Filtration Aid Research Articles

Implementation of Cellulose-Based Filtration Aids in Industrial Sunflower Oil Dewaxing (Winterization): Process Monitoring, Prediction, and Optimization.

In the production of refined sunflower oil, waxes are removed during the winterization stage, and wax crystals are separated through filtration assisted by filtration aids. Commonly used filtration aids in oil refining include perlite and diatomaceous earth. After winterization, a significant amount of filter cake remains as a by-product and is treated as waste. Today, natural cellulose fibers are being promoted as filtration aids. Their advantages are numerous, both in the production process and from an environmental perspective. However, their only disadvantage is their higher cost. Therefore, in this study, 57 filtration cycles during the industrial sunflower oil winterization step using cellulose-based filtration aids were monitored. Different process parameters, including the pressure differential on the filter, the flow rate of filtered oil, constant pressure period, the quantity of filtered oil, filtration time, the quantity of pre-coating and dosing filtration aids, the volume of filtered oil, the concentration of dosing filtration aid, as well as the mass of separated waxes, were observed. Additionally, artificial neural networks were applied to predict process parameters, optimize the process, and, above all, determine the dosage of filtration aids, which will make the process more economical. The optimal filtration process is performed at a pressure differential of 3.3 bar, lasting a total of 39 h, with 32 h at constant pressure, resulting in 322,503 kg of filtered oil and 90.41 kg of waxes. The optimal quantity of cellulose-based filtration aids employed for pre-coat was 80 kg, and for dosing, 375 kg, with an optimal concentration of 0.12% w/w.

Comparison of alternative neutral detergent fiber methods to the AOAC definitive method

Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) is the most commonly reported metric for fiber in dairy cattle nutrition. An empirical method, NDF is defined by the procedure used to measure it. The current definitive method for NDF treated with amylase (aNDF) is AOAC Official Method 2002.04 performed on dried samples ground through the 1-mm screen of a cutting mill with refluxing and then filtration through Gooch crucibles without (AOAC-; reference method) or with (AOAC+) a glass fiber filter filtration aid. Other methods in use include grinding materials through the 1-mm screen of an abrasion mill, using filtration through a Buchner funnel with a glass fiber filter (Buch), and use of the ANKOM system (ANKOM Technology, Macedon, NY) that simultaneously extracts and filters samples through filter bags with larger (F57) or smaller (F58) particle size retentions. Our objective was to compare the AOAC and alternative methods using samples ground through the 1-mm screens of cutting or abrasion mills. Materials analyzed were 2 alfalfa silages, 2 corn silages, dry ground and high-moisture corn grains, mixed grass hay, ryegrass silage, soybean hulls, calf starter, and sugar beet pulp. Samples were run in duplicate in replicate analytical runs performed on different days by experienced technicians. Compared with cutting mill-ground samples, the aNDF% of dry matter results from abrasion mill-ground samples were or tended to be lower for 8 of 11 samples. Method affected aNDF% results for all materials, with method × grind interactions for 6 of 11 samples. For ash-free aNDF% assessed with cutting mill-ground materials, a priori selected contrasts showed that the number of materials for which methods differed or tended to differ from the AOAC methods were 4 (Buch), 8 (F57), and 3 (F58); and 3 for AOAC- versus AOAC+. However, statistically different does not necessarily mean substantially different. For a given feed and grind, a positive value for the absolute difference between the AOAC- mean and an alternative method mean minus 2 times the standard deviation of AOAC- suggests that values for the alternative method fall outside of the range of results likely to be observed for the reference method. The number of observed positive values for materials processed with cutting and abrasion mills, respectively, were 0 and 2 (AOAC+); 2 and 2 (Buch); 8 and 10 (F57); 4 and 7 (F58); and 0 and 4 (AOAC-). With the materials tested, methods in order of agreement with the reference method were Buch, F58, and F57, which often gave lower values. The AOAC+ gave results similar to AOAC-, substantiating it as an allowed modification of AOAC-. Best agreement between the reference method and variant NDF methods was achieved with the 1-mm screen cutting mill grind. The 1-mm abrasion mill grind produced more aNDF% results that were lower than the reference method but with fewer differences when filter particle retention size was smaller. The use of filters that retain finer particles could be explored to improve comparability of variant NDF methods and grinds. Further evaluation with an expanded set of materials is warranted.

Sunflower Oil Winterization Using the Cellulose-Based Filtration Aid-Investigation of Oil Quality during Industrial Filtration Probe.

