Retrofit Of Sparkler™ Filter Presses With CUNO® Zeta Plus™ Depth Filter Cartridges

By 3M Purification Inc (formerly CUNO)

Sparkler-style plate filters have been employed in polishing, clarification, and particle re- moval filtration in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries for a number of years. They are also a common method to trap carbon fines used in upstream decolorization pro- cesses. They were originally the method of choice for these applications because they were relatively inexpensive to operate.

However, operators have become increasingly apprehensive of growing labor and safety concerns related to set up, plate removal, and cleaning of this style filter, where workers are exposed to potentially hazardous product or solvents, as well as suspended filter aids, such as diatomaceous earth (D.E.) or carbon powder used in the filter operation. Increased costs asso- ciated with the labor required to properly change-out the units and maintain them, costs asso- ciated with disposal of used D.E. or carbon, and the time consuming recirculation required for proper operation have led many to seek alternative methods of filtration.

This CUNO Application Brief details an alternative solution that employs Zeta Plus depth cartridge filters, installed in a separate Zeta Plus filter housing or in the existing Sparkler-style plate filter by means of a retrofit kit.