Pall offers superior intermediate product filtration solutions to the chemical, flavor and fragrance, and biotechnology industries to separate liquid/liquid dispersions.

Liquid contaminants can cause final products to be off-specification, deactivate expensive catalysts, foul contactor and stripping trays, lead to corrosion and delays in downstream storage tanks, and increase the costs for wastewater treatment. Separating liquid/liquid dispersions can be difficult depending on the physical properties of the two liquid phases. The specific gravity, viscosity, and interfacial tension (IFT) of the two liquid phases are important parameters in determining how easy two liquids can be separated. Pall offers superior intermediate product filtration solutions to the chemical, flavor and fragrance, and biotechnology industries to separate liquid/liquid dispersions.

There are several key chemicals that suffer from problems associated with emulsion breaking – i.e., removing water from continuous organic phase, or removing organic phase from a continuous water stream, combined with solids removal. Large chemical plants, such as hydrogen peroxide plants and fertilizer plants with several intermediate processing steps, want maximum efficiency in the key reactions that make these products, and no downtime in the plants. Intermediate contaminants can sometimes report to the final product and affect its quality. This must be avoided.

In the hydrogen peroxide industry, operators have to remove water from organic water solution in the intermediate stage of the process. Water must not recycle to the hydrogenation reactor and adversely impact catalyst efficiency and life. Further downstream, trace amounts of organics from intermediate hydrogen peroxide products must be removed.

Pall offers superior intermediate product filtration solutions to confront these challenges. 

PhaseSep® Coalescer

Pall’s coalescer element is stacked on top of a separator element to optimize the flow distribution from the coalescer to the separator, ensuring each separator has an equal flow. Pall’s stack design results in overall smaller assembly size and a longer coalescer/separator life. Pall’s PhaseSep coalescer is available in several different materials to insure compatibility with virtually any type of liquid/liquid mixture. Pall’s non-disarming medium ensures the longest possible service life. Its specially formulated medium contains no glass fiber and does not disarm in the presence of surfactants.

PhaseSep coalescers will remove a liquid contaminant to a level of 15 ppmv and below over a wide range of conditions such as inlet liquid contaminant concentration as high as 10% and interfacial tension greater than 0.5 dyne/cm.

PhaseSep® Y Series Liquid/Liquid Coalescer

The Pall PhaseSep® Y Series Coalescer is a high efficiency separation cartridge. It is constructed entirely of FDA listed polyolefin material, which allows it to be used in a wide range of liquid/ liquid separations in the chemical, flavor, fragrance, and biotechnology industries. It is appropriate where metal is not compatible and/or where FDA listed materials are required. 

The coalescer media contains a three-layered tapered pore construction. The emulsion first enters at the inside of the cartridge and passes through a coarse pre-filter layer to extend the service life. The fluid then encounters a fine media layer that initiates the coalescing process starting the enlargement of the droplets. The coalescing process is completed by a coarse media layer that maximizes the coalesced drop size before the fluid departs from the outside layer of the coalescer cartridge.

This premium product offers wide chemical and low temperature compatibility and can withstand upsets in pH. Its performance is not impaired by the presence of surfactants. Its tapered pore structure can separate liquids that have low interfacial tension, for excellent fluid quality. Compatibility is a key issue when selecting a coalescer type. Pall offers a wide range of coalescers including various polymers and fluoropolymers.

Pall’s Intermediate Product Filtration Solutions for the chemical industry offer lower separation costs and enhance protection of downstream equipment. For more information, click here to see purchase information or talk to a Pall expert.