Waxes, phospholipids, free fatty acids, peroxides, aldehydes, soap, trace metals and moisture present in crude sunflower oil have a negative effect on the oil quality and are, therefore, removed during the refining process. Waxes crystallizing at low temperatures are removed during winterization by cooling and filtration. Waxes have poor filtration characteristics and an industrial filtration process must be enhanced by the use of filtration aids, which improve filter cake structure and properties, and consequently prolong the filtration cycle. Today, traditional filtration aids (diatomite, perlite, etc.) being used in the industry are frequently replaced by cellulose-based aids. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of oil filtration assisted by two cellulose-based filtration aids on the chemical parameters (wax, moisture, phospholipids, soaps, and fatty acids), oil transparency, carotenoids, and Fe and Cu content of sunflower oil obtained in an industrial horizontal pressure leaf filter. In order to investigate the mentioned parameters, the following techniques were used: gravimetric (waxes and moisture content), spectrophotometric (phospholipids and carotenoid content and oil transparency), volumetric (soaps and free fatty acids content) as well as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for Fe and Cu content. An artificial neural network model (ANN) was employed for the prediction of removal efficiency based on the chemical quality, oil transparency, Fe and Cu content in oils before filtration, as well as filtration aid quantity and filtration time. Cellulose-based filtration aids had multiple beneficial effects; on average, 99.20% of waxes, 74.88% of phospholipids, 100% of soap, 7.99% of carotenoids, 16.39% of Fe and 18.33% of Cu were removed.

Influence of the presence of open three-dimensional fiber structures on solid liquid cake filtration of limestone

Solid particles in a suspension can be separated effectively through cake filtration where the filter medium is decisive particularly during the initial stage when particle breakthrough can be high. To improve the filtrate quality and throughput, filtration aid additives are used, which are known to alter filter cake structure and thus reduce flow resistance but, in forming clusters, also stabilize fine particles that would otherwise pass through the filter (cake) easily. However, filter aids are costly, increase the complexity of the system and may have adverse effects for subsequent mechanical drying and washing. Instead of supplying additives, four alternative filter media were tested exhibiting an open, three-dimensional structure that reached deeply into the depth of the forming filter cake. An aqueous limestone suspension was investigated in a conventional laboratory test unit. Composite filter medium set-up delivered up to 15% faster filtration. The results indicate that the fiber structures give better performance that reach far into the cake and are oriented not only axially but also radially. In contrary to the initial hypothesis that an axial fiber structure would produce additional drainage channels along the surface of these fibers and thus support but deliquoring, the actual deliquoring performance with air blowing appeared to be slightly less efficient. Although not investigated yet, cake discharge with a 3-D filter layer present poses an additional challenge, rendering the concept of composite filters unpractical.

Optimization of arsenic removal from an acid mine drainage in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor

Abstract This study aims at optimizing the arsenic removal performance of a sulfidogenic anaerobic MBR treating acid mine drainage (AMD). The feed sulfate concentration was kept constant at 2,000 mg/L and ethanol concentration was decreased steadily from 1,500 mg COD/L to 500 mg COD/L. Metal concentrations were kept at 75 or 150 mg/L Fe, 25 mg/L Cu, 5 mg/L Zn, 5 mg/L Co, 5 mg/L Mn, 2.5 mg/L Ni and 2.5 mg/L As. High sulfide concentration led to dissolution of orpiment (As2S3) and low As removal efficiency. Later, decrease of sulfide concentration in the bioreactor resulted in increasing As removal efficiency over 99% due to formation of orpiment and co-precipitation of As with amorphous iron precipitates. Flux was increased up to around 10 L/(m2h) (LMH). It was concluded that heavy metals in the AMD behaved as a filtration aid and increased the sludge filterability, which was assessed by the regular analyses of supernatant filterability, specific resistance to filtration and capillary suction time.

Continuous Production of Isomalto-oligosaccharides by Thermo-inactivated Cells of Aspergillus niger J2 with Coarse Perlite as an Immobilizing Material.

The coarse perlite 40-80 mesh was selected as an immobilizing material and put into a packed bed reactor (PBR) to continuously convert maltose to isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMOs). The PBR was prepared by mixing the thermo-inactivated cells (TIC) from Aspergillus niger J2 strain with the coarse perlite, then the mixture was put into an overpressure-resistant column. Compared with diatomite 40-80 mesh and thin perlite 80-120 mesh in PBR, coarse perlite was chosen as the best filtration aid, when the ratio of coarse perlite versus TIC was 1:1. The thermal and pH stability of the free and immobilized TIC and the optimum conditions for the transglycosylation reactions were determined. The results show that approximately 75 and 82% and 87 and 91% of α-glucosidase activity were reserved for free and immobilized TIC at temperatures from 30 to 60°C and pH from 3.00 to 7.00 for 12h, respectively. With 30% malt syrup under the conditions of 50°C and pH4.00, a mini-scale packed bed reactor (Mi-PBR) and medium-scale packed bed reactor (Me-PBR) could continuously produce IMO over 25 and 34days with the yield of effective IMO (eIMO) ≥ 35% and total IMO (tIMO) ≥ 50%, respectively. The strategy of mixing the coarse perlite with TIC in PBR is a novel approach to continuously produce IMO and has great application potential in industry.

Development of sludge-derived mesoporous material with loaded nano CaO2 and doped Fe for re-utilization of dewatered waste-activated sludge as dewatering aids

A novel approach to converting dewatered waste-activated sludge (WAS) into conditioning reagents for enhanced dewatering of raw WAS is proposed in this study. Primarily, WAS pretreated by K2FeO4 was dewatered and converted into Fe-doped sludge-derived mesoporous material (SDMM) through thermal cracking methods. Subsequently, half of the resulting SDMM were modified by H2SO4-HNO3 coupled with thermal reflux to realize the carboxylation, and the remaining SDMM was used as the template for nano CaO2 loading. As a result, nano CaO2-loaded Fe-doped SDMM and carboxylic SDMM were successfully synthesized and jointly used to improve the dewaterability of raw WAS. The carboxylic material created the beneficial acidic condition for the solubilization of nano CaO2; nano CaO2 eliminated the negative impacts of EPS on WAS dewaterability by OH formation with the catalysis of ferrous substances (Fe2O3/FeOOH) in situ doped in SDMM; and the porous structure of SDMM acted as a filtration aid. As a result, a 64.1% specific resistance of filtration (SRF) reduction was achieved with the total addition of 1 g/g dry solid (DS) SDMM without pH pre-adjustment. The synergistic effects of the filtration aid, peroxidation and dewatered WAS utilization were simultaneously realized by the novel development of SDMM.

Characterization of natural and treated diatomite by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)

Differences and similarities between natural diatomite from Mascara, Algeria and its acid washed and microwave irradiated product have been assessed in this study using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). LIBS is demonstrated as a multi-elemental analysis technique of geological samples with a fast response. Diatomite is commonly used as filtration aid, mild abrasive in products such as metal polishes, adsorbent for liquids, and as porous support for chemical catalysts. LIBS analyses confirmed the reduction of calcium, magnesium, iron or sodium in treated diatomite with respect to natural one, which improves its characteristics as filters or as adsorbents. In the present study, the contents of Ca, Mg and K in the diatomite samples were analyzed with LIBS. Finally, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) was employed for describing the morphology and microstructure of these materials.

Development of montmorillonite-supported nano CaO2 for enhanced dewatering of waste-activated sludge by synergistic effects of filtration aid and peroxidation

Nanosized CaO2 was first synthesized using montmorillonite clay layers as templates for combining the positive effects of filtration aid and peroxidation on the dewatering of waste-activated sludge (WAS). Exchangeable Ca2+ compensating for negative charges of montmorillonite reacted with the added H2O2, affording nano CaO2 on the surface or in the interlayer regions of montmorillonite (montmorillonite-supported nano CaO2, MMT-nano CaO2). The catalytic capacity of montmorillonite for generating OH from nano CaO2 was verified by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), therefore, the radical oxidation induced by MMT-nano CaO2 can destruct the floc structure of WAS with the omission of Fe(II), the conventionally used catalyst for Fenton reaction. As a result, the reduction in specific resistance of filtration (SRF) by 62.2% was achieved with the MMT-nano CaO2 dosage of 100mg/g dry solid (DS) and the weakly acidic pH of 5. OH led to the reduction of hydrophilic protein in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and the swelling behavior of montmorillonite contributed to the formation of a porous structure as draining medium for water withdrawing. The above factors were the dominant mechanisms for enhancing dewatering performance.

Al-PAM assisted filtration system for abatement of mature fine tailings

With its potential to produce stackable solids for backfill (land reclamation) and the highest quality and quantity of water (filtrate) for recycle, filtration for treating mature fine tailings (MFT) using an in-house synthesized, organic–inorganic hybrid polymer (flocculant), Al-PAM, as a filtration aid was developed and tested on a MFT from oil sands operations. After proper dilution of the MFT from 30wt% to 10wt% solids, Al-PAM was found to be an effective filtration aid. A two-step process: Al-PAM flocculation and thickening of diluted MFT, followed by filtration of thickener underflow to produce a stackable filter cake and virtually solids-free filtrate was found to be the most appealing. This study clearly showed that Al-PAM assisted filtration is a viable solution to reduce the inventory of MFT and associated liability while maximizing recovery (recycle) of process-affected water.

