- Email: [email protected]
Millipore launches TFF system and Steriflip filter
NEWS Dr Mark Wiesner, Professor of Civil Engineering at the university, and senior author of the paper, commented: ‘The current gold standard membrane is a polymer that needs to be in a humid environment in order to function efficiently. If the polymer membrane dries out, its efficiency drops. We developed a ceramic membrane made of iron nano-particles that works at much lower humidities. And because it is a ceramic, it should also tolerate higher temperatures.’ ‘If the next series of tests proves that fuel cells with these new membranes perform well at high temperatures, we believe it might attract the type of investment needed to bring this technology to the market,’ continued Wiesner. The membrane most commonly used today, known as Nafion, was discovered in the 1960s. As the temperature rises, the polymer becomes unstable and the membrane dehydrates, leading to a loss of performance. In addition to its temperature and heat limitations, Nafion is also much more expensive to produce than the new membrane, says Dr Wiesner, adding that membranes make up as much as 40% of the overall cost of fuel cells. Dr Wiesner believes that future experiments will demonstrate the new membrane’s ability to operate at higher temperatures. ‘The efficiency of current membranes drops significantly at temperatures over 88°C (190°F). However, the chemical reactions that create the electricity are more efficient at high temperatures, so it would be a big improvement for fuel cell technology to make this advance,’ he explained. An interesting outcome of these experiments is leading Dr Wiesner down a new and related research path. As a result of the chemical reactions that create the electricity, small amounts of water are created as a by-product. ‘In the current technology, this water is used by the system to maintain the humidity within the cell. The water produced in these reactions is of high purity. So, if a fuel cell membrane could be developed that was not reliant on humidity, this water could be used for other purposes,’ explained Dr Wiesner. In addition to these experiments Dr Wiesner’s team plans to study new ways of fabricating the membranes to improve their durability and flexibility. This research was funded by the National Science Foundation and US Office of Naval Research. Contact: Dr Mark Wiesner, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Hudson Hall, Research Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA. Tel: +1 919 660 5200, Web: http://wiesner.cee.duke.edu
June 2008
Millipore launches TFF system and Steriflip filter
M
illipore Corporation, Billerica, Massachusetts, USA, recently introduced a bench-top, tangential flow filtration (TFF) system for process development applications and added a new filter to its Steriflip product line. The Cogent µScale TFF System is described as an easy-to-use, semi-automated bench-top unit that has been designed to fully support TFF process development at the ‘micro-scale’ using up to three Pellicon 3 88-cm2 cassettes (264 cm2). With a low minimum working volume, the ability to operate at feed pressures up to 0.55 MPa (80 psig), with low pulsation, the system fully supports both scaling studies and low volume ultrafiltration and diafiltration work using Pellicon cassettes. The system also can be configured to process up to three Pellicon XL-50 TFF devices, and is ideal for purifying and concentrating monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, gene therapy constructs, blood serum products and other cell-derived components. According to Millipore, the Nylon Net Steriflip device features a new, streamlined design that makes cell manipulation easier and optimises performance in a variety of applications. This new nylon mesh version enables faster separation of large volumes of cellular material to improve recovery and reduce the time needed to collect isolated cells. Four mesh sizes allow for optimal performance in stem cell, cardiomyocyte, neurological and skeletal tissue applications. The Nylon Net Steriflip device is available in 20 µm, 40 µm, 60 µm, and 100 µm sizes. Contact: Millipore Corporation, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, www.millipore.com
GE mobile system maintains refinery’s water supply
A
mobile sea-water desalination system from US-based GE Water & Process Technologies is providing a refinery on the Caribbean island of Aruba with high purity water, enabling it to avoid a costly plant capacity shortage while scheduled maintenance is completed to the facility’s primary sea-water desalination system.
