Patent ID: 6117459
Filing Date: 2000-09-12
Classification: B01D,B01J,C12H

Abstract:
Method of regenerating a filtration adjuvant comprising synthetic polymer or natural grains or natural grains incompressible by the filtration pressure having a sphericity coefficient varying between approximately 0.6 and approximately 0.9, an average grain size between approximately 20 .mu.m and approximately 70 .mu.m, adapted to form a filter cake having a porosity between approximately 0.4 and approximately 0.8 and a density varying between approximately 1000 kg/M.sup.3 and 1500 kg/m.sup.3, the adjuvant being charged with organic impurities which includes yeasts and which are trapped in the cavities between the adjuvant grains after filtering a liquid charged with said impurities, and being deposited on a filtration support of a filtration installation, the method including the steps of:washing the filtration adjuvant with a soda solution at a concentration between approximately 2% and approximately 5% at a temperature of at least approximately 80.degree. C. for between approximately 60 minutes and approximately 120 minutes;carrying out the washing step in situ with said soda solution by passing the soda solution through the filtration installation in the washing direction identical to the direction of the liquid to be filtered;passing through the filtration installation in the washing direction an enzyme composition at a temperature between approximately 40.degree. C. and approximately 60.degree. C. for between approximately 100 minutes and approximately 200 minutes, said enzyme composition including agents capable of lysing yeasts;washing said filtration adjuvant to eliminate therefrom the organic impurities waste products the size of which has been reduced sufficiently to make possible said elimination, said washing step being a second washing with a soda solution to eliminate waste products produced by the enzymatic composition passing step; andremoving grains of the adjuvant accumulated on the filtration support to clean said filtration support and to use said grains of adjuvant for a new filtration operation.