Alan Franks
Staff Engineer, Procss Separations
Hydranautics

Alan has over 18 years of experience in the manufacturing, research, and development of spiral wound membrane products. Experience ranges across product development, pilot studies, field installation and start up, technical support, and customer service. He holds several patents related to the construction of the spiral wound RO element. He has a B.S. in Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from San Diego State University.

Update on Nanofiltration Membranes Applications for Food Processing

Nanofiltration, the filtration regime between ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, is used in the food and beverage industry for a variety of applications. Nanofiltration membranes are designed specifically for separation of divalent anions and / or organic molecules from monovalent salts and lower molecular weight organics. Applications include: whey and milk concentration, de-salting (mineralizing) of whey and other streams, sugar concentration, DP1 / DP2 sugar fractionation, color removal/adjustment for process streams, and BOD / COD reduction applications where low pressure operation and high salt passage is desired. This presentation will examine critical issues in the application of nanofiltration membranes. Case studies from operating units for whey concentration, maple sap, cane sugar, and others will also be presented.