Glossary of Filtration Technologies: C

Caffeine

Caffeine is a bitter white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug. Caffeine was discovered by the German chemist, Friedrich Ferdinand Runge and he coined the term "kaffein", which in English became caffeine. Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance found in the leaves, seeds, or fruits of more than 60 plants. Food and beverages derived from cocoa beans, kola nuts, and tea leaves often contain some caffeine. In the United States, coffee is the chief source of dietary caffeine. In addition, caffeine is added to some foods and beverages as a flavoring.

Calcium

A metallic element essential for the normal development and functioning of the body. Calcium is an important constituent of bones and teeth; the matrix of bone, consisting principally of calcium phosphate, accounts for 99% of the body's calcium. Membrane filtration systems can be used to harvest the calcium but more commonly it can be used to remove the calcium from water (and other solvents).

Carbohydrates

A chemical compound composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Starch, sugar and cellulose are the most common carbohydrates that supply energy.

Casein

A group name of the dominant class of proteins in milk.

Catalyst

A substance which promotes a chemical reaction, but does not itself enter into the reaction.

Cell Harvest / Harvesting

The clarification of biological products such as recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies or vaccines requires choosing technology that works for your process; ensuring product consistency and reproducibility and high yields. The clarification process entails the separation of large molecules with high molecular weight such as proteins from cells, cell debris, colloids, and particles. Membrane filtration provides advantages in its ability to achieve specific fractionations. The result being, in many cases, extremely high purity of these products at much higher yields over traditional separation methods like centrifugation or filter presses.

Cell Rupture / Cell Disruption

The production of biologically-interesting molecules using cloning and culturing methods allows the study and manufacture of relevant molecules. Except for excreted molecules, cells producing molecules of interest must be disrupted. Disruption of cells, when hundreds or even thousands of liters of material are being processed in a production environment, presents a different challenge. Throughput, efficiency, and reproducibility are key factors. Often the most efficient and reliable process is through a high pressure homogenizer which also provide the added benefit of being easily scaled from the lab and pilot systems through to the commercial size systems.

Cellulosic ethanol

Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel produced from wood, grasses, or the non-edible parts of plants. Its is a new technology that uses enzymes and micro-organisms to break down tough molecules such as cellulose in grasses and lignin in wood, producing ethanol and other liquids for use as fuels that can replace petrol (gasoline) or diesel for transport. Cellulosic ethanol is often classified as an "advanced biofuel". As mentioned above, cellulosic ethanol is derived from non-food crops such as fast-growing grasses or from inedible parts of food crops such as stalks and husks. It is a biofuel made from cellulose to increase production without jeopardizing the country's food output. Today's biofuels come from edible starches and sugars, derived mainly from sugarcane and maize (corn). To read about membrane filtration technology applied to the production of ethanol from cellulosic materials please access this page: the use of membrane filtration in the cellulose to ethanol process.

Centrifugal pump

A centrifugal pump is a pump which is based on the rotating centrifugal force. Typically, a centrifugal pump consists of an impeller on a rotating shaft and enclosed in a casing (housing). It has an inlet and a discharge connection. The impeller creates the pressure in the liquid by the force derived from centrifugal force.

Centrifuge

An apparatus that uses centrifugal force to separate particles from a suspension.

Ceramic

Ceramics can be defined as inorganic, nonmetallic materials. They are typically crystalline in nature and are compounds formed between metallic and nonmetallic elements. Typically the ceramic form used in membranes are a-aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide, TiO₂, zirconium dioxide, ZiO₂.

CFR 21 Part 11

FDA Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR Part 11) Electronic Records; Electronic Signatures

Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)

Required amount of oxygen needed for a chemical process product breakdown. Measured in PPM (TS/100*1M = PPM)

Chicory

Chicory roots can be dried, ground; roasted and used to flavor coffee.

Chromatography

In chemistry, analytical technique used for the chemical separation of mixtures and substances. Chromatography is a widely used technique in analytical laboratories for separating, purifying, concentrating, and identifying diverse applications spanning from environmental contaminants from wastewater to proteins from blood serum, etc. The principles and techniques are the same - based on the differential solubility of individual chemical species. The technique depends on the differential distribution of solute between the mobile and still phases. Chromatography is a group of modus operandi for separating (or concentrating or purifying) solutions and mixtures. A chromatograph takes a chemical solution in liquid or gas form and separates it into its component parts as a result of differential distributions of the solutes as they flow around or over a stationary liquid or solid phase. Numerous techniques for the separation of complex mixtures rely on the differential affinities of substances for a gas or liquid mobile medium and for a stationary absorbing medium through which they pass; examples include paper, gelatin, alumina, or silica. Analytical chromatography is used to determine the identity and concentration of molecules in a mixture. Preparative chromatography is used to purify larger quantities of a molecular species. Types of chromatography include TLC (thin layer chromatography), HPTLC (high performance thin layer chromatography), HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography), GC (gas chromatography - or GC/MS: gas chromatography/mass spectrometry), and GLC (gas liquid chromatography).

