02
Track 02 · Water treatment
UF: ultrafiltration
Hollow-fiber membranes that stop solids, colloids and bacteria and steady the feed to RO.
Equipment range: 1-100 m³/h
How it works
Ultrafiltration membranes have very small pores that stop suspended solids, colloids and bacteria while dissolved salts pass through. Operating pressure is far lower than RO.
The system runs in cycles: filtration, backwash, and periodic chemically enhanced backwash to keep transmembrane pressure low.
When to use it
- Pretreatment for RO when the feed varies, especially surface water.
- Point-of-entry filtration where stable quality matters.
- Reuse of treated water.
Common mistakes
- No coarse pre-filter, letting sharp particles damage the fibers.
- Running a higher flux than the feed water allows.
- Backwashing with too little flow or less often than designed.
- Using chemicals that are incompatible with the membrane material.
- Not trending transmembrane pressure or checking fiber integrity.
Related notes
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