Synthesis and Characterization of Ciprofloxacin Pendant Antibacterial Cationic Polymers

A methacrylate monomer containing ciprofloxacin (CPF) was synthesized, followed by the free-radical co-polymerization of the methacrylate monomer, acrylamide and diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DADMAC). The resulting antimicrobial cationic tripolymers were characterized by 1H-NMR, gel-permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The in vitro antibacterial activity of the monomer, as well as of the polymers, was investigated against E. coli. The CPF pendant tripolymer exhibited excellent antibacterial activities, thus permitting the cationic tripolymers to be used as antibacterial intensifier, retention or filtration aid for various hygiene products, including those based on cellulose fibres.

GHGT-9 Polymeric Filtration Aids: “Two Decades of Lab and Plant Observations – the Rest of the World”

Abstract Many Phosphoric Acid plants use a Polymeric Filtration Aid for increased production and recovery. This paper presents laboratory filtration data, comparing conditions at various di-hydrate acid plants around the world. Results from the latest AMCC Filter Aid technology to enhance vacuum filters is compared for plants in Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, Morocco, and the USA.

Polymer aids for settling and filtration of oil sands tailings

AbstractCommercial Magnafloc 1011 (Percol 727) polymer and in‐house synthesised Al‐PAM polymer were used to flocculate oil sands tailings that were derived from low and high fines oil sands ores. Fines are defined as mineral solids less than 44 µm. The performance of polymers was evaluated in terms of tailings settling, filtration rate, and final moisture content of tilter cakes. Both polymers were shown to effectively flocculate the derived oil sands tailings and hence to enhance tailings settling. Al‐PAM performed very well as a filtration aid. The final moisture content of the filter cake obtained from tailings derived from the low fines ore was 6.6 ± 1.2 wt.% and that from the high fines ore was 16.9 ± 0.8 wt.%. This class of polymer can provide an alternative approach for oil sands tailings disposal that has the potential to eliminate tailings ponds. However, the commercial Magnafloc 1011 polymer was found ineffective as a filtration aid for the two tailings tested in this study.

Preparation and characterization of nanosized bismuth doped tin dioxide powders with a novel post treatment process

Bismuth-doped tin dioxide (BTO) nanopowders were prepared by wet chemical co-precipitation method using tin tetrachloride (SnCl 4 ) and bismuth nitrate (Bi(NO 3 ) 3 ) as raw materials. Effects of calcination temperature and post treatment methods on particle size and crystalline phase transition of bismuth tin precursor (BTP) were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetric instrument (TG-DSC) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optimal calcination temperature of BTP was found to be about 873 K. A novel post treatment process with polyacrylamide (PAM) in the preparation of nanometerials was presented for the first time. Experimental results showed that nonionic PAM is a highly effective additive, which not only speeds up the filtration of precursor, but also effectively reduces the formation of hard agglomerates. The average size of BTO nanopowders prepared using nonionic PAM as a filtration aid and disperser is smaller than 10 nm. We believe this post treatment method will come into wide use for preparation of many nanosized materials.

Preparation and characterisation of nanosized antimony-doped tin dioxide powders with a novel post-treatment process

Bismuth-doped tin dioxide (BTO) nanopowders were prepared by wet chemical co-precipitation method using tin tetrachloride (SnCl4) and bismuth nitrate (Bi(NO3)3) as raw materials. Effects of calcination temperature and post treatment methods on particle size and crystalline phase transition of bismuth tin precursor (BTP) were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetric instrument (TG-DSC) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optimal calcination temperature of BTP was found to be about 873 K. A novel post treatment process with polyacrylamide (PAM) in the preparation of nanometerials was presented for the first time. Experimental results showed that nonionic PAM is a highly effective additive, which not only speeds up the filtration of precursor, but also effectively reduces the formation of hard agglomerates. The average size of BTO nanopowders prepared using nonionic PAM as a filtration aid and disperser is smaller than 10 nm. We believe this post treatment method will come into wide use for preparation of many nanosized materials.