In Brief Toray supplies RO elements for desalination plant in Namibia Toray Membrane USA Incorporated (TMUS) has received a purchase order to supply sea-water reverse osmosis (RO) elements to water treatment company Keyplan for a uranium project in Trekkopje, Namibia, for its client Uramin Namibia (also see Membrane Technology April, page 9). The plant, rated at 55 000 m³ (over 14.5 million gallons) a day will use Toray TM820-400 elements to produce potable water. The potable water will be pumped approximately 60 km inland to Uramin’s Trekkopje opencast uranium mine. Pall appoints new president Donald Stevens recently became President of Pall Corporation. Eric Krasnoff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer held the title prior to Stevens’ promotion. Stevens has spent most of his career with Pall. He joined the company during 1968 and has held many key management positions, including that of Chief Operating Officer and President of Pall Industrial. During his career he launched several new business segments, built the company’s systems capabilities, and most recently led the restructuring of business processes in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. ‘Early bird’ registration offered for WaterSmart Innovations Conference ‘Early bird’ conference registration is under way until 11 July 2008 for the inaugural ‘WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition’, which is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on 8–10 October 2008. The event aims to highlight and broaden the knowledge of innovations in urban water efficiency and conservation, including products, programmes and outreach. It is thought that the conference is the largest and most comprehensive event of its kind. More information: www.WaterSmartInnovations.com Wastewater treatment process wins Royal Society award A wastewater treatment process − based on submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAMBR) technology − was recently awarded the £250 000 ‘Brian Mercer Award for Innovation’ by the UK’s Royal Society. The process will be demonstrated on a large scale by a UK-based team comprising Imperial College, Anglian Water and Black & Veatch, an engineering, consulting and construction company. Professor David Stuckey at Imperial College London pioneered laboratory studies into wastewater treatment using the SAMBR technology. Sir Peter Williams, Vice-President of the Royal Society, said: ‘Water is going to become an ever more scarce resource as global temperatures rise. If this new system is successful it could radically change the way water is managed.’
Membrane Technology
3
June 2008
Millipore launches TFF system and Steriflip filter
M
illipore Corporation, Billerica, Massachusetts, USA, recently introduced a bench-top, tangential flow filtration (TFF) system for process development applications and added a new filter to its Steriflip product line. The Cogent µScale TFF System is described as an easy-to-use, semi-automated bench-top unit that has been designed to fully support TFF process development at the ‘micro-scale’ using up to three Pellicon 3 88-cm2 cassettes (264 cm2). With a low minimum working volume, the ability to operate at feed pressures up to 0.55 MPa (80 psig), with low pulsation, the system fully supports both scaling studies and low volume ultrafiltration and diafiltration work using Pellicon cassettes. The system also can be configured to process up to three Pellicon XL-50 TFF devices, and is ideal for purifying and concentrating monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, gene therapy constructs, blood serum products and other cell-derived components. According to Millipore, the Nylon Net Steriflip device features a new, streamlined design that makes cell manipulation easier and optimises performance in a variety of applications. This new nylon mesh version enables faster separation of large volumes of cellular material to improve recovery and reduce the time needed to collect isolated cells. Four mesh sizes allow for optimal performance in stem cell, cardiomyocyte, neurological and skeletal tissue applications. The Nylon Net Steriflip device is available in 20 µm, 40 µm, 60 µm, and 100 µm sizes. Contact: Millipore Corporation, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, www.millipore.com
GE mobile system maintains refinery’s water supply
A
mobile sea-water desalination system from US-based GE Water & Process Technologies is providing a refinery on the Caribbean island of Aruba with high purity water, enabling it to avoid a costly plant capacity shortage while scheduled maintenance is completed to the facility’s primary sea-water desalination system.
In Brief Toray supplies RO elements for desalination plant in Namibia Toray Membrane USA Incorporated (TMUS) has received a purchase order to supply sea-water reverse osmosis (RO) elements to water treatment company Keyplan for a uranium project in Trekkopje, Namibia, for its client Uramin Namibia (also see Membrane Technology April, page 9). The plant, rated at 55 000 m³ (over 14.5 million gallons) a day will use Toray TM820-400 elements to produce potable water. The potable water will be pumped approximately 60 km inland to Uramin’s Trekkopje opencast uranium mine. Pall appoints new president Donald Stevens recently became President of Pall Corporation. Eric Krasnoff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer held the title prior to Stevens’ promotion. Stevens has spent most of his career with Pall. He joined the company during 1968 and has held many key management positions, including that of Chief Operating Officer and President of Pall Industrial. During his career he launched several new business segments, built the company’s systems capabilities, and most recently led the restructuring of business processes in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. ‘Early bird’ registration offered for WaterSmart Innovations Conference ‘Early bird’ conference registration is under way until 11 July 2008 for the inaugural ‘WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition’, which is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on 8–10 October 2008. The event aims to highlight and broaden the knowledge of innovations in urban water efficiency and conservation, including products, programmes and outreach. It is thought that the conference is the largest and most comprehensive event of its kind. More information: www.WaterSmartInnovations.com Wastewater treatment process wins Royal Society award A wastewater treatment process − based on submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAMBR) technology − was recently awarded the £250 000 ‘Brian Mercer Award for Innovation’ by the UK’s Royal Society. The process will be demonstrated on a large scale by a UK-based team comprising Imperial College, Anglian Water and Black & Veatch, an engineering, consulting and construction company. Professor David Stuckey at Imperial College London pioneered laboratory studies into wastewater treatment using the SAMBR technology. Sir Peter Williams, Vice-President of the Royal Society, said: ‘Water is going to become an ever more scarce resource as global temperatures rise. If this new system is successful it could radically change the way water is managed.’
Membrane Technology
3