Separation of nickel catalyst by microfiltration

Ceramic membranes with pore size of 0.1 and 0.2 µm are used for the separation of nickel catalyst. Effect of trans‐membrane pressure (TMP), linear velocity, temperature and nickel content (solute) on flux and rejection has been investigated. The flux increased with increase in pore size of the membrane. The rejection characteristics were similar for 0.1 and 0.2 µm membranes. The nickel content and iodine value of the membrane‐filtered oil was comparable with that of conventional processes. Permeate flux increased with increase in temperature. Flux increased with increase in linear velocity and a marginal rise was observed above 2.09 m/s. The rejection characteristics were only slightly affected by higher linear velocity. The flux improved after back flushing. The average flux was higher with back flushing as compared to continuous (with out back flushing) filtration process. The results indicated that the secondary layer effect was more pronounced in microfiltration. The flux decreased with increase in solute concentration. The rejection characteristics were not affected by solute concentration. The rejection characteristic of the membranes remained unaltered after membranes were repeatedly cleaned with sodium hydroxide and HCl solutions, however, the flux was decreased marginally.