Ultra and Micro Filtration

Hub 4 Water have a variety of ways to treat water. Filtration is a common way to remove the larger particles and suspended solids found in the water. Filtration is often the primary stage of treatment before it goes through the desalination process as well as other water treatment processes, and can also be the polishing stage for waste water treatment processes. There are many types of filtration.

The classic filtration systems used are Micro filtration, Ultra filtration, and Multimedia and Cartridge Filtration.

Hub 4 Water offer Ultra Filtration (UF) plants that are suitable for treatment of surface water, storm water, waste water and tertiary treated effluent. Our ultra filtration systems can handle water with high variables such as <300 NTU of turbidity and <150mg/L of suspended solids

Hub 4 Water UF Plants

Drinking water

Ultrafiltration can be used for the removal of particulates and macromolecules from raw water to produce potable water. It has been used to either replace existing secondary (coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation) and tertiary filtration (sand filtration and chlorination) systems employed in water treatment plants or as standalone systems in isolated regions with growing populations.^[1] When treating water with high suspended solids, UF is often integrated into the process, utilising primary (screening, flotation, filtration) and some secondary treatments as pre-treatment stages.^[2] UF processes are currently preferred over traditional treatment methods for the following reasons:

• No chemicals required (aside from cleaning)
• Constant product quality regardless of feed quality
• Compact plant size
• Capable of exceeding regulatory standards of water quality, achieving 90–100% pathogen removal ^[3]

UF processes are currently limited by the high cost incurred due to membrane fouling and replacement.^[4] Additional pretreatment of feed water is required to prevent excessive damage to the membrane units.

In many cases UF is used for pre filtration in reverse osmosis (RO) plants to protect the RO membranes.

Membrane arrangements

Hollow fibre module

Depending on the shape and material of the membrane, different modules can be used for ultrafiltration process.^[14] Commercially available designs in ultrafiltration modules vary according to the required hydrodynamic and economic constraints as well as the mechanical stability of the system under particular operating pressures. The main modules used in industry include:

Tubular modules

The tubular module design uses polymeric membranes cast on the inside of plastic or porous paper components with diameters typically in the range of 5 – 25 mm with lengths from 0.6 – 6.4 m.^[5] Multiple tubes are housed in a PVC or steel shell. The feed of the module is passed through the tubes, accommodating radial transfer of permeate to the shell side. This design allows for easy cleaning however the main drawback is its low permeability, high volume hold-up within the membrane and low packing density.

Hollow fibre

This design is conceptually similar to the tubular module with a shell and tube arrangement. A single module can consist of 50 to thousands of hollow fibres and therefore are self-supporting unlike the tubular design. The diameter of each fibre ranges from 0.2 – 3 mm with the feed flowing in the tube and the product permeate collected radially on the outside. The advantage of having self-supporting membranes as is the ease at which it can be cleaned due to its ability to be backflushed. Replacement costs however are high, as one faulty fibre will require the whole bundle to be replaced. Considering the tubes are of small diameter, using this design also makes the system prone to blockage.

Spiral-wound modules

Spiral-wound membrane module

Are composed of a combination of flat membrane sheets separated by a thin meshed spacer material which serves as a porous plastic screen support. These sheets are rolled around a central perforated tube and fitted into a tubular steel pressure vessel casing. The feed solution passes over the membrane surface and the permeate spirals into the central collection tube. Spiral-wound modules are a compact and cheap alternative in ultrafiltration design, offer a high volumetric throughput and can also be easily cleaned.^[15] However it is limited by the thin channels where feed solutions with suspended solids can result in partial blockage of the membrane pores.

Plate and frame

This uses a membrane placed on a flat plate separated by a mesh like material. The feed is passed through the system from which permeate is separated and collected from the edge of the plate. Channel length can range from 10 – 60 cm and channel heights from 0.5 – 1 mm.^[7] This module provides low volume hold-up, relatively easy replacement of the membrane and the ability to feed viscous solutions because of the low channel height, unique to this particular design.

Spares and consumables

• UF and MF membranes
• CIP Cleaners
• Disinfectants
• Membrane analysis
• Pumps
• Chemical dosing equipment
• Servicing and maintenance
• Antiscalants

Water filtration plant sales and services including RO,UF/MF, Membranes, Water Softeners and Filters. Hub 4 Water are a water filtration sales and services company primarily servicing the horticultural, commercial and industrial sectors in Adelaide and regional South Australia. As a water filtration company, we partner with owners, operator’s, designers, builders and with the complete filtration solutions in mind.

We focus on sales and service of:

Our vision is to be known as a highly professional and reliable water filtration services company and be the first choice for Water Filtration in South Australia. We will continually improve and expand our services in line with customer demands.

I trust you will find this website useful whether you are a owner, engineer, maintenance, builder, designer, homeowner, plumber seeking to work with a reputable company. I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely, David Hubbard