Some waste streams contain high-value products such as metals. Metal recovery processes are attracting increasing attention, as a way for gaining profitability while reducing the environmental footprint.
The metal recovery process involves different technologies, depending on the type of metal, characteristics of wastewater, solid/dissolved state, etc. In some cases, complex chemical and ion-exchange processes are involved in the global process. In other cases, tubular UF by Berghof Membranes is applied as a unique step for separating the particulate metals (including sub-micron scale). Finally, the polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration is a breakthrough approach for the recovery of metals: by adding a soluble polymer able of binding polyvalent cations, a metal-polymer complex is formed, which is retained by the UF membranes.
Metal processing generates waste streams containing valuable materials, in the form of small-size particles or as dissolved ions. In the latter case, a chemical precipitation process is applied before the tubular ultrafiltration system. Here, the suspended matter is retained and concentrated. The UF reject is afterwards dewatered for recovering the added-value materials. The UF permeate can be disposed to the sewer together with other waste streams generated in the facilities, or it can be discharged to water bodies in cases where the quality parameters are adequate.
For a factory in the mid-western United States specialized in the recovery of titanium from waste streams our OEM-Partner Belmar Technologies needed to design a robust and adaptable ultrafiltration system. A system that could keep up with the high-solid streams and conditions of this demanding process while minimizing energy consumption, membrane fouling and clogging.
The challenge:
To prevent fouling and clogging, Berghof Membranes developed its line of robust tubular UF (ultrafiltration) membrane modules based on inside-out crossflow filtration.
Berghof Membranes developed B-SMART®, a customizable external membrane filtration system that can be designed with various features and functionalities.
Bridging the gap between lab-scale testing and manufacturing. Our experts gives you the confidence to apply the technology for your specific wastewater challenges.
The B-CARE® program is an end-to-end comprehensive program developed to support our OEM partners from the piloting/engineering phase to operational system monitoring.
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Berghof Membrane Technology GmbH (BMT), part of the Berghof Group, is the leading manufacturer of tubular membranes for the filtration and separation of process streams and wastewater in a variety of industries.
