Filtration particle sizing

Antimony trioxide occurs in several modifications of which the senarmontite form is the preferred one for polymer uses. This does occur as a natural mineral but the deposits are generally too impure for direct use and virtually all the material used in polymers is made synthetically. The principal synthetic method is to blow air through the molten metal or its sulphide. The metal oxide sublimes from the melt and is recovered by cooling and filtration. Particle size is an important factor governing performance and this is controlled by factors such as the temperature and the cooHng rate. 

A PVDF membrane filter has been shown to remove >10 particles of vims for vimses >50 nm independent of fluid type (8). Vimses smaller than 50 nm are not removed as efficientiy but are removed in a predictable manner which correlates to the vims particle size. The chemistry of the suspending fluid affects titer reduction for vimses <50 nm owing to other removal mechanisms, such as adsorption, coming into play. The effects of these other mechanisms can be minimized by using filtration conditions that minimize adsorption. 

Source sampling of particulates requites isokinetic removal of a composite sample from the stack or vent effluent to determine representative emission rates. Samples are coUected either extractively or using an in-stack filter EPA Method 5 is representative of extractive sampling, EPA Method 17 of in-stack filtration. Other means of source sampling have been used, but they have been largely supplanted by EPA methods. Continuous in-stack monitors of opacity utilize attenuation of radiation across the effluent. Opacity measurements are affected by the particle size, shape, size distribution, refractive index, and the wavelength of the radiation (25,26). 

The constant given the value 5 in equation 1 depends on particle size, shape, and porosity it can be assumed to be 5 for low porosities. Although equation 1 has been found to work reasonably well for incompressible cakes over narrow porosity ranges, its importance is limited in cake filtration because it cannot be used for most practical, compressible cakes. It can, however, be used to demonstrate the high sensitivity of the pressure drop to the cake porosity and to the specific surface of the soHds. 

In a suspension polymerization, monomer is suspended ia water as 0.1—5 mm droplets, stabilized by protective coUoids or suspending agents. Polymerization is initiated by a monomer-soluble initiator and takes place within the monomer droplets. The water serves as both the dispersion medium and a heat-transfer agent. Particle size is controlled primarily by the rate of agitation and the concentration and type of suspending aids. The polymer is obtained as small beads of about 0.1—5 mm in diameter, which are isolated by filtration or centrifugation. 

Equipment. Centrifugation equipment that separates by density difference is available in a variety of sizes and types and can be categorized by capacity range and the theoretical settling velocities of the particles normally handled. Centrifuges that separate by filtration produce drained soflds and can be categorized by final moisture, drainage time, G, and physical characteristics of the system, such as particle size and Hquid viscosity. 

Common names have been given to sodium sulfate as a result of manufacturiag methods. In rayon production, by-product sodium sulfate is separated from a slurry by filtration where a 7—10-cm cake forms over the filter media. Thus rayon cake was the term coiaed for this cake. Similarly, salt cake, chrome cake, phenol cake, and other sodium sulfate cakes were named. Historically, sulfate cakes were low purity, but demand for higher purity and controlled particle size has forced manufacturers either to produce higher quaUty or go out of busiaess. Sodium sulfate is mined commercially from three types of mineral evaporites thenardite, mirabilite, and high sulfate brine deposits (see Chemicals FROMBRINe). 

Suspension Polymerization. At very low levels of stabilizer, eg, 0.1 wt %, the polymer does not form a creamy dispersion that stays indefinitely suspended in the aqueous phase but forms small beads that setde and may be easily separated by filtration (qv) (69). This suspension or pearl polymerization process has been used to prepare polymers for adhesive and coating appHcations and for conversion to poly(vinyl alcohol). Products in bead form are available from several commercial suppHers of PVAc resins. Suspension polymerizations are carried out with monomer-soluble initiators predominantly, with low levels of stabilizers. Suspension copolymerization processes for the production of vinyl acetate—ethylene bead products have been described and the properties of the copolymers determined (70). Continuous tubular polymerization of vinyl acetate in suspension (71,72) yields stable dispersions of beads with narrow particle size distributions at high yields. 

Most surface waters contain varying amounts of suspended solids, including silt, clay, bacteria, and vimses and it is necessary to remove these before to distribution to the domestic or industrial consumer. Suspended soHds not only affect the acceptabiUty of the water but also interfere with disinfection. The principal treatment processes are sedimentation (qv) and filtration (qv). Sedimentation alone is rarely adequate for the clarification of turbid waters and is of htde or no value for the removal of such very fine particles as clay, bacteria, etc. Table 1 shows the effect of particle size on the sedimentation rate of a soHd having a specific gravity of 2.65 in water at 20°C. 

A sodium sulfate solution which is not freshly prepared ultimately gives a precipitate of small particle size that is exceedingly difficult and tedious to separate by vacuum filtration. 

The concentration of indoor pollutants is a function of removal processes such as dilution, filtration, and destruction. Dilution is a function of the air exchange rate and the ambient air quality. Gases and particulate matter may also be removed from indoor air by deposition on surfaces. Filtration systems are part of many ventilahon systems. As air is circulated by the air-conditioning system it passes through a filter which can remove some of the particulate matter. The removal efficiency depends on particle size. In addition, some reactive gases like NOj and SOj are readily adsorbed on interior surfaces of a building or home. 

In chemical activation processes, the precursor is first treated with a chemical activation agent, often phosphoric acid, and then heated to a temperature of 450 -700 °C in an activation kiln. The char is then washed with water to remove the acid from the carbon. The filtrate is passed to a chemical recovery unit for recycling. The carbon is dried, and the product is often screened to obtain a specific particle size range. A diagram of a process for the chemical activation of a wood precursor is shown in Fig. 3. 

Filtration 1. Fibrous filter 1-50 85-100 Depends on particle size values stated... 

Typical new equipment design efficiencies are between 99 and 99.9%. Older existing equipment have a range of actual operating efficiencies of 95 to 99.9%. Several factors determine fabric filter collection efficiency. These include gas filtration velocity, particle characteristics, fabric characteristics, and cleaning mechanism. In general, collection efficiency increases with increasing filtration velocity and particle size. 

Filtrates that are acceptable with a low quantity of fines that pass trough the filter cloth in the first few seconds of cake formation. Broadly, and depending on particle size and cloth permeability, the filtrate may contain 1,000 to 5,000 ppm insolubles. 

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