Ultrafiltration is a type of membrane technical

Membrane technology

The membrane technology covers all process engineering measures for the transport of substances between two fractions with the help of permeable membranes...

 filtration

Filtration

Filtration is commonly the mechanical or physical operation which is used for the separation of solids from fluids by interposing a medium through which only the fluid can pass...

. Industries such as chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, food and beverage processing, and waste water treatment, employ ultrafiltration in order to recycle flow or add value to later products. Ultrafiltration is commonly abbreviated to "UF."

UF's main attraction is its ability to purify, separate

Separation process

In chemistry and chemical engineering, a separation process, or simply a separation, is any mass transfer process used to convert a mixture of substances into two or more distinct product mixtures, at least one of which is enriched in one or more of the mixture's constituents. In some cases, a...

, and concentrate target macromolecule

Macromolecule

A macromolecule is a very large molecule commonly created by some form of polymerization. In biochemistry, the term is applied to the four conventional biopolymers , as well as non-polymeric molecules with large molecular mass such as macrocycles...

s in continuous systems. UF does this by pressurizing the solution flow. The solvent

Solvent

A solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...

 and other dissolved components that pass through the membrane

Membrane (selective barrier)

A membrane is a layer of material which serves as a selective barrier between two phases and remains impermeable to specific particles, molecules, or substances when exposed to the action of a driving force...

 are known as permeate.

Permeation

Permeation, in physics and engineering, is the penetration of a permeate through a solid, and is related to a material's intrinsic permeability...

 The components that do not pass through are known as retentate. Depending on the Molecular Weight Cut Off

Molecular Weight Cut Off

Molecular Weight Cut Off or MWCO refers to the lowest molecular weight solute in which 90% of the solute is retained by the membrane, or the molecular weight of the molecule Molecular Weight Cut Off or MWCO refers to the lowest molecular weight solute (in Daltons) in which 90% of the solute is...

(MWCO) of the membrane used, macromolecules may be purified, separated, or concentrated in either fraction.

Currently, the study of UF processing occurs mainly in laboratory setups because it is very prone to membrane fouling caused by increased solute

Solution

In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...

 concentration at the membrane surface (either by macromolecular adsorption

Adsorption

Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions, biomolecules or molecules of gas, liquid, or dissolved solids to a surface. This process creates a film of the adsorbate on the surface of the adsorbent. It differs from absorption, in which a fluid permeates or is dissolved by a liquid or solid...

 to internal pore structure of membrane, or aggregation of protein deposit on surface of membrane), which leads to concentration polarization (CP)). CP is the major culprit in decreasing permeate flux

Flux

In the various subfields of physics, there exist two common usages of the term flux, both with rigorous mathematical frameworks.* In the study of transport phenomena , flux is defined as flow per unit area, where flow is the movement of some quantity per time...

. Ultrafiltration is used as a pre-treatment step in reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis is a membrane technical filtration method that removes many types of large molecules and ions from solutions by applying pressure to the solution when it is on one side of a selective membrane. The result is that the solute is retained on the pressurized side of the membrane and...

 processes in many Middle Eastern countries to potable drinking water

Drinking water

Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...

, as there is little fresh water available in those areas.

See also

• Industrial wastewater treatment
  Industrial wastewater treatment
  Industrial wastewater treatment covers the mechanisms and processes used to treat waters that have been contaminated in some way by anthropogenic industrial or commercial activities prior to its release into the environment or its re-use....
  
  
• Water purification
  Water purification
  Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from contaminated water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose...
  
  
• Ultrafiltration
  Ultrafiltration
  Ultrafiltration is a variety of membrane filtration in which hydrostatic pressure forces a liquid against a semipermeable membrane. Suspended solids and solutes of high molecular weight are retained, while water and low molecular weight solutes pass through the membrane...
  
  
• Ultrafiltration (renal)
  Ultrafiltration (renal)
  In biological terms, ultrafiltration occurs at the barrier between the blood and the filtrate in the renal corpuscle or Bowman's capsule in the kidneys. The Bowman's capsule contains a dense capillary network called the glomerulus. Blood flows into these capillaries through a wide afferent...
  
  
• Aquapheresis
  Aquapheresis
  Aquapheresis is a medical technology designed to remove excess salt and water from the body safely, predictably, and effectively from patients suffering from a condition called fluid overload. It removes the excess salt and water and helps to restore a patient’s fluid balance or...