What is Filtration? Pharmaceutical Purified Water System components

A Component of Pharmaceutical Purified Water system for manufacturing of Drug substance and drug products.

This Article is summarized with the Details of various FAQ's on Filtration like;

❓ What is Filtration?

❓ What is Micro-filtration?

❓ What is Ultra-filtration?

What is Filtration?

After the water softening process, water purification process follows the filtration process, there are two types of membrane filtration is being used in the generation of pharmaceutical grade purified water.

Figure: 01 Pharmaceutical water generation - Membrane process

What Is Micro Filtration (Membrane)?

Micro filtration is the pressure driven separation process.

This process physically removes suspended solid from water, through a micro porous membrane with the application of pressure.

Particle ranges from 0.1 to 10 Micron size can be removed from the water. Dissolved contaminants cannot be removed by this process.

Microfiltration acts on Cross separation Principle, Feed water under goes in pressure gradient of 1-3 bar following sieve mechanism. So that pressure is variable requirement of the process of Micro membrane filtration.

Figure: 02 Pharmaceutical water generation - Microfiltration process

What is Ultra Filtration System ?

Ultrafiltration (UF) is a water purification process in which water is forced through a semipermeable membrane.

This is a low pressure process as compare to above Micro filtration process.

Particle ranges from 0.003 to 0.1 Micron size can be removed from the water. Ultrafiltration is a process that operates at low pressure for the removal of undissolved and colloidal material.

Main objective to use ultrafiltration in water purification process is to remove the bacteria, viruses , colloidal silica & fine sand etc. and thus to reduce SDI (Silt density Index) of water to increase the efficiency of RO unit by eliminating chocking of RO membrane.

SDI estimates the quantity of suspended solid and collides inside the water.

With this ultrafiltration process suspended solids and high-molecular-weight solutes remain on one side of the membrane, while water and low-molecular-weight solutes filter through the membrane to the permeate side.

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