What is Ultrafiltration Membrane?

Ultrafiltration membrane is a kind of microporous membrane with the same pore size specification and rated pore size range of 0.01 microns or less. Ultrafiltration technology is a membrane separation technology that driven by pressure difference, and uses the permeability of the membrane to achieve the purpose of separation ions, molecules and certain particles in water.

The cross section of the ultrafiltration membrane has an asymmetric structure. It is generally composed of a dense layer with a thickness less than 1 micron, which plays a role in sieving, and a support layer (about 125 microns thick) with a sponge-like or finger-like porous structure. At present, the membrane modules commonly used in industrial production and daily life are: tube type, frame type, roll type and hollow fiber type. The following are high quality hollow fiber membrane modules made by HONGTEK for your reference:

Ultrafiltration process generally including two ways: dead-end filtration and cross-flow filtration. Dead-end filtration is generally used for raw water with low turbidity and better water quality, which can greatly reduce the energy consumption of the process. For water with higher turbidity and more pollution, cross-flow filtration is used to avoid a large amount of contaminants accumulate on the surface of the membrane, causing membrane pollution and reducing filtration performance.

Experts suggest that there are actually three aspects of the ultrafiltration process: 1. Solutes are adsorbed on the membrane surface and the pore wall; 2. The particle size of the solute is similar to the pore size of the membrane, and the solute is trapped in the pore size; 3. The particle size of the solute is larger than the pore size of the membrane, and the solute is mechanically trapped on the membrane surface to achieve sieving.

The industrial application of ultrafiltration membranes is very extensive and has become one of the new chemical unit operations. It’s not only used in separation, concentration, purification of biological products, pharmaceutical products and food industrial, but also used in terminal treatment devices in blood treatment, wastewater treatment and ultrapure water preparation.