Particulate, contamination removal

Gas purification processes fall into three categories the removal of gaseous impurities, the removal of particulate impurities, and ultrafine cleaning. The extra expense of the last process is only justified by the nature of the subsequent operations or the need to produce a pure gas stream. Because there are many variables in gas treating, several factors must be considered (/) the types and concentrations of contaminants in the gas (2) the degree of contaminant removal desired (J) the selectivity of acid gas removal required (4) the temperature, pressure, volume, and composition of the gas to be processed (5) the carbon dioxide-to-hydrogen sulfide ratio in the gas and (6) the desirabiUty of sulfur recovery on account of process economics or environmental issues. 

Condensate Polishing. Ion exchange can be used to purify or poHsh returned condensate, removing corrosion products that could cause harmful deposits in boilers. Typically, the contaminants in the condensate system are particulate iron and copper. Low levels of other contaminants may enter the system through condenser and pump seal leaks or carryover of boiler water into the steam. Condensate poHshers filter out the particulates and remove soluble contaminants by ion exchange. 

Electrodialysis. Electro dialysis processes transfer ions of dissolved salts across membranes, leaving purified water behind. Ion movement is induced by direct current electrical fields. A negative electrode (cathode) attracts cations, and a positive electrode (anode) attracts anions. Systems are compartmentalized in stacks by alternating cation and anion transfer membranes. Alternating compartments carry concentrated brine and purified permeate. Typically, 40—60% of dissolved ions are removed or rejected. Further improvement in water quaUty is obtained by staging (operation of stacks in series). ED processes do not remove particulate contaminants or weakly ionized contaminants, such as siUca. 

The water is then pumped through series operated sand filters, which provide the final stage of suspended solids removal and protect the garnualr activated carbon (GAC) filters from particulate contamination. Series operated GAC filters are then used to remove the dissolved creosote and pesticides from the water. To achieve compliance with specifications levels, water should be sampled and analyzed after leaving the first GAC filter. The second GAC filter normally serves as a guard bed. 

One of the oldest, simplest, and most efficient methods for removing solid particulate contaminants from gas streams is by filtration through fabric media. The fabric filter is capable of providing high collection efficiencies for particles as small as 0.5 pm and will remove a substantial quantity of particles as small as 0.01 pm. In its simplest form, the industrial fabric filter consists of a woven or felted fabric through which dust-laden gases are forced. A combination of factors results in the collection of particles on the fabric filters. When woven fabrics arc used, a dust cake eventually forms. This, in turn, acts predominantly as a sieving mechanism. When felted fabrics are used, the dust cake is minimal or nonc.xistent. 

Deposition is the atmospheric removal process by which gaseous and particulate contaminants are transferred from the atmosphere to surface receptors - soil, vegetation, and surface waters (22,27,28, 32). This process has been conveniently separated into two categories dry and wet deposition. Dry deposition is a direct transfer process that removes contaminants from the atmosphere without the intervention of precipitation, and therefore may occur continuously. Wet deposition involves the removal of contaminants from the atmosphere in an aqueous form and is therefore dependent on the precipitation events of rain, snow, or fog. 

Dust and fume masks consist of one or two cartridges containing a suitable filter (e.g. paper or resin-impregnated wool) to remove particulate contaminant. The efficiency of the filters against particles of various sizes is quoted in manufacturers literature and national standards. Such masks do not remove vapour from the air. 

Once a satisfactory film has been obtained, the coated substrate should be transferred to a suitable storage container and moved directly to the subsequent processing step, viz., prebaking. It is important that unbaked, freshly spun films not be stored for periods of time in excess of a few hours at this stage, since many resists are particularly vulnerable to particulate contamination. Once particles contact a resist surface prior to prebaking, they are almost impossible to remove and will cause opaque spots or pinholes after exposure and development. 

Naphthenic acids occur primarily in distillate and some heavy fuel fractions. Topically, caustic treatment effectively removes these compounds. However, even after caustic treatment, alkali salts of heavier naphthenic acids may still remain oil soluble. In fuel, these compounds can act as very effective emulsifying agents. Fuel haze and particulate contamination can be due to these acid salts. Caustic solutions of various strengths can be used to wash fuel. Usually 10 to 20 vol% of a 5% to 10% caustic wash solution is effective for most applications. 

Preparation of an extremely clean substrate is an absolutely essential step in successful preparation of film electrodes. Neglecting this step is an excellent means of assuring poor quality or even unusable films. For complex devices produced by photolithography with very small feature size, even the most minute dust or particulate contamination can ruin a device. Thus, care for cleanliness and particle removal becomes an increasingly heroic enterprise as the feature size decreases. 

Montz, K. W Beddow, J. K. and Butler, P. B. (1988). Adhesion and Removal of Particulate Contaminants in a High-Decibel Acoustic Field. Powder Tech., 55, 133. 

Both column chromatography and HPLC are used routinely for sample preparation, particularly for protein samples after particulate contamination has been removed by filtration or centrifugation. In addition, the use of ultrafiltration or solid-phase extraction techniques prior to chromatography often will result in a simplified, more concentrated sample. 

Whether the substrate is bulk Si or SOI, the most critical step in IC fabrication is the initial cleaning of the wafer. The RCA clean procedure is the industry standard, consisting of the following complex treatment to remove both organic and inorganic contaminants. It should be noted that these procedures are performed within a clean room, to avoid particulate contamination ... 

The wafer is exposed to a 10 2 1 DIW H202 NH4OH solution at 75°C for 10 min, followed by a final UPW rinse. This effectively removes particulate contamination from the surface. 

NSF International. Physical removal of microbiological and particulate contaminants in drinking water. Environmental Technology Verification Report. No. NSF-04/01/EPAD-WCTR, September, 2004. 

Particles have been shown to affect several fundamental IL properties [115] and therefore their presence should be carefully considered. To the knowledge of these authors no methods have been shown to completely remove particulate contamination from ILs, but filtration through a 200 nm PTFE syringe filter can reduce their levels to <10 ppm [115]. 

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