We use nanofiltration technology for dextrose purification, among other things, obtaining very high quality monosaccharides, separating them from disaccharides and other sugars with greater molecular weight.
The process is based on appropriate selection of the nanofiltration membrane. The fundamental difference lies in the possibility of filtering by molecule size, determining the molecular cut-off of its active surface area that in general, in this type of membrane can be between 150 and 3,000 dalton (unit of atomic mass). Working from this size, the membrane is used for ultrafiltration.
The membranes for this application are considered special both due to the molecular cut-off and due to their working conditions: extreme temperature and pressure and high levels of viscosity and suspended solids present in the fluids to be treated. Consequently, it is very important to select the membrane not only due to its molecular cut-off but also the shape and support materials used to manufacture it.
Hidrotec has developed technology to purify dextrose using nanofiltration giving high yield with highly optimised energy consumption.