Composition for Filtering and Removing Particles and/or Constituents from a Fluid

Abstract

Filter-aid materials are disclosed herein, and processes, systems, and methods using such filter-aid materials for filtering and removing particles and / or constituents from a fluid, wherein the filter-aid material comprises at least one filterable composite adsorbent comprising at least one adsorbent component formed in-situ on at least one filtration component. Further disclosed herein are filter-aid materials and processes, systems, and methods using such filter-aid materials for filtering and removing particles and / or constituents from a fluid, wherein the filter-aid material comprises at least one filterable composite adsorbent comprising at least one adsorbent component formed in-situ on at least one filtration component, and wherein the filter-aid material further comprises an at least one additional filtration component mixed with the at least one filterable composite adsorbent.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application incorporates by reference in their entireties U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 60 / 830,781 filed Jul. 14, 2006, and 60 / 945,954 filed Jun. 25, 2007.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]Disclosed herein are filter-aid materials and processes, systems, and methods using such filter-aid materials for filtering and removing particles and / or constituents from a fluid, wherein the filter-aid material comprises at least one filterable composite adsorbent comprising at least one adsorbent component formed in-situ on at least one filtration component. Also disclosed herein are filter-aid materials and processes, systems, and methods using such filter-aid materials for filtering and removing particles and / or constituents from a fluid, wherein the filter-aid material comprises at least one filterable composite adsorbent comprising at least one filtration component (such as a siliceous material) and at least one adsorbent component (such as a precipitated silica...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021]In certain embodiments, an in-situ precipitation process may be used to create a filterable composite adsorbent having relatively small particle-sized adsorbent components, for example, less than 1 micrometer, on the surface of at least one filtration component. Consequently, the filter-aid materials comprising at least one filterable composite adsorbent disclosed herein may provide a greater adsorptive surface area than prior implementations, thereby enabling the filter-aid materials to adsorb a greater amount of particles and / or constituents from a fluid than was previously possible. The adsorptive effectiveness of the filter-aid materials comprising at least one filterable composite adsorbent disclosed herein may be evidenced by a lower level of turbidity in the filtered fluid than could previously be achieved.

[0027]The filter-aid materials comprising at least one filterable composite adsorbent disclosed herein also may exhibit various wet densities. For example, the filter-aid material comprising at least one filterable composite adsorbent may have a wet density ranging from about 10 to about 25 lb / ft3. As wet density reflects the void volume of the adsorbent component to entertain matter in the filtration process, a lower wet density may indicate that the adsorbent component has a high void volume and thus can adsorb more particles and / or constituents in the fluid.

Problems solved by technology

That additional layer of filter-aid material causes the filter cake to swell and thicken and increases the capacity of the cake to entrap additional debris.

Those intricate and porous structures create networks of void spaces that may result in buoyant filtration media particles that have apparent densities similar to those of the fluids in which they are suspended.

However, while well suited for the task of removing particulate matter by physical entrapment, those porous filtration components may not be as well suited for the task of removing particulate matter from a fluid by the process of adsorption and are thus often times used in combination with an adsorbent component.

Diatomite products have an inherently intricate and porous structure composed primarily of silica.

As the permeability of the filtration component decreases, the ability of the filter-aid material to remove small particles may increase, but often at the expense of a slower flow rate through the filter-aid material.

Conversely, as the filtration component permeability increases, the ability of the filter-aid material to filter particles may decrease and, consequently, the fluid flow through the filter-aid material increases.

The reacted proteins and / or polyphenols may then grow to large particles, which causes the beer to become turbid, a condition also known as “chill-haze.” Chill-haze may be undesirable to both consumers and brewers.

Filtration processes that implement both an adsorption step and a filtration step may be less efficient because of the difficulties of filtering the adsorbent components.

That occupancy may reduce the permeability of the filter-aid material, leading to an overall lower filtration flow rate.

Simple mixtures may be somewhat ineffective as the components may be subject to separation due to physical distress often experienced in packaging and shipping.

Although Palm discloses a filterable composite adsorbent, it does not disclose a filterable composite adsorbent where the adsorbent components have a smaller average particle size, such as 1 micron or smaller.