Charlotte, NC. USA. July 14, 2003 - Membrana announced that Liqui-Cel® Membrane Contactors were shown to be successful for the removal of ammonia from wastewater.
Liqui-Cel Contactors are currently removing 95% of ammonia from a 10 m3/hr (44 gpm) wastewater stream at a European Manufacturing plant. The incoming ammonia concentration is 1100 mg/L.
Process parameters such as wastewater pH, water temperature, acid concentration and the wastewater/acid ratio, correlate to the system's removal efficiency.
There are many conventional ways to remove ammonia from water but most of them produce a secondary waste stream. Membrane Contactors offer a superior solution for stripping Ammonia because they provide a large surface area that facilitates fast separation of the ammonia from the wastewater.
Ammonia is widely used as a cleaning and bleaching agent in many industries. As a result, large wastewater streams containing ammonia are produced and companies are required by law to remove the ammonia from the wastewater so that it is not discharged back into the environment.
Liqui-Cel® Membrane Contactors extract ammonia from water and convert it into ammonium salt. There is a large cost savings that is realized when using Liqui-Cel® Contactors because there is a reduction in the ammonia load on the wastewater treatment system.
In the extraction process wastewater will flow over the outside of the hollow fibers while an acid solution will flow on the inside of the hollow fibers. The composition of the ammonium salt at the end of the process will depend on the acid used in the stripping process. For example, a sulfuric acid extractant stream will convert ammonia into ammonium sulfate, which is widely used as a fertilizer and could be sold with commercial value.
Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactors are also used around the world for adding or removing Oxygen (O2 ), Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Nitrogen (N2) to or from different liquids in the Semiconductor, Power, Pharmaceutical, Photographic, Food and Beverage, and many other industries.
For example, it is known that O2 negatively impacts many processes; it is corrosive and can oxidize materials. In the power and industrial areas, piping and equipment are susceptible to corrosion. Specifically to the semiconductor market, high levels of O2 can cause lower wafer yields.
Additionally, CO2 negatively impacts performance of EDI and Ion Exchange. The Liqui-Cel Contactors offer a modular solution for O2/CO2 removal before these processes without chemicals.
Liqui-Cel Contactors are also used to add gasses to liquids to enhance megasonic cleaning. The beverage industry looks to membrane contactors for carbonation, nitrogenation and O2 removal. These reflect only a few examples of the variety of applications where the Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactors are used. New applications are constantly being developed.
Additionally, Membrana offers liquid ring vacuum pumps, eductors and Orbisphere sensors to complement the membrane contactors.
Membrana's Industrial Membrane Group also manufactures a variety of membranes used for filtration in various industries and applications. Manufacturing facilities are located in the USA and Europe. Global markets are served through sales offices and affiliates in North America, Europe, Japan, South East Asia and China.
