Filtration and Clarification

Industrial Pharmacy
• Industrial pharmacy is a discipline which
includes manufacturing, development,
marketing and distribution of drug products
including quality assurance of these activities
• Filtration: The separation of solid from a fluid
by means of a porous medium that retains the
solid but allows the fluid to pass.
• Clarification: This term is applied when solid
do not exceed 1.0% and filtrate is the primary
product.
 Terminologies
• Feed or Slurry: The suspension of solid and liquid
to be filtered is known as the slurry or feed.
• Filter Medium: The porous medium used to
retain the solids is described as the filter medium.
• Filter Cake: The accumulation of solids on the
filter is referred to as the filter cake.
• Filtrate: The clear liquid passing through the filter
is the filtrate.
 Mechanism of Filtration
• The flow of solid is resisted by the filter
medium while the liquid is allow to pass.
• As the filtration proceeds the retention of the
solid on the filter media goes on increasing
which acts as a secondary and some times
more efficient filtering media.
 Factors affecting rate of filtration
• 1. Area of filter surface.
• 2. Particle size of cake solids.
• 3. Pore size of filter media.
• 4. The resistant of the filter cake and filter
media.
• 5. Viscosity of liquid to be filter.
• 6. Pressure difference across the filter.
 Filter media
• “The surface upon which solids are deposited
in a filter is called the Filter medium”.
• PROPERTIES OF IDEAL FILTER MEDIA:
• 1. Chemically inert.
• 2. High retention power.
• 3. Sufficient mechanical strength.
• 4. Absorbs negligible amount of material.
• 5. Resistant to the corrosive action of liquid.
• Selection of filter media depends on
followings:
• 1. Size of particle to be filtered.
• 2. Amount of liquid to be filtered.
• 3. Nature of product to be filtered.
• 4. Purpose of filter.
 Types of filter media
• Filter paper
• Woven material
• Cotton wool
• Glass wool
• Asbestos
• Kraft paper
• Sintered glass
• Membrane filters
 Types of filter media
• Filter paper:
• Filter paper is a common filter medium since it
offers controlled porosity, limited absorption
characteristic, and low cost.
• It has different grades and qualities different
pore size such as coarse medium and fine.
• Woven Material:
• Nylon & glass
• Nylon cloth:
• Superior to the cotton cloth.
• Not affected by molds, fungus and bacteria.
• Has negligible absorption properties.
• It is extremely strong as compared to cotton
cloth.
• Woven wire cloth:
• Made from stainless steel.
• Easily cleaned.
• Long lasting.
• Resistant to the chemicals.
• Cotton Wool:
• Commonly used.
• Small tough of cotton wool placed in the neck
of funnel.
• Glass wool:
• Glass wool is a kind of fibrous material made
from the melted glass raw materials or cullet.
• It consists of two types: loose wool and
superfine wool. The fiber of the loose wool is 50
~ 150 mm in length and 12 × 10- 3 mm in
diameter
• Use for filtering highly corrosive chemicals.
• May contaminate the filtrate with glass fibers
• Asbestos:
• Also used for filtering the corrosive liquid.
• They impart alkalinity to the filtrate.
• Alkaloids may get absorbed.
• May contaminate the filtrate.
• Membrane Filter:
• These are very common among the ultra
filtration methods.
• Made up of cellulose, Polyvinylchloride, Nylon
and other cellulose derivatives.
• They rare very fine having a very vide range of
pore size from 8μ down to 0.22μ.
• Kraft Paper:
• Mainly used in plate and frame filters.
• They offer controlled porosity
• Limited absorption.
• Quite cheap.
Kraft filter
• Sintered Glass:
• • Sintering is a heat treatment process where
loose material is subjected to high temperature
and pressure in order to compact it into a solid
piece
• A sintered filter is porous, often, cylindrical
metallic part manufactured through the process
of sintering. Copper and metal alloys are mixed
together and fused through high temperatures
achieving porosity and creating a mesh
• Consist of Pyrex glass powder.
• • Used for filtering parenteral preparations.
• • Useful for filtering the corrosive liquid and
oxidizing agent.
• • Don’t absorbs any liquid.
• • Can be easily washed.
 Filter aids
• “The substances which when added to the liquid to be
filtered, reduce the resistance of the filter cake and increase
the filtration”.
• Properties of Filter Aids:
• Chemically inert
• Low specific gravity
• Insoluble in liquids
• Form a porous cake
• Free from impurities
• Able to remain suspended in liquids
• Free from moisture
 Filtration equipment
• FILTER FUNNEL:
• Funnels are conical shaped devices
• Made up of Glass, Aluminum, Polythene,
Stainless steel OR any other suitable material.
• Neutral Glass made funnel are most
commonly used.
• White filter paper of suitable pore size is
folded in such a way that it fits in the funnel.
• BUCHNER FUNNEL:
• A Buchner Funnel is a fritted/perforated funnel used in
commercial laboratories for the vacuum-assisted
filtration and separation of liquid substances.
• Buchner Funnels allow to filter liquids by pulling them
through filter paper and perforations in the top of the
funnel using a vacuum pump.
• Made up of porcelain.
• It has a perforated plate.
• Used for filtration under reduced pressure.
• https://labsociety.com/lab-equipment/buchne
r-funnel/

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrt8hjXoJ
D0
• HOT WATER FUNNEL:
• These are doubled wall funnels made up of
metals.
• Viscous substances such as liquid paraffin,
Glycerin, Castor oil and fatty substances like
wool fat, bees wax, ointments and cream etc
are filtered easily from this filter.
• Boiling water or steam is circulated in jacketed
funnel.
• VACUUM FILTRATION:
• Vacuum filtration is used primarily to collect a
desired solid.
• Vacuum filtration uses a Buchner funnel and a
sidearm flask.
• Vacuum filtration is faster than gravity
filtration, because the solvent or solution and
air is forced through the filter paper by the
application of reduced pressure.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0PpQlxi
Dt0
• FILTER PRESS:
• It consists of hollow frames and solid plates.
• Plates have grooved surface to support the
filter cloth.
• Each plate has an outlet for filtrate.
• Frames are opened with an inlet for the liquid
to be filtered.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=uvHnAwW2bWc
• SEITZ FILTER:
• Consists of two parts.
• Lower part fitted with a perforated plate over
which compressed asbestos pad is placed.
• Upper part has a valve through which pressure
can be applied.
• Both parts joined together by winged nuts.
• ROTARY FILTERS:
• They are used when the proportion of solid content in
slurry is 15 to 30%.
• It consists of perforated matter drum wrapped with filter
cloth.
• Drum is partially immersed in the tank containing the
materials to be filtered.
• Drum rotates at the slow speed and creates vacuum due to
which filtrate enters into the drum.
• Filter cake deposits on outer surface of the filter media.
• Cake is removed by scrapping with a knife.
• FILTER LEAF:
• It consists of frame in which drainage screen is
enclosed.
• Whole unit is covered with a filter media.
• Outlet is connected to the vacuum pump.
• Frames may be shaped in round square or
rectangular
• Thanks