FILTRATION

Filtration is a process used to separate solids from liquids or gases using a filter medium that allows the fluid to pass through but not the solid. The term "filtration" applies whether the filter is mechanical, biological, or physical. The fluid that passes through the filter is called the filtrate. The filter medium may be a surface filter, which is a solid that traps solid particles, or a depth filter, which is a bed of material that traps the solid.

Filtration is typically an imperfect process. Some fluid remains on the feed side of the filter or embedded in the filter media and some small solid particulates find their way through the filter. As a chemistry and engineering technique, there is always some lost product, whether it's the liquid or solid being collected.

Examples of Filtration

While filtration is an important separation technique in a laboratory, it's also common in everyday life.

Brewing coffee involves passing hot water through the ground coffee and a filter. The liquid coffee is the filtrate. Steeping tea is much the same, whether you use a tea bag (paper filter) or tea ball (usually, a metal filter).

The kidneys are an example of a biological filter. Blood is filtered by the glomerulus. Essential molecules are reabsorbed back into the blood.

Air conditioners and many vacuum cleaners use HEPA filters to remove dust and pollen from the air. Many aquariums use filters containing fibers that capture particulates. Belt filters recover precious metals during mining. Water in an aquifer is relatively pure because it has been filtered through sand and permeable rock in the

ground.

Filtration Methods

There are different types of filtration. Which method is used depends largely on whether the solid is a particulate (suspended) or dissolved in the fluid.

General Filtration: The most basic form of filtration is using gravity to filter a mixture. The mixture is poured from above onto a filter medium (e.g., filter paper) and gravity pulls the liquid down. The solid is left on the filter, while the liquid flows below it.

Vacuum Filtration: A Büchner flask and hose are used to create a vacuum to suck the fluid through the filter (usually with the aid of gravity). This greatly speeds the separation and can be used to dry the solid. A related technique uses a pump to form a pressure difference on both sides of the filter. Pump filters do not need to be vertical because gravity is not the source of the pressure difference on the sides of the filter.

Cold Filtration: Cold filtration is used to quickly cool a solution, prompting the formation of small crystals. This is a method used when the solid is initially dissolved. A common method is to place the container with the solution in an ice bath prior to filtration.

Hot Filtration: In hot filtration, the solution, filter, and funnel are heated to minimize crystal formation during filtration. Stemless funnels are useful because there is less surface area for crystal growth. This method is used when crystals would clog the funnel or prevent crystallization of the second component in a mixture.

Sometimes filter aids are used to improve flow through a filter. Examples of filter aids are silica, diatomaceous earth, perlite, and cellulose. Filter aids may be placed on the filter prior to filtration or mixed with the liquid. The aids can help prevent the filter from clogging and can increase the porosity of the "cake" or feed into the filter.

Filtration vs. Sieving

A related separation technique is sieving. Sieving refers to use of a single mesh or perforated layer to retain large particles while allowing the passage of smaller ones. In contrast, during filtration, the filter is a lattice or has multiple layers. Fluids follow channels in the medium to pass through a filter.

Alternatives to Filtration

There are more effective separation methods than filtration for some applications. For example, for very small samples in which it's important to collect the filtrate, the filter medium may soak up too much of the fluid. In other cases, too much of the solid can become trapped in the filter medium.

Two other processes that can be used to separate solids from fluids are decantation and centrifugation. Centrifugation involves spinning a sample, which forces the heavier solid to the bottom of a container. In decantation, the fluid is siphoned or poured off of the solid after it has fallen out of solution. Decantation can be used following centrifugation or on its own.

Glossary:

air conditioner (noun) a piece of electrical equipment that makes the air inside a building, room, or vehicle colder.

