Synder NFX Nanofiltration Membrane
Background
Dyes used in the textile industry can be expensive and very harmful if released into the environment. Thus textile plants are constantly trying to recover and reuse as much of these dyes as possible. The highest quality dyes should have low salt concentration, which presents a significant challenge for effective recycling. Synder piloted its NFX nanofiltration membrane in a side-by-side study with the leading competitor to simultaneously gauge performance in concentrating and desalinating the dye.

Feed Solution, Membrane, and Operating Parameters
(Table 1)

Test Results
Table 2 describes the results with the NFX membrane. The NFX displayed a rejection rate higher than 99.5%, while the competitor’s membrane only able to achieve a 90.6% rejection. Initial permeate flux was 0.6 GFD which dropped down to 0.2 GFD, corresponding to an average permeate flux of 0.4 GFD. The conductivity measurement of concentrate and permeate suggests that the salt has been highly removed by membrane with only 31% overall rejection.

Conclusions
Synder Filtration’s NFX membrane offers revolutionary performance with greater flux and better salt permeation than the leading competitor. Such performance suggests significant cost saving for textile production facilities through the ability to save on capital costs associated with dyes and an increased ability to meet discharge regulations.