Chemical Engineering October 2014 - 27

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tection for fluid handling systems
from unwanted solids. The design
removes sand, grit and other fine
solids from the source of process
water and liquid systems, removing
98% of such particles at 200 mesh
and larger. With heavier solids, better
results can be expected.
The purging/solid-handling concept
keeps fluids clean and concentrates
separated solids. In addition,
there are no screens or filters to clean
or replace, which eliminates these
types of maintenance expenses.
Geisel says Lakos is launching
an even higher efficiency version of
this separator called the E-Series
later this year. " Since our separators
are often in place as a first-pass
system, a higher efficiency separator
for lower micron contaminants
will allow processors to extend the
life of the equipment found further
downstream, such as polishing filters,
secondary filtration systems,
pumps or valves, " he explains.
" This saves money and time on
maintenance and equipment costs
downstream because the longer
the life of the downstream filters
and equipment can be extended
by keeping them free of solids, the
less expensive those systems are to
maintain, as well. "
Further downstream, filtration
for liquid-solid applications, such
as latex emulsions and suspended
solids, is often plagued with issues
such as plugging and chemical or
process compatibility, says Mark
Rizzone, market manager for industrial
processes with Koch Membrane
Systems (KMS; Wilmington,
Mass.; www.kochmembrane.com).
In response, KMS developed its
FEG PLUS, cross flow, ultrafiltration
technology because it offers a
wide pH and temperature range
and handles high-suspended solids
without plugging. The 1-in.dia.
membrane tubes offer a robust
design with good mechanical and
chemical resistance properties.
Available in neutral or negatively
charged PVDF membranes, the
technology is suitable for high permeate
flux and easy cleaning, which
results in fewer interruptions to the
workflow, says Rizzone.
YOU CAN RELAX.
Creating new technologies
Issues in very specific filtration applications
drive, perhaps, the most
advanced innovations of all. For
example 3M Purification (St. Paul,
Minn.; www.3mpurification.com) recently
developed the 3M Emphase
AEX Hybrid Purifier (Figure 5)
for its life science customers in the
biopharmaceutical and biologics industries.
The technology employs a
combination of two types of media
(Q-functional nonwoven and sterilizing-grade
membrane) that work
together to provide improved product
purity after clarification in a single-unit
operation. The defined pore
size of the qualifying membrane provides
removal of insoluble particles
well below 0.1 µm in size, resulting
in superior turbidity reduction. At
the same time, the high chromatographic
capacity of the Q-functional
nonwoven provides substantial reduction
of negatively charged, soluble
impurities, including DNA and
HCP. This combination of attributes
allows the hybrid purifier to provide
product purity before and, most importantly,
after the protein A column
to enable a novel and simple postprotein-A
mAb purification process.
" We developed this product in response
to our customers' need to
improve their entire purification process, "
says Tony Doina, global business
unit director for 3M Purification.
" This includes extending the life
of various chromatography columns,
improving protein purity downstream
of the columns and extending
the life of different membrane filters
used in the process. This is a highly
regulated industry, which means
there are very strict controls of materials
and performance of components
used, which makes it very expensive.
Any time you can extend the life of
those individual steps or simplify the
process, it is going to provide a cost
benefit to the user, " he says.
" In addition, proteins are what
they are trying to make, so if we can
increase the protein purity downstream
of the column, it's going to
provide an immediate win of an increase
in productivity for them, " he
says Doina.
■
Joy LePree
ADVANCING
THE SCIENCE
OF SEPARATION
Pentair designs and manufactures
high performance technologies
that help chemical plants with:
* Filtration and purification of
hydraulic and lubricating fluids
* Purification of feedstocks and water
* Recovery of liquid and solid
catalysts
* Steam cracker feed stock
conditioning
* Wastewater treatment
* Water/chemical recovery and reuse
* Final product purification
Call today to speak to someone about
achieving results that will save you
more time and money than ever before.
1.888.896.6300
1.936.788.1000
www.pentairseparations.com
Circle 24 on p. 72 or go to adlinks.che.com/50981-24
http://www.3mpurification.com http://www.kochmembrane.com http://www.pentairseparations.com http://adlinks.che.com/50981-24
Chemical Engineering October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering October 2014
