×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

To sieve, or not to sieve?

To sieve, or not to sieve?

To sieve, or not to sieve?

(OP)
We have a system where we are developing a new product.  Unfortunately this new product leaves long-chained polymers at the 8-20 ppm levels in our process solution that other processes also use.  We've been able to remove this very well using natural zeolite.  The problem with this is that it leaches unwanted metals into the solution, which could be worse than the polymers.  We have a finishing step using cation exchange beads to remove these metals to a rather low level, but it still leaves high levels of potassium, aluminum, sodium and dissolved silica.  My preference is to move to a substance that's more calcium rich, which has been easier to get rid of.  The 5A molecular sieve seems to fit this description, only I haven't come across much material that suggests its use in aqueous solutions.  We've shown the 3A molecular sieve (potassium rich) to work, though.  So I ask of anyone who has familiarity with any of this to speak out!  Can you propose any alternatives to these zeolite type media?  (Activated carbon didn't work.  Polymer is too large)  Are there notable aqueous applications to the molecular sieves, especially at low pH?  Also, I'm thinking of using a quat enhanced filter to remove dissolved silica.  Any thoughts on this?  All responses, and out-of-the-box ideas are welcome!!!

RE: To sieve, or not to sieve?

This was also posted in another forum?

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources