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Our Ceramic Membrane Technology


Our SiC filters are manufactured with a ceramic membrane, which is based on our unique, patented silicon carbide membrane technology. We are not aware of other companies that make both the substrate (honeycomb) and the membrane (the part that accomplishes the filtering) solely from the durable and long-lasting material silicon carbide. This gives our membranes some unique advantages compared to traditional ceramic and polymeric membranes.

With our SiC technology, the ceramic membrane carrier is based on the so-called honeycomb or monolith structure as shown in the picture.
Several parallel flow channels extend through the element in the porous support structure. The feed stream is introduced under pressure at one end of the element and flows through the channels during processing. The portion of the liquid passing through the membrane, the permeate, flows into the porous structure of the element. The combined volume of permeate from all flow channels flows toward the outer shell of the monolith support and is removed continuously.

Ceramic Membrane Layer

Ceramic membrane technology is perfect for liquid filtration and diesel particulate filters (DPFs) for the control of soot exhaust particles from diesel engines.

The actual membranes are formed on the walls of the flow channels extending through the porous ceramic structure of the element by slip casting a specific coating material of ceramic particles according to the desired pore size and distribution.

The coating material containing the silicon carbide is dried and sintered. This process ensures a strong bond with the carrier material and provides the silicon filter membrane with its unique ruggedness and durability. Several layers may be deposited on top of each other in order to reach the desired combination of membrane pore sizes and water flux.

See the picture for SiC membrane layers on top of a SiC carrier.
Unique Properties with Endless Opportunities
  • > Highest flux for any membrane material
    > Chemically inert pH 0-14
    > Thermally resistant up to 800°C
    > Hydrophilic material (water-loving)
    > Isoelectric point pH 2.4
    > Extremely hard & durable material 2930 +/- 80 kgf/mm³ (Vickers scale)
    > Abrasive Feeds
    > Low power usage and low pressure
    > Long membrane life
    > Low operational cost, low total cost of ownership
  • >Wastewater
    >Produced water
    >Pre-RO filtration
    >Polymer flooded streams
    >Control of soot exhaust particles
    >and many more

Ceramic vs. polymeric membranes

Ceramic membranes and polymeric membranes are the main types of membranes. They are both filtration media used for water and wastewater treatment. Still, there are significant differences between the two types of membranes.

Ceramic membranes are produced of inorganic materials such as silicon carbide, titania, or zirconia. Polymer membranes are made of organic materials such as polysulfone, polyethylene, or polyacrylonitrile.
Polymeric membranes have previously been preferred due to their low cost and ease of scalability. Yet, this type of membrane suffers from low mechanical, chemical, and thermal stability. Moreover, it cannot withstand frequent and aggressive chemical cleaning, crucial to maintaining excellent hygiene standards in many industries. Thus, there is a limitation to which sectors and water and wastewater treatment tasks polymeric membranes can withstand. Consequently, more enterprises replace polymeric membranes with ceramic membranes as these possess advantageous properties, enabling them to withstand aggressive fluids.
Our ceramic membranes can withstand all types of liquids regardless of temperature and Ph. They deliver consistent permeate quality regardless of the feedwater. As they are made of silicon carbide (SiC), which is the second hardest material globally, they are extremely durable. The membranes can go on and on, and you do not need to worry about membrane replacement.

Comparison of different membrane materials

Silicon carbide is the best material for filtration applications

Type SiC Other ceramic Polymer
Cost of ownership +++ ++ ++
Lifetime +++ ++ ++
Flux +++ ++ ++
Chemical resistance +++ ++ ++
Energy savings +++ ++ ++
Recovery rate +++ ++ ++
Fouling tendency +++ ++ ++
Temperature resistance +++ ++ ++
Hardness +++ ++ ++
Porosity +++ ++ ++

Filtration Principle (inside-out)

Crossflow and dead end filtration (inside-out) 

Our range of CoMem and CoMem Conduit tubular membrane filters are designed for crossflow filtration of liquids with high amounts of suspended solids, oil, algae, bacteria, etc.
Crossflow filtration is a filtration method where the feed flow is tangential to the surface of the tubular membrane filter in order to sweep rejected particles and solutes away. The feed fluid is separated into two product streams, which are respectively denoted permeate and retentate. The permeate is depleted of the rejected particles, and the retentate (or waste/concentrate) is enriched in those particles.
The advantage of using crossflow filtration is the superior handling of liquids with high solids content, as the retained particles are being continuously removed from the ceramic membrane surface. In addition to the cleaning mechanism of crossflow filtration, the tubular membranes can be cleaned with a traditional backwash, back pulse, and/or periodic chemical cleaning.

Filtration Principle (outside-in)

Submerged modules for vacuum driven filtration (outside-in) 

Our range of FSM is offered as individual sheets or ready-to-implement filtration modules consisting of multiple membranes built into a robust resin.
The FSM is used in submerged vacuum-driven filtration systems based on several stacks of modules built into filtration racks. The filtration mode is outside-in, and cleaning is performed by air scouring, CEB (Chemical Enhanced Backwash), and periodic chemical cleaning.






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