In the modern world, tap water rarely meets the expectations of consumers. Passing through liquid supply systems, it is enriched with many inclusions of natural and anthropogenic origin.
There are strict regulations in the industry that determine safe liquid indicators and do not allow the use of such a liquid in the production process. Thus, filtering equipment is an essential component of most enterprises.
What is a Commercial Filter?
An industrial water filter is a set of huge purifiers that work coherently to clean huge volumes of liquid. As a rule, industrial cleaners are a set of elements designed for:
- disinfection;
- removal of large particles;
- deferrization;
- softening;
- removal of radioactive substances, etc.
Fields of Application
A commercial water filtration system is required in the following industries:
- food industry (production of dairy products, alcoholic beverages, bakery products);
- pharmaceuticals;
- petrochemical, paint and varnish, cosmetic enterprises;
- production of paper, glass, textiles;
- gas and energy enterprises (CHP, NPP, HPP)
- heavy industry.
Also, commercial water filters are actively used in agriculture, animal husbandry, medicine, municipal water supply.
With What Impurities do Commercial Systems Deal?
Commercial cleaners remove the following types of contaminants:
- TDS
Typically, TDS arises from natural sources such as rock, air, and soil. However, urban and agricultural runoff, mining, oil extraction, sewage, industrial wastewater, and other anthropogenic sources greatly influence this indicator. For example, de-icing roads using chemicals is a major problem that contributes significantly to increasing TDS levels of water supplies.
- water hardness
This is the concentration of magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) salts dissolved in liquid (hydrocarbons, chlorides, and sulfates). Simply put, hard water is the liquid that contains a high indicator of salts.
- pH level
The indicator is responsible for the properties and quality of liquid. The normal and optimal indicator of the pH level of drinking water ranges between 7,0-8,0 points. Such liquid is also called neutral. If the indicator is higher than 7, then water will have an alkaline reaction, and if the indicator is lower (less than 7), it will be acidic.
How do They Work?
Industrial water treatment most often includes the following stages:
- Coarse filtering. Removal of mechanical impurities using disc, bag, mesh filters;
- Filtration by means of a filling charge (sorption apparatus);
- Fine cleaning. It is carried out using modern technologies – reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration.
Commercial water systems can differ in:
- capacity,
- the principle of operation,
- sizes,
- price,
- power, etc.
Thus, the price for such equipment can vary greatly depending on the scale and type of production. The final price for industrial filters is set only after engineering calculations. More commercial filters are offered here.
Types of Equipment for Liquid Purification
Depending on the type of industry, the required quality of liquid differs. Also, the type of activity determines the composition of the effluents obtained during the production process. Thus, the choice of purifiers is directly dependent on the industry. The following types of commercial water filters are most common:
- Reverse osmosis cleaners
An industrial reverse osmosis appliance allows obtaining deeply demineralized water. The feed liquid stream enters a highly selective porous membrane (or several membranes) under high pressure, on which up to 97-99% of all known pollutants are retained. The main impurities removed by industrial osmosis are heavy metal ions, sodium, potassium, sulfates, chlorides, boron, fluorine (and fluoride), and many other inorganic ions. The membrane has a porous structure through which only water molecules can pass.
- Activated-carbon purifiers
Activated carbon contains many micro-cracks and gradually narrowing pores. During cleaning, liquid seeps through these pores, leaving impurities in them. As any empty space tends to be filled, these pores are gradually filled with pollutants. Acting as a sorbent, activated carbon performs the following functions:
- elimination of unpleasant taste and odor of liquid;
- liquid purification from rust;
- retention of organic elements, including microorganisms;
- removal of residual chlorine and other elements used for water disinfection.
Note that the activated-carbon filter cannot cope with liquid cleansing from radioactive elements and metal ions.
- Carbonless water filters
Carbon-free sorbents are widely used in water treatment technologies. They distinguish sorbents of natural and unnatural origin: zeolites, clay rocks, etc. Advantages of carbonless sorbents are:
- high capacity;
- the ability to exchange cations with the purified liquid;
- low price and prevalence.
Clay rocks are widely used in the liquid purification process. Their structure is ideal for filtering, has many micropores of different sizes and a layered rigidity, as well as is capable of enlarging.
- Ultra-violet appliances
Ultraviolet treatment is recognized as one of the most modern and effective methods of liquid purification. Note that UV filters have a narrowly targeted effect: they are not designed to remove various impurities; their purpose is to completely disinfect water, ridding it of bacteria and other microorganisms.
A commercial water filter is an indispensable appliance at any factory. Depending on the purpose and sphere of application, different types of industrial cleaners are chosen.