Water as a resource is increasingly becoming the focus of environmental protection. Previously classified as waste water, it is now considered a valuable resource. Filters are an important instrument in (waste) water management.
Water is an essential resource for life on our planet. It is not only indispensable for human consumption, but also plays a decisive role in many branches of industry and agricultural processes. At the same time, the effective treatment and disposal of wastewater poses a challenge in order to protect the environment and ensure the sustainable use of resources. In this context, the issue of water and wastewater management is becoming increasingly important. Not to mention the cost factor: fresh fresh water is becoming increasingly expensive in most industrialized countries and those who can use process water from filtered used water, for example, can make considerable savings. It is a question of developing and applying technologies, strategies and measures to ensure a reliable supply of clean drinking water and at the same time enable efficient wastewater treatment and disposal. Aspects such as water quality, water resource management, water reuse, wastewater treatment and environmentally friendly processes are important here.
The market volume
It is therefore not surprising that water and wastewater treatment is becoming increasingly important. According to a market report by Fortune Business Insights, the market volume for treatment plants amounted to USD 281.75 billion in 2021. This market is expected to grow to almost USD 490 billion by 2029. This corresponds to growth of 7.1 percent (2022 to 2029). The American market in particular stands out with a market size of just under USD 110 million (2021). However, market experts expect strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming years. These estimates are based on extensive investments by China, India and Southeast Asia to improve water quality and wastewater disposal in these regions.
The technologies
An important technology in wastewater treatment is membrane separation technology. These advanced processes use semi-permeable membranes to separate substances at the molecular level, enabling precise control of material flows. The membranes are made of porous materials that allow certain molecules or ions to pass through while retaining others. By using pressure, concentration or diffusion processes, these technologies enable the selective separation of liquids or gases.
What are the different types of membrane separation technologies? Important processes include reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration and microfiltration.
Reverse osmosis (RO):
In reverse osmosis, water or a solution is forced through a semi-permeable membrane under high pressure. Dissolved salts, pollutants and other impurities are retained, while the purified water is collected on the other side of the membrane.
Nanofiltration:
Similar to reverse osmosis, nanofiltration removes dissolved ions and molecules through a membrane. However, nanofiltration also retains some larger molecules and particles while allowing smaller molecules to pass through.
Ultrafiltration:
Ultrafiltration uses membranes with larger pores to retain particles, colloids and macromolecules, while allowing water and smaller solutes to pass through.
Microfiltration:
Microfiltration uses membranes with even larger pores to retain larger particles, bacteria and suspended solids. Filtration is based on size exclusion.
Membrane separation technologies have proven to be extremely efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly as they are based on physical principles and do not require chemical additives or large amounts of energy. These technologies are used in a variety of fields such as water and wastewater treatment, the food and beverage industry, pharmaceuticals, chemical production, the oil and gas industry and environmental engineering. Thanks to their wide range of applications, membrane separation technologies make a decisive contribution to optimizing processes, improving product quality and resource efficiency. With continuous developments and innovations, these technologies will play an increasingly important role in solving complex separation and treatment requirements in various industries.
The global market for membrane separation technologies was estimated at around USD 22 billion in 2022.
Drum belt filter TRBF 1100 PP from de.memTheglobal market for membrane separation technologies was estimated at around 22 billion US dollars in 2022. It is expected to grow to a size of around USD 43.8 billion by 2030, which corresponds to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9 percent for the period from 2022 to 2030. Reverse osmosis is expected to record a CAGR of 9.4% and reach a value of USD 17.9 billion by the end of the analysis period. Germany is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 7.4 percent.
Drum belt filters and inclined belt filters are another option for solid-liquid separation. A drum belt filter consists of a rectangular plastic container in which a specially perforated lower belt is guided in circulation via several deflection rollers and a drive roller driven by a worm gear motor. A filter fleece is placed on this lower belt, which is transported during the filtration process by the movement of the lower belt and is finally discharged as contaminated filter fleece.
Two laterally sealing, co-rotating Röhn wheels seal the filter fleece lying on the lower belt laterally, so that a filter chamber is formed, which is acted upon by the medium to be filtered. The impurities remain trapped in the filter fleece. The filtered medium flows into the rectangular plastic container. From there, the filtered medium is conveyed further by a pump.
As the filter fleece becomes clogged with dirt particles, the liquid level in the filter chamber rises. The rising liquid level activates a float switch, which in turn activates the gear motor and feeds new filter material into the filter chamber. This empties the filter chamber and the float switch is deactivated again so that the lower belt with the filter fleece remains stationary. Drum belt filters are often used in waste water treatment in the mining and food industries, in addition to surface technology.
The inclined belt filter works in a similar way to the drum belt filter, with the difference that the filter chamber is formed by a vertical plastic plate and an inclined perforated plate inside a trough-like plastic container, and that the filter fleece is pulled directly over the vertical plastic plate with a deflection roller lying on the floor and over the inclined perforated plate.
Both drum belt filters and inclined belt filters offer an efficient method of separating solids and liquids. They enable continuous filtration with automatic feeding of the filter material. The selection of the appropriate filter fleece depends on the specific requirements of the application and the properties of the medium to be filtered.
The company de.mem specializes in the development and manufacture of innovative solutions in the field of filtration technologies. Its extensive product portfolio includes both drum belt filters and inclined belt filters as reliable options. De.mem's drum belt filter removes filterable contaminants from the wastewater flow using a filter fleece. Depending on the level of contamination and the desired filter result, fleeces of varying fineness can be used. Thanks to its side seals, the drum belt filter ensures that no particles can pass under the filter fleece and escape. This is also the reason why this system is particularly suitable for wastewater filtration.
The inclined belt filter, on the other hand, is particularly suitable for circulation filtration. It removes filterable impurities from process liquids. Different filter fleeces can also be used depending on the contamination and the desired filter result.
Areas of application Drum belt filters
They ensure continuous and effective filtration of wastewater and offer many advantages compared to conventional gravel filters:
- Infinite filter surface, as new filter fleece is constantly fed in
- optimum filtration results thanks to the choice of filter fleece fineness
- no sooting or clogging of the system, no backwashing necessary, thus saving valuable resources
- Visual inspection and control of filter effectiveness
- Long service life thanks to the use of high-quality materials (plastic, stainless steel)
- System can be retrofitted at any time
De.mem-geutec drum belt filters can be used as final filtration in a wastewater treatment plant instead of a gravel filter.
Inclined belt filter
SBF 550 PP inclined belt filters from de.memensure continuous and effective filtration of liquids and offer many advantages over static filter systems:
- defined filter surface
- Optimum filter results
- visual inspection and control
- long service life
De.mem-geutec inclined belt filters can be used as stand-alone compact units or as a central filter system by linking several filters. They are a solution for the following tasks:
- Filtering cooling lubricants and emulsions
- Filtering of cleaning fluids
- Waste water purification
- Cooling water circuits
- Process fluid
- Filter backwash water
Both filter types meet the specific requirements of customers, whether in waste water treatment, mining, the food industry or other areas of application. De.mem thus offers innovative filter solutions for a wide range of industries.
