ABSTRACT
A variety of Microfiltration (MF) and Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes and crossflow filtration modules are marketed by filter manufacturers around the world. Conventional filtration, in which relatively coarse particles are separated from a fluid using an inexpensive filter medium, can be operated in crossflow mode. The aforementioned pumped systems, i.e., systems in which crossflow is generated by pumping the feed through a static conduit containing the membrane, have been widely used in many applications. Concentration polarization refers to the formation of a concentration gradient of rejected species close to the membrane surface in all crossflow filtration processes including UF and MF. The practical adjustable operating parameters are usually the transmembrane pressure, crossflow velocity, pH, and ionic strength. Crossflow membrane filtration has become increasingly used in downstream processing of biological products. The filtration rate is low compared with that of fungi because of the smaller size of actinomycetes.
