FILTRATION is the solid liquid separation where the liquid passes through the porous medium to

remove the fine suspended solids. Following are some terms used in filtration
1. Slurry 2. Filter medium 3. Filter cake b.Filtrate
Objective:
• To remove contaminant particles from dispersing fluid so that it can be recovered.
• To recover solid particles by eliminating the dispersing fluid.
• To produce high-quality solvents and solids.
• To purify the air and pharmaceutically useful gases by removing particulate matter.
• To sterilize thermolabile parenteral products.
Factors affecting process of filtration:
1. Pressure 2. Viscosity 3. Surface area of filter media 4. Temperature of liquid to be filtered
5. Particle size 6. Pore size of filter media 7. Thickness of cake
8. Nature of solid material

EQUIPMENT OF FILTRATION
1. Membrane Filters
PRINCIPLE
Membrane filter consists of microporous plastics films of specific pore sizes, therefore it is also
known as screen, sieve or microporous filter. Membrane present in these filters retains particles or
microorganism (larger than the pore size) by surface capture. It act like sieve and the particulate
matter is retained on the surface of membrane.
CONSTRUCTION
1. Membrane filters are made of thin and flat membranes of cellulose derivatives, such as,
cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate.
2. These filters are brittle when in dry condition and can be stored for an indefinite period.
3. The filters are between 50 and 150 micron thick and are available in sizes upto 60 cm
4. A membrane filter is 150μm thick and contains about millions of microscopic pores.
5. The diameter of these pores is uniform. Based on the requirement the size of these pores is
adjusted, during the process of polymerization.
6. The most widely accepted membrane filter possesses a pore size of 0.22μm and 0.45μm.
WORKING
1.The raw material liquid passes through a microporous membrane material to separate
specific substances under the action of static pressure difference.
2. To avoid rapid clogging of a membrane, pre-filtration is often required. The selection of a
membrane filter for a particular application depends on the particles to be removed.
3.The membrane filter functions like a sieve and thus removes particle.
4. For sterile filtration, the membrane is autoclaved in the holder and to prevent curling they are
packed between thick filters. Some membrane filters which are pre-sterilized (by
ethylene oxide or ionizing radiation) are also available.
5. A rigid base of perforated metal, plastic, or coarse sintered glass is used to support the
membrane filter during filtration process.
APPLICATIONS
1. These filters are mainly used for sterilization of both aqueous and oily liquids.
2. These are also used for sterilization and clarifying aqueous and organic solvents including
buffers, microbiological and tissue culture solution.
3. These are also used for diagnostic cytology and receptor binding studies.
4. The membrane filters cannot be used for filtration of organic solvents, such as alcohols, ketones,
esters and chloroform.
ADVANTAGES
5. These are also used suitable for filtration of enzyme solution.
6. It does not allow any cross contamination. 7. Its filtration rate is rapidly.
8. It can be easily disposed off. 9. Since absorption is negligible, it does not import any fibers or
alkali into the filtrate.
DISADVANTAGES
1. It may get clogged 2. In ordinary, it is less resistant to solvents like chloroform

2. SINTERED FILTERS
PRINCIPLE
It is works on the principle of Reducing pressure. During the filtration high pressure exerts on the
sintered glass disc and lower pressure exert on the base of funnel. Due to pressure difference
filtration is performing.
CONSTRUCTION
1. It consists of the glass funnel and sintered glass disc.
2. These filters have as a filtering medium a flat or convex plate of Jenna/Borosillicate glass
powdered and shifted to produce granules of uniform size that are molded together.
3. It is then packed into a disc mould and heated to a temperature at which adhesion takes place
between the particles. The disc is then fused to a funnel of suitable shape and size.
4. The sintered glass filters are available in different pore size. Hence the funnel with a
sintered filter is numbered according to the pore size. The variation in porosity
depending on size of granules used in the plate.
5. The filtration is carried out under reduced pressure. A vacuum attachment is
necessary to facilitate the passage of liquid through the filter plate.
6. Sintered filters are also available in stainless steel which has a greater mechanical
strength. However these are very much liable to attack by the solutions passing through them.
APPLICATIONS
1. Production of sterile products. 2. Bacteria proof filters are used for filtration of thermolabile
substances. 3. Removal of impurities from the medicinal products. 4. Production of liquid orals.
5. Effluent and waste water treatment.
ADVANTAGES
1. It is easy to clean and labor requirement is very low.
2. Its shows low absorption properties
DISADVANTAGES
1. It is fragile in nature so its handling is very tough task.
2. It is very expensive and time consuming.

