Filtration

Saint-Gobain Performance Ceramics & Refractories have been providing unique and high added value silicon carbide-based solutions for decades, including the first-to-market recrystallized silicon carbide (R-SiC) product. This outstanding ceramic forms the basis of our Crystar® filtration technology.

Crystar® FT is designed for liquid and air purity, security, and sustainability. The demands of filtration have changed dramatically over the years, as a growing global population forces industries to adopt more demanding processing capabilities to satisfy the needs of global sustainability efforts.

Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and solutions which are key ingredients in the well being of each of us and the future of all. They provide comfort, performance and safety while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction, resource efficiency and climate change.

With Crystar® FT membranes and filters, Saint-Gobain is committed to improving the sustainability of sectors as diverse as water/wastewater, industrial processes & life sciences, and recreational water, with new and innovative products.

We aim to make sustainability a driving force for every liquid filtration and air purification sector. Crystar® FT technology provides microfiltration of leading efficiency, with consistent retention, excellent filtrate quality at high fluxes, and operation with low consumption of energy, water and chemicals.

Drinking Water Production

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Drinking water microfiltration must be carried out to uncompromising degrees of security and consistency. Crystar® liquid filtration technology offers excellent levels of efficiency in terms of microorganism retention and particulate removal, combined with unmatched filtration fluxes and water productivity. With fast and efficient cleaning procedures, Crystar ceramic membrane technology provides a very compact and cost-effective filtration process.

 

According to the European Water Association, the global demand for water is expected to grow by 50% until 2030. Water treatment for drinking water production is a crucial process for ensuring that billions of people worldwide have access to safe and affordable drinking water. This implies delivering water that is free of particulates, harmful microorganisms, and toxic compounds. Depending on the raw water source (sea, ground, surface…), a thorough and consistent water treatment process is required, involving several technologies, from physicochemical processes to filtration and disinfection. Crystar® filtration technology (FT) is a cost-effective solution for meeting the needs of future water demand at an uncompromising degree of purity.

 

Crystar® FT is based on a proprietary arrangement of recrystallized silicon carbide layers with a well-controlled pore size distribution down to 0.25 micrometer (µm). Combined with a unique and innovative honeycomb structure, Crystar membranes enable excellent retention of particulates and microorganisms at low operating costs.

These membranes can be operated at low pressures (<1 bar) with excellent filtration fluxes, from 300 to 1000 liters/hour/m2 of filtration area. Backwash operations show unparalleled low levels of water usage, typically 30 to 50 liters of water per backwash. Furthermore, the honeycomb structure of Crystar® FT dead-end membranes is extremely compact (16 m2 for a filtration membrane of 149 x 149 x 1000 mm) allowing significant savings in installation footprint.

 

Last but not least, recrystallized silicon carbide material offers specific features that make it the best ceramic membrane for drinking water production. It naturally has a negative surface charge, which reduces the interaction with organic matter such as humic acid, hence reducing its propensity to fouling. Finally, thanks to their outstanding chemical resistance, Crystar® membranes have long lifetimes and allows the possibility to carry out agressive pretreatments such as Ozonation and harsh chemical cleanings whenever needed.