(333b) The Advancement and Challenges of Solid/Liquid Separation in the Process Industry

Solids/liquid separation is used in all parts of a chemical manufacturing process, from raw material purification, product separation, and all the way to waste handling. Although filtration and separation is nothing new to this industry, the growing emphasis on process efficiency, reliability and waste minimization has brought new challenges to this seems to be mature technology.

Solids/liquid separation covers a wide spectrum of technologies. In addition to the core filtration and separation, technologies in particle/liquid property characterization, agglomeration, flocculation, filter aid, slurry handling, and auxiliary equipment are all crucial parts of a solid/liquid separation process. Examples of challenges, new developments and future directions will be discussed to illustrate this vibrant and important field of chemical engineering.