FILTER PRESS
PRINCIPLE
A filter press is a piece of equipment used in liquid/solid separation. Specifically, the filter press
separates the liquids and solids using pressure filtration, wherein a slurry is pumped into the filter
press and is dewatered under pressure.
CONSTRUCTION
There are four main components of a filter press.
1. Frame (Skeleton): The steel filter press frame acts as a clamping device for the filter plates.
2. Filter Plates: There are three basic categories of filter plates all with different functions. Plate
and frame, recessed chamber (or recessed plate) and diaphragm squeeze (also known as
membrane squeeze).
3. Manifold: The standard manifold consists of piping and valves. They control the slurry inlet and
connect the four corner filtrate discharge ports into a common discharge pipe.
4. Filter Cloth: A cloth filter that is attached to the filter plate is the filtering media . Solids build up
on cloth to form a filter cake, separating liquids from solids.
WORKING
1. Slurry is pumped into the filter press. The solids are distributed evenly during the feed (fill) cycle.
2. Solids begin to build on the filter cloth. Most of the solid/liquid separation is done by the
filter cake building on the cloths.
3. At first some fines may pass through the cloth, but eventually the solids begin to form a layer on
the filter cloth much like a pre-coat. That layer traps the fine particles and forms a filter cake.
4. As the filter press builds high pressure, the solids build within the chambers until they are
completely full of filter cake. When the chambers are full, the fill cycle is complete.
5. The filtrate (liquid) exits the filter pack (plates) through the corner ports into the manifold; when
the correct valves in the manifold are open, the filtrate exits the press through one single point,
the filtrate outlet.
6. In many higher capacity filter presses, fast action automatic plate shifters are employed,
speeding cycle time.
7. Some filter presses are specifically designed for fully automatic, 24-hour operation in a harsh
environment such as mines or chemical manufacturing plants.
APPLICATIONS
Filter presses are used for liquid/solid separation in an extensive range of industries and
applications including:
1. Food and beverage processing 2. Chemical manufacturing 3. Mining
4. Power generation 5. Aggregates, asphalt and cement production 6. Steel mills
7. Municipal plants

FILTER LEAF
PRINCIPLE
It is an apparatus consisting of a longitudinal drainage screen covered with a filter cloth.
The mechanism is surface filtration and acts as a sieve or strainer. Vacuum or pressure can be
applied to increase the rate of filtration
CONSTRUCTION
1. The filter leaf is a versatile piece of equipment. The slurry is pumped under pressure into a
vessel that is fitted with a stack of vertical leaves that serve as filter elements.
2. Each leaf has a centrally located neck at its bottom which is inserted into a manifold that collects
the filtrate.
3. The leaf is constructed with ribs on both sides to allow free flow of filtrate towards the neck and
is covered with coarse mesh screens that support the finer woven metal screens or filter cloth that
retain the cake
4. The space between the leaves may vary from 30-100 mm depending on the cake formation
properties and the ability of the vacuum to hold a thick and heavy cake to the vertical leaf surface.
5. The space is set by the filtrate necks of the leaves at the bottom end and with spacers at the top
end brackets.
6. For fast filtering slurries, the space may be doubled by removing every second plate so
consequently the cake space doubles but the filtration area is reduced to half.
WORKING
1. Precoating:
The precoating stage is done when the contaminants are gelatinous and sticky and the precoat
layer forms a barrier that avoids cloth blinding. Likewise, the interface between the precoat and
the cloth departs readily so the cake discharges leaving a clean cloth. In addition, it is done when a
clear filtrate is required immediately after the filtration cycle commences otherwise recirculation
must be employed until a clear filtrate is obtained.
2. Filtration:
Once the precoating stage is completed the process slurry is pumped into the filter, the forming
cake is retained on the leaves and the filtrate flows to further processing. When the solids are fine
and slow to filter, a filter-aid is added to the feed slurry in order to enhance cake permeability. The
addition of filter-aid increases the solids concentration in the feed so it occupies additional volume
between the leaves and increases the amount of cake for disposal. Similarly, for all those
applications when the cake is the product, precoat and filter-aid may not be used since they mix
and discharge together with the cake.
3. Heel Removal:
Once the filtration cycle is completed air or gas is blown into the vessel and the slurry heel that
surrounds the leaves is pushed and displaced downwards until it reaches the lowest part of the
leaf stack. At this point, the remaining heel slurry is evacuated back to the feed tank by a special
dip pipe that is located at the very bottom of the vessel so that the vessel is empty from the slurry.
4. Cake Drying:
The air then continues to pass through the cake until the captive moisture is reduced to a
minimum and the cake is in practical terms considered to be dry.
5. Cake Discharge:
At this stage, the air pressure is released, the cake outlet is opened and the leaf stack is vibrated to
discharge the cake. The cake outlet opening must be interlocked with a pressure sensor to avoid
opening under pressure. On some filters, the cloth or mesh screen may be backwashed with water
after cake discharge to dislodge and remove any cake residue that is adhered to the medium.
APPLICATIONS
• The vertical pressure leaf filter is used for the polishing slurries with very low solid content of 1- 5%
or for cake filtration with a solid concentration of 20 – 25%.
• The vertical leaf filters are suitable for handling flammable, toxic, and corrosive materials since
they are autoclaved and designed for hazardous environments when high pressure and safe
operation are required.
• The vertical leaf filters may be readily jacketed for applications whenever hot or cold
temperatures are to be maintained.
ADVANTAGES
• Simplest form of filter used for batch process. • A number of units can be connected in parallel
to increase the surface area of filtration. • Pressure difference can be obtained either with
vacuum or using pressure up to the order of 800 kilopascals.
• Labor costs for operating the filter leaf are fairly moderate. • The efficiency of washing is
high. • The slurry can be filtered from any vessel. • The cake can be washed simply by
immersing the filter in a vessel of water.
DISADVANTAGES
• It is expensive and its design is complicated.
• Efficient washing of cake in filter leaf consume plenty of water.
• It is used for batch process, not for a continuous process.
• It is used where the proportion of solid in the liquid to be filtered is about 5% or less.