Ultrafiltration

Method Principle

Water ultrafiltration technology provides excellent removal of suspended particles that are larger than the membrane pores, including colloids, solids, bacteria (coliform bacteria, enterococci), cysts (oocysts), Cryptosporidium and Giardia.Depending on needs, ultrafiltration membranes are typically used as the final treatment stage of wastewater treatment (tertiary treatment), providing higher quality effluent and better operation parameters than conventional treatment methods do. Ultrafiltration membranes are also used as the pre-treatment stage of reverse osmosis desalination systems, on occasions where the intake water contains elements that have high clogging potential.Of equal importance is the use of ultrafiltration membranes for industrial wastewater recovery, reuse and recycling.

SYCHEM S.A. group of companies has implemented the most significant and largest capacity ultrafiltration systems in Greece. Indicatively, we mention the largest ultrafiltration membrane system country-wide, with a total capacity of 10.000m³/day, installed at the MOTOROIL HELLAS Oil Refineries in Corinth as a pre-treatment stage to the desalination system, also designed, built, and installed by SYCHEM S.A.

The use of ultrafiltration membranes for seawater pre-treatment provides constant supply of high quality filtered water for the subsequent reverse osmosis desalination system, enables the operation of the desalination system with a high recovery ratio of produced water from raw water, thus achieving the optimum operation of the desalination system and significant reduction of the total required area.

Another major application is the design and installation of the largest ultrafiltration-reverse osmosis (UF-RO) plant in Greece, for the recovery and reuse of the wastewater treatment effluent at the Hersonissos Municipal Wastewater Department in Crete with a total capacity of 600m³/day.

The use of ultrafiltration as final wastewater treatment achieves effluent quality suitable for irrigation without limitations for direct human contact, as per the national legislation regulations.

The combination of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis results in produced water of quality that meets potable water specifications, rendering it suitable for a wide range of irrigation applications (such as golf course irrigation) or industrial applications.