klimatyzator

Buchner flask (noun) flat-bottomed cone-shaped flask. kolba Buchnera

centrifugation (noun) a technique which involves the application of centrifugal force to separate particles from a

solution according to their size, shape, density, viscosity of the medium and rotor speed. wirowanie

clog (verb) to block something such as a pipe, tube, or passage, or to become blocked, so that nothing

can get through. zatykad

container (noun) something used for storing or holding things, for example a box, a bottle, or a bowl

pojemnik

crystal (noun) a piece of a substance that has a regular shape with many sides and is formed when the

substance becomes a solid. kryształ

decantation (noun) a process to separate mixtures by removing a liquid layer that is free of a precipitate, or the

solids deposited from a solution. dekantacja

dissolve (verb) to mix substances so that a homogeneous mixture is formed. rozpuszczad

dust (noun) a substance formed from powdered grains of sand, earth, with particles of various bodies,

which are commonly referred to as dirt. kurz

fiber (noun) a long thin piece of a natural or artificial substance, similar to a thread or hair in shape

włókno

filter medium (noun) a material which allows the fluid to pass through but not the solid. czynnik filtrujący

filtration (noun) a method of separating solids from liquids and gases. filtracja

fluid (noun) a liquid or a gas. płyn

gravity (noun) the force that causes something to fall to the ground , also called gravitation. grawitacja

hose (noun) a long tube used for circulating water, for example during distillation. wąż (gumowy)

ice bath (noun) a liquid mixture which is used to maintain low temperatures, typically between 0 °C and

−196 °C, of laboratory equipment with its content. łaźnia lodowa

kidney (noun) one of the two organs in your body that clean your blood and remove waste. nerka

mixture (noun) a substance consisting of different substances that combine without a chemical reaction

mieszanina

pour (verb) to make a liquid or substance flow out of a container that you are holding wylewad

precious metal (noun) a valuable metal such as gold, silver, or platinum. metal szlachetny

pump (noun) a machine for forcing liquid or gas into or out of something. pompa

reabsorb (verb) to take in a liquid, gas, or chemical again. wchłaniad ponownie

separate (verb) to divide or split into different parts. oddzielad

sieve (verb) to put a liquid or powder through a sieve (a round usually wire tool for separating

small objects from large objects). przesiewad

silica (noun) a hard white or clear substance that exists in sand and other materials, used for making

glass. krzemionka

soak (verb) absorb or to make something completely wet. wchłonąd, nasączyd

spin (verb) to turn around and around very quickly, or to make something do this. wirowad

surface filter (noun) a solid sieve which traps the solid particles, with or without the aid of filter paper. filtr

powierzchniowy

trapped (adj) caught, imprisoned somewhere. uwięziona

vaccum filtration (noun) a fast filtration technique used to separate solids from liquids. filtracja próżniowa

vacuum cleaner (noun) a piece of electrical equipment that cleans floors by sucking up dirt. dkurzacz

Exercise 1. Answer the questions below:

1. Can filtration be a perfect process? Justify your answer.

2. What other techniques can be used to separate solids from fluids? Name them

3. What force is used in general filtration and how it works?

4. Give examples of filtration aids and tell where they can be placed?

5. What are the main functions of filter aids?

Exercise 2. Fill in the gaps; use the words from the box:

1. _______________ is used to quickly cool a solution, prompting the formation of small crystals.

2. The most basic form of filtration is using ____________ to filter a mixture.

3. Belt filters recover precious ______________ during mining.

4. Two other processes that can be used to separate solids from fluids are ___________ and ______________.

5. The fluid that passes through the filter is called the _____________.

6. A substance formed from powdered grains of sand, earth, with particles of various bodies is called

__________________

7. Italian seafood company bought this _____________ packaging machine in Taiwan.

dust cold filtration filtrate gravity decantation and centrifugation vacuum metals

Exercise 3. Give the opposites and translate them into Polish:

1. pure ↔ ………………………………….. - ………………………………….. …………………………………..

2. fast ↔ ………………………………….. - ………………………………….. …………………………………..

3. porosity ↔ ………………………………….. - ………………………………….. …………………………………..

4. pour off ↔ ………………………………….. - ………………………………….. …………………………………..

5. heavier ↔ ………………………………….. - ………………………………….. …………………………………..

6. hot ↔ ………………………………….. - ………………………………….. …………………………………..

Exercise 4. Translate into Polish or English:

Exercise 5. Label the pictures:

1. ………………………… 2. …………………………….. 3. …………………………… 4. ………………………..

Discuss:

1. What other examples of the use of filtration in everyday life do you know?

2. What does a typical filtration kit consist of?

to sieve - porowatośd -

to clog- rozpuszczad –

centrifugation - próbki –

glomerulus - nasączyd -