SLS · Technology
Solid-Liquid Separation
Solid-liquid separation splits a suspension into its two phases, to recover the solids, the liquid, or both. Conventional routes either hold the liquid while the particles settle, float, or spin out, or hold the particles back on a screen, a filter cake, or a membrane. Petro Sep's approach builds on membrane distillation: a porous, hydrophobic membrane passes water vapor at low temperature and leaves suspended and dissolved solids behind. Vacuum membrane distillation (AQUA-SEP®) removes the solids from industrial wastewater and from the reject brine of reverse osmosis and thermal desalination plants.
What it solves
Performance you can size against.
What the process delivers. Every number is testable on your own feed.
- Solids purity
- Up to 99.9%
- Petro Sep's membrane distillation approach separates solids at purity up to 99.9%.
- Low-temperature separation
- Water leaves as vapor well below the feed's boiling point, so the separation does not need a full boil.
- Water and solids recovered
- Suspended and dissolved solids stay behind while the water passes, so the liquid, the solids, or both can be recovered.
How it works
The working principle.
A porous, hydrophobic membrane contacts the warm feed. Liquid water cannot enter the pores, so a vapor-liquid interface forms at each pore entrance, and water vapor crosses under the vapor pressure difference; in VMD, a vacuum on the permeate side drives it. The vapor condenses outside the membrane as clean water, while suspended and dissolved solids stay on the feed side and concentrate until they can be removed as solids.
Performance envelope
Specs and operating range.
For preliminary sizing only. Production sizing is always validated against your specific feed.
- Separation principle
- Membrane distillation (VMD in AQUA-SEP®)
- Membrane
- Porous, hydrophobic
- Solids purity
- Up to 99.9%
- Typical feeds
- Industrial wastewater; RO and thermal desalination reject
Where this technology applies
Industries that use this process.
Solid-Liquid Separation fits some sectors better than others.
Have a feed that SLS
might fit?
We will pilot before we promise. Send us a sample and a target outcome. If the technology fits, we will tell you what to expect; if it does not, we will tell you that too.