Comparison between

filtration and centrifugation process

Course: Bio-separation
Instructor: Dr Nguyen Van Toan (PhD)
Presented by Group 7
 GROUP’S MEMBERS

Pham Anh Vu BTIU08

Content
I. Introduction to Liquid-Solid Separation
techniques
II. Two common techniques
1. Filtration
a. Fundamental of filtration
b. Types of filtrations
2. Centrifugation
a. Fundamental of centrifugation
b. Types of centrifugations
III.Comparison between Filtration and
Centrifugation
IV. Discussion
WHAT IS HE DOING ???
I. Introduction to Liquid-Solid Separation

 Solid-Liquid Separation is a major unit

operation that exists in almost every
industrial bioseparation.
 Itis the removal of insoluble solids from the
fermentation beer.
 The concentration and size of these
insolubles are different
 We have two common techniques: filtration
and centrifugation
II. Two common techniques
1. Filtration
a. Fundamental
- Filtration is a technique used either to
remove impurities from an organic
solution or to isolate an organic solid
oversize particles in
the feed cannot pass
through the lattice
structure of the filter,
while fluid and small
particles pass
through, becoming
filtrate
b. Types of Filtration
The two types of filtration commonly
used in organic chemistry laboratories are
gravity filtration and vacuum or suction
filtration.
Gravity Filtration
The method of choice to remove solid impurities
from an organic liquid
The "impurity" can be a drying agent or an
undesired side product or leftover reactant
Filtration separates solids from a liquid by
forcing the liquid through a solid support or
inter-medium.
Gravity filtration can be used to collect solid
product, although generally vacuum filtration is
used for this purpose because it is faster.
Procedure for standard gravity
filtration
1) Select and fold the filter paper

1 2
2) Filter the solution
Vacuum filtrations
- Is used to collect a desired solid
- Particle size: greater than 10 µm, yeast, mold,
animal or plant cells.
- EX: the collection of crystals in a re-crystallization
procedure.
- The solvent or solution and air is forced
through the filter paper by the application of
reduced pressure
- Faster than gravity filtration
The reduced pressure requires special equipments
Buchner or Hirsch funnel
Heavy-walled, side arm filtering flask
Rubber adaptor or stopper to seal the funnel to the
flask when under vacuum
Vacuum source
Recommendation of using filtration
Gravity filtration Vacuum filtration
The mixture is hot The conditions where
(above room gravity filtration is
temperature) recommended are
The liquid is NOT present
saturated with one or A quick separation is
more reagents required
The solvent is very
volatile (chloroform,
alcohols, ethers).
 Some others types of Filtration
 Microfiltration is a filtration process which removes
contaminants from a fluid (liquid & gas) by passage
through a microporous membrane.
Use pressure as a means of forcing water to go from low
pressure to high pressure.
◦ Particle size: 0.1 - 10 µm, bacterial and yeast cells.
 Ultrafiltration is a variety of membrane filtration in which
hydrostatic pressure forces a liquid against a semipermeable
membrane.
- Suspended solids and solutes of high molecular
weight are retained,
- Water and low molecular weight solutes pass
through the membrane
Particle size: 10-200 Å, Cell debris, macromolecules
II. Centrifugation
a. Fundamental
- Centrifugation is a process that involves the
use of the centrifugal force for the separation
of mixtures
- Centrifugation utilizes the density difference
between the solids and the surrounding fluid.
- More-dense components of the mixture
migrate away from the axis of the centrifuge
- Less-dense components of the mixture
migrate towards the axis
Supernatant liquid

Precipitate (pellet)
2. Types of centrifugation
a. Differential centrifugation
- Based on the size of the particles
- Commonly used in simple pelleting and in
obtaining partially-pure preparation of
subcellular organelles and macromolecules
- Ex: For the study of subcellular organelles,
tissue or cells are first disrupted to release their
internal contents. (Figure below)
b. Density gradient centrifugation
- To purify subcellular organelles and
macromolecules
- Density gradient separation can be
classified into two categories.
+ Rate-zonal (size) separation.
+ Isopycnic (density) separation.
+ Rate-zonal (size) separation.
Rate-zonal separation takes advantage of
particle size and mass instead of particle
density for sedimentation
Ex: Antibody classes all have very similar
densities, but different masses.
-> separation based on mass will separate
the different classes, whereas separation
based on density will not be able to
resolve these antibody classes.
Isopycnic separation
A particle of a particular density will sink
during centrifugation until a position is
reached where the density of the
surrounding solution is exactly the same
as the density of the particle

EX: separation of nucleic acids in a CsCl

gradient
III. Comparison between Filtration and Centrifugation processes

Chemical Unit
Operation

SIMILARITIES
Suspended solids from the fluid
phage
Separated
Objects
Separate Water by using Force
Differences
Filtration Centrifugation

1 Gravity or vacuum Centrifugal force

2 Simple More complicated
3 Insolubles are dilute, large, and size ranges from microorganisms
rigid (d=1µm) to insoluble
nutrients(d=1mm)

4 Cheaper Expensive
5 Lower solid concentrate Higher solid concentrate produced by
produced by filtration filtration

6 Lower concentrated suspension More concentrated suspension.

7 Filtration produces a relatively Not produce dry cake

dry cake
Summary
 DISCUSSION

In 2007, At An Binh I Primary in Can Tho City, there are 18 pupils

were poisoned after drinking water which are purified at the school

3 Hours

WHY???
REFERENCES
 D. Khanh. 2007. Ngo doc nuoc. [Internet]. [Cited: Oct 8, 2010].
Available from:
http://vietbao.vn/Suc-khoe/Uong-nuoc-loc-18-hoc-sinh-nhap-vien/6
2187918/248/
 Cole-Pamer. Technological Library. Basic of Centrifugation.
[Internet]. [Cited: Oct 8, 2010]. Available from: http://
www.coleparmer.com/techinfo/techinfo.asp?htmlfile=basic-
centrifugation.htm&ID=30
 GEA Filtration. Cross-flow membrane filtration systems and
replacement membranes . [Internet]. [Cited: Oct 8, 2010]. Available
from: http://www.geafiltration.com/index.asp
Thank you for
your kindly
listening!!!