Membrane & Separation Technology News articles from February 2002

Membrane & Separation Technology News archives from February 2002

REVERSE OSMOSIS: Biofouling Diagnosis, Prediction, Prevention.
February 1, 2002... After examining biofouling phenomena in 30 RO and NF elements (several brands) from 13 pilot plants, Kiwa Ltd. research and consultancy scientists have concluded that visual inspection is not conclusive for diagnosis of fouling, but membrane...

ULTRAFILTRATION: Dead-End Fibers Pretreat SWRO.
February 1, 2002... Norit Membrane Technology and Ionics are collaborating on a project that applies hollow fiber UF as pretreatment in seawater desalination plants. The method provides high quality, low Silt Density Index (SDI) feed water, regardless of incoming...

MICROFILTRATION: Filter Simplifies Water Monitoring.
February 1, 2002... The MicroFunnel Plus filter funnel, a recently introduced product from Pall Life Sciences, streamlines and simplifies the monitoring of process water systems. The advanced design increases the efficiency of monitoring water systems while...

NANOFILTRATION: More Peroxide From Porous Membrane.
February 1, 2002... Researchers from Argonne National Labs, UOP and Unitel Technologies are developing porous hydrophilic membranes, based on perfluorinated ionomers such as Nafion, for the recovery and purification of high tonnage oxychemicals such as hydrogen...

ION EXCHANGE: Gel-Filled Pores Offer Improvements.
February 1, 2002... McMaster University scientists are developing robust, readily fabricated nanofiltration membranes consisting of a polyelectrolyte gel anchored within the pores of a microporous host membrane. Because the material has higher water content than...

HYBRID: Porocritical Extraction Improves Efficiency.
February 1, 2002... PoroCrit LLC has developed a hybrid extraction process combining industrial membrane contactors with supercritical carbon dioxide that ranges from 100 to 500 times more efficient than competing solvent techniques applied to food processing,...

BIOMEDICAL & BIOMEMBRANE: Biocapsule Useful in Controlled Release.
February 1, 2002... Researchers at Bracco Research have patented microcapsules consisting of a biodegradable membrane encapsulating an air or gas core that may be used as delivery vehicles for therapeutic agents and/or as contrast agents for echographic imaging of...

MATERIALS: Layered Media Resists Particle Impingement.
February 1, 2002... W.L. Gore & Associates has recently patented a layered filter, based on ePTFE membranes, that improves particulate removal in gas filtration systems, from industrial gas streams to commercial and residential vacuum cleaners. The filter provides...

MARKET: Hybrid Systems May Help Middle East.
February 1, 2002... Hybrid desalting systems, which combine power, multistage flash (MSF) distillation and seawater membranes could help Middle East nations solve problems of water scarcity, pollution and sustainable development. In a paper presented at the...

INDUSTRY NEWS: EPA Releases Final Crypto Standard.
February 1, 2002... The EPA has released its final ruling on Cryptosporidium for small (serving less than 10,000 individuals) public water systems that use surface water or ground water under the direct influence of surface water, requiring a 2-log removal of the...

Millipore Makes Co-Marketing Pacts.
February 1, 2002... PerkinElmer Life Sciences and Millipore Corp. have entered into a non-exclusive agreement to co-market total automated sample preparation products for life science applications, including genomics, proteomics and drug discovery. In another...

Gradipore, Aventis Form Research Agreement.
February 1, 2002... As part of a recent research agreement, Gradipore and Aventis Behring, a leader in the therapeutic proteins industry, will collaborate to separate and purify immunoglobulin (IgG) from plasma fractions using the membrane-based Gradiflow...

Xtrana, CUNO to Develop Sample Prep Products.
February 1, 2002... Xtrana, Inc. and CUNO, Inc. have signed a development and licensing agreement to combine Xtrana's Xtra Bind nucleic acid extraction technologies with CUNO's nylon microporous membranes for improved nucleic-acid sample preparation. The...

Briefly Noted:.
February 1, 2002... * Millipore Makes Online Ordering Easier. Millipore Corp. (Bedford, MA) has updated its online store, making it easier and faster to use by adding improved features including a "floating" shopping cart and a smoother checkout process. Prices...

CALENDAR.
February 1, 2002... May 11-15, NAMS 2002, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Long Beach, CA. Contact: North American Membrane Society, Victoria Corrin; Tel: 310/825-8798, Fax: 310/206-4107. June 26-28, ICCMR-5, 5th International Conference on Catalyis in Membrane Reactors,...

CORRECTION.
February 1, 2002... In the September 2001 issue of Membrane & Separation Technology News, several misstatements appeared in the article "Homegrown Method Purifies Indian Sugar." The corrections are as follows: Permionics, India, developed the membranes and...

INDUSTRY INSIGHT: Development of Membranes and Systems for Non-Aqueous Separations.
February 1, 2002... By Steven D. Kloos, Manager, Membrane R&D, Osmonics, Inc., Clearwater Dr., Minnetonka, MN 55343 Membranes are used today in a wide range of important water-based industrial and residential applications. The majority of these applications...

Award Opportunity.
February 1, 2002... In 1997, the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed a "Selective Membrane Platforms" competition for funding awards. NIST-ATP partners with industry to develop high-risk, high...

Program Approach.
February 1, 2002... In outlining the development targets of our program, we evaluated several prior attempts to develop solvent-compatible membranes, including some examples of where our own membranes had been successfully applied in certain solvent-based...

Technical Considerations.
February 1, 2002... The three major technical issues are the solvent resistance of the membrane, membrane transport and membrane fouling.

Solvent Compatible Materials.
February 1, 2002... There are a variety of membrane materials on the market today that show at least some resistance to aliphatic solvents such as heptane. However, there are few commercial membranes that are compatible with highly polar organic solvents such as...

Transport Properties.
February 1, 2002... It is also important to consider the transport properties of the membrane material. For membranes with definite pores, such as ultrafiltration membranes, the flux through the membrane is almost completely dependent on the pore structure; the...

Membrane Fouling.
February 1, 2002... Membrane fouling is a major issue in water-based processing, and the development of solvent-based membrane applications require that fouling issues be considered. Membrane fouling occurs by three major mechanisms: pore plugging, surface...

Conclusion.
February 1, 2002... By considering these three technical issues, a significant database of information on membrane stability, transport, and fouling will be developed for each membrane platform. This database will provide intelligence for rapid screening and...