Many biotechnology, chemical and food industries need to separate and purify products from complex mixtures. Typically separators, decanters, evaporators, membrane filtration plants, or rectification systems can handle this process step. But if you need to separate similar components with great precision such as proteins, chromatography could easily be your process choice. Basically, chromatography can purify and separate all soluble or volatile substance if the correct adsorbent material (a.k.a. carrier fluid) provided that all the other operating conditions are fulfilled. Chromatography is well suited and often applied in biotechnology process lines for applications such as separating proteins as the process is much more delicate than evaporation, mechanical separation and membrane filtration. GEA Filtration see membrane chromatography ion exchange chromatography columns as an extension to membrane filtration for protein purification.

References: High Performance Liquid Chromatography in Biotechnology (William S. Hancock); Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatography; http://pubs.acs.org/journals/chromatography/index.html; Mark R. Etzel, Ph.D. http://www.foodtechsource.com/emag/006/trend.htm

Churning

agitation of whole milk or cream to make butter adding starters and rennet

Clarification

The removal of pulp or solids not desired in the finished product.

Clarifier

A clarifier is a machine used for a liquid-sludge separation in which the particles with a higher specific gravity are separated from the lower specific gravity of the liquid. A clarifier bowl has one outlet for the light phase oil; the heavier phase particles are retained on the bowl wall. Our sister-company GEA Westfalia Separator is a world leading supplier of clarifiers.

Clean In Place (CIP) systems

An automated process cleaning system, which is designed to comply with applicable standards, such as 3A sanitary standards and accepted practices. Each process system is different and that's why no two Clean-in-Place systems are alike

COD

COD - chemical oxygen demand: COD indicates the degree of contamination of wastewater by organic matter (that is subject to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant)

Colloidal Solids

The dispersed particles of a colloid will typically not diffuse across a UF membrane through which dissolved ions or molecules will cross.

Colostrum

Colostrum is the first milk given following birth that is rich in fat and protein and has immunity elements.

Compaction

The reduction in thickness of a filter medium.

Concentrate

The non filtered stream leaving a cross flow filter system. (Retentate)

Concentrated acid hydrolysis

Concentrated acid hydrolysis is a method of converting biomass into cellulosic ethanol.

Concentration factor

Feed volume (or feed flow rate) divided by the concentrate volume (or concentrate flow rate). CF = 1/(1-X), X=recovery as a decimal

Concentration Polarization

An accumulation of excess particles in a thin layer adjacent to the membrane surface. This increases the resistance to solvent flow, and thus reduces the permeate flow.

Conductivity

Used as an approximate measurement of mineral content. Units commonly used as micro mhos/cm.

Corrosion

Corrosion is a substantial (detrimental) change in the size or characteristics of a material under conditions of exposure or use (the electrochemical degradation of metals or alloys due to a reaction with their environment). It usually results from chemical action either regularly and slowly, as in rusting (oxidation), or rapidly, as in metal pickling. Corrosive refers to any solid, liquid or gas that burns, irritate, melts or destructively attacks another substance. Oxidize refers to the chemical process where oxygen combines with other substances.

Cross Flow (Tangential)

Method of filtration where the product flow is parallel to the filter surface to minimize clogging and maximize efficiency.

Cross Flow Rate

The flow rate of feed material through the feed channel of s membrane filter.

Curd separation

after coagulation the milk is separated into whey and cheese curd

Cross-flow membrane filtration

Cross-flow membrane filtration describes a range of molecular-level separations in the micron and sub-micron scale where either a solvent is separated from solutes or different solutes are separated from each other. Nominal membrane porosity is indirectly proportionate to operating pressure; the "tighter" the membrane, the higher the process operating pressure requirement. This is due to differences in the transport mechanisms involved whereby diffusion plays the key role in separations occurring in the reverse osmosis range while size exclusion is the primary separation mechanism for ultrafiltration.

Crystallization

The process through which crystals separate from the fluid (magma) state or the process of solidifying a protein or other biomolecule from solution.

GEA Filtration design and manufacture sophisticated membrane filtration systems. Replacement membranes, process evaluation and plant audits are also conducted by GEA Filtration.