available on the market differ considerably with regard to their separation limit. By selecting suitable membranes, a selective separation of undesirable substances is possible.

Our typical applications for nanofiltration are:

• Cleaning of caustic solutions in the pulp and food industry
• Purification of acids by selective separation of metals
• Desalination of solutions
• Separation of multivalent ions (phosphate, sulfate, calcium, magnesium)
• Concentration of process solutions
• Separation from COD
• Decolorization of solutions

Separate the best from the rest - ndividual process combinations for highest efficiency

Nanofiltration is a very adaptable process that enables a selective separation of ingredients. Further process steps after nanofiltration are also possible. The concentrate can be further concentrated in the following process steps, e.g. by high-pressure reverse osmosis, and thus be reused as a profitable raw material. The filtrate can be further processed, e.g. by a downstream reverse osmosis, to deionised water, which is returned to the process. Thus it is possible for us to get the maximum out of your process and avoid waste water by an intelligent process control (Minimum Liquid Discharge / MLD ; Zero Liquid Discharge / ZLD).

The right support in every stage of the project

We have gained experience with a variety of different process fluids. We would be pleased to assist you as a plant engineering company in the selection of the suitable membrane and the optimal process control! For special applications, we are also happy to offer you the possibility of process screening in our laboratory with subsequent industrial piloting as part of our 4 steps 2 separation!

Ion Exchanger

Ion exchange processes are based on the exchange and attachment of ions to synthetic resins, which are made of organic polymers. These synthetic resins contain functional groups to which cations or anions can be attached, depending on the type of ion exchanger. Thus, a basic distinction is made between anion and cation exchangers, which in turn are divided into weak and strong basic or weak and strong acid. The deposition of the ions takes place with a selectivity. For example, Fe³⁺ is preferred to Mg²+ in the cation exchanger, while Mg²⁺ is preferred to Na⁺ and H⁺.

In regenerated form, a strongly acidic cation exchanger is present in the H⁺ form. Thus all functional groups are occupied with H⁺ - ions. If water is now passed over the ion exchanger with a load of ions, ions will be deposited on the cation exchanger, which are located further up in the selectivity series. The H⁺ - ion is released. The same applies to a strongly alkaline anion exchanger which is present in the regenerated form in the OH^- - form. Thus, when strongly acidic cation exchange resins and strongly basic anion exchange resins are mixed, an almost complete separation of ions contained in the water can be achieved.

If the functional groups in the resin are occupied by the ions to be separated, a salt breakthrough of the resin bed occurs. The resin is thus exhausted and must be regenerated. During regeneration, a solution containing the ions that the resin should have in the regenerated form (e.g. H⁺) is run over the ion exchange resins in excess. Some of the ions in excess, despite their poorer selectivity, accumulate on the ion exchange resins and displace the ions with a higher selectivity. A high surplus of e.g. H⁺ ions thus makes it possible to completely convert the ion exchange resin back into the regenerated form.

Our typical applications for ion exchange processes are

• Softening of e.g. drinking water, process water
• Removal of ammonia from condensate systems using cation exchangers
• Complete desalination by means of mixed bed ion exchanger or EDI according to VGB-S-010-T-00 (formerly R 450 L)
• Removal of residual colorants and salts from process solutions

Separate the best from the rest - Individual process combinations for highest efficiency

Ion exchange processes are often used as polishing stages in an overall process. Ion exchangers can effectively remove residual ion loads where membrane technology reaches its limits. Thus, ion exchange technology is an optimal complement to our membrane technology.

The right support in every stage of the project

We have gained experience with a variety of different process fluids. We would be pleased to assist you as a plant engineering company in the selection of the suitable membrane and the optimal process control! For special applications, we are also happy to offer you the possibility of process screening in our laboratory with subsequent industrial piloting as part of our 4 steps 2 separation!