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Foam Filtration Current Research
Fall 2010
Since foam filtration has been ruled out as a filtration method for an AguaClara plant, research will focus on developing a point of use unit that uses foam filtration. Additional experiments must be conducted, including determining the head loss across the foam, the head loss at which the foam fails (collapses), the optimal layering of foam porosities and the range of influent turbidities over which the filter performs successfully.
Since laboratory research has shown that horizontal flow foam filtration is not a feasible method for achieving the desired filtration performance, it is necessary to manipulate the geometry of the proposed foam filtration unit in another way. With a high velocity foam filter, the depth of the foam will be increased to accommodate the increased velocity. With an increased filtration velocity, the filtration unit will require less planned area, which reduces the associated construction and maintenance costs.
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After laboratory tests on the filtering capacity of the polyurethane foam material are concluded, we will continue to explore different research areas. This will include determining head loss across the foam over the run time of the filter, the effect of layering different porosities of foam, the effectiveness of an aluminum hydroxide wash to decrease the ripening time of the foam, and the effects of natural organic matter on the foam material