We offer extensive knowledge and experience with membrane processes, including crossflow microfiltration and ultrafiltration. These often provide significant advantages over more traditional approaches, and we have the expertise to help you leverage those benefits. Our experience covers numerous applications, including biomass removal from fermentation broth, dewaxing of citrus oils, and separation of biomass and dissolved protein from crude fermentation-derived glutamic acid, to name a few. This experience encompasses the range of scales, from laboratory to production, and includes a variety of membrane materials, both organic and inorganic.

 

In addition to the more established membrane filtration processes mentioned above, we also offer expertise in alternative technologies such as pervaporation, membrane contactors and others.  Pervaporation, a combination of membrane treatment and evaporation, can be used to concentrate organics in dilute aqueous solutions without the heat damage caused by conventional methods such as distillation.  For example, flavor concentrates can be prepared from the aqueous stream that results from fruit or vegetable juice concentration.  Pervaporation is also useful for removal of ethanol or other metabolites from fermentation broth as they are formed, relieving product inhibition and consequently enhancing productivity.  Membrane contactors are an alternative to liquid-liquid extraction, gas absorption or stripping that has a long list of advantages over traditional contactors, including high interfacial area per unit volume, absence of flooding, no emulsion formation, and straightforward scale-up.

 

The following is a partial list of our capabilities and experience in membrane processes. To view our patents and publications in this area, please click here.

 

• Crossflow microfiltration

• Ultrafiltration

• Polymeric membranes (including solvent-resistant polymers)

• Ceramic membranes

• Various membrane configurations

  • Hollow fiber

  • Plate-and-frame

  • Tubular

  • Spiral wound

• Pervaporation

• Membrane contactors