ENHANCED REMOVAL OF RESIDUAL ALUMINUM AND TURBIDITY IN TREATED WATER USING POLYMERS

This study investigated the possibility of reducing the residual aluminum (Al) in the treated water using polymers. Two raw waters (lake and river water) and three kinds of polymers (coagulant, flocculant, and filtration aids) were used for this purpose. This study found that coagulation at the high dose did not necessarily lead to the high concentration of the residual Al in the treated water. The coagulation efficacy was found more important in determining the residual Al than the coagulant dose. The use of a polymer enhanced the removal of turbidity as well as the residual Al. The coagulant aid removed the dissolved Al as well as the particulate Al by helping the coagulation and the solid-liquid separation. The flocculant aid and the filtration aid preferentially removed the particulate Al while helping the solid-liquid separation. The filtration aid reduced the residual Al substantially more effectively than the flocculant aid. The polyamine-based coagulant aid (FL) showed the better performance in reducing the residual Al and turbidity than DADMAC (WT). The cationic flocculant aid with weak charge density and the medium molecular weight (SC-020) showed the best performance in reducing the residual Al.

Influence of process conditions and membrane/particle interaction in NF of wastewaters

The clean environment concept and the demand of decreasing the use of fresh water make it important to reuse wastewaters from industry. One of the industries producing great amounts of wastewater containing fairly low amounts of COD is the pulp and paper industry. These produced effluent waters can be cleaned by membrane filtration so that they can be reused on site. By using ultrafiltration, a water clean enough for most places in the mill can be produced. But for the more demanding places nanofiltration has to be used in order to get a micro-particle free water. Since the volumes of water to be filtered can be in the order of cubic meters per second a high flux is important. The wastewaters in the pulp and paper industry, like surface waters, contain organic degradation products from trees that are of a hydrophobic nature. These molecules easily aggregate and foul the membranes if the membranes are hydrophobic or if the process conditions are favourable to fouling. In the studies reported here the process conditions, the membrane materials and the interactions of hydrophobic molecules in the wastewater or surface water with different kinds of nanofiltration membranes were investigated. The influence of high shear on critical flux was investigated. Adsorption was to be minimised by choosing the least fouling hydrophilic membranes (characterisation by contact angle). Different measurements were made on the waste-waters like TOC, UV-absorption, conductivity, hardness, SUVA index, etc. The results showed that the best nanofiltration fluxes for long periods of time were achieved using very high shear cross-flow modules. Besides on high shear, the study focused on finding hydrophilic membranes and on trying either to use pretreatment to remove the foulants before filtration or on using some kind of adsorbing filtration aid during the filtration. In some cases fibers naturally formed the filtration aid.

Soybean oil bleaching by Al-pillared montmorillonite

AI-pillared montmorillonite was synthesized from raw clay, mined at Sipovo Srpska Republic. Its textural properties and bleaching capacity were compared with some commercial adsorbents and filtration aid materials commonly used in domestic oil industry. The bleaching capacity of AI-pillared montmorillonite is lower than that of commercial Super Celite L748 (Johns Manville, USA) or Perfit PF-3 (Termika dd., Zrenjanin Yugoslavia), but somewhat is higher than the bleaching capacity of pure montmorillonite. The results suggest that the bleaching capacity of the investigated samples is primarily determined by average pore diameter and not by specific surface area.

Ground kenaf core as a filtration aid

The objective of this study was to examine the filtration characteristics of ground kenaf core, a waste material generated during the production of kenaf bast fibers for paper. The constant-pressure precoat filtration characteristics of ground kenaf core were compared to commercial diatomaceous earth (DE). Three challenge solutions were studied: a yeast solution, a bacterial solution, and a standard silica-particle solution. The kenaf and DE both satisfactorily permitted removal of all silica particles from solution without noticable flux degradation over the course of the filtration. The kenaf and DE also removed yeast particles. In this case, the flux loss with time was lower with the DE precoated filter than in the kenaf precoated filter. The DE precoat excluded less than 10% of the bacterial particles from solution, whereas the kenaf removed about 40% of these small particles.

Purification of porcine plasma factor VIII using chromatographic methods

Factor VIII was purified from porcine plasma using adsorption on aluminium hydroxide with CM-cellulose as a filtration aid, cold ethanol precipitation, and two anion-exchange (Q-Sepharose fast flow) chromatographies. The final product was purified 264-fold and had a specific activity of 10 U mg−1. The method is suitable to produce purified porcine FVIII by an easy process where all steps can be scaled up. The final product is free of von Willebrand factor that is responsible for the main side effects in patients. Finally, this method can be used to obtain purified porcine plasma FVIII for use in haemophilic patients with inhibitors.