This article introduces the cellulose high flow filter cartridge, a natural fibre filter media designed for cost-effective ultrafiltration pretreatment in water treatment systems. A liquid filter constructed with cellulose media delivers stable particle retention with excellent dirt holding capacity, while offering a more environmentally friendly option compared to fully synthetic filter elements. This cartridge shares the standard 4.5-inch housing footprint and can be directly replaced with 4.5 Inch Diameter Filter Cartridge for Ultrafiltration Pre-treatment, which simplifies upgrade and replacement work for existing UF skids. It is widely preferred in low-corrosive aqueous pretreatment scenarios where operators pursue balanced filtration performance and lower operational expenditure.
Cellulose High Flow Filter Cartridge for Eco-Friendly UF Pretreatment
This article introduces the cellulose high flow filter cartridge, a natural fibre filter media designed for cost-effective ultrafiltration pretreatment in water treatment systems. A liquid filter constructed with cellulose media delivers stable particle retention with excellent dirt holding capacity, while offering a more environmentally friendly option compared to fully synthetic filter elements. This cartridge shares the standard 4.5-inch housing footprint and can be directly replaced with 4.5 Inch Diameter Filter Cartridge for Ultrafiltration Pre-treatment, which simplifies upgrade and replacement work for existing UF skids. It is widely preferred in low-corrosive aqueous pretreatment scenarios where operators pursue balanced filtration performance and lower operational expenditure.
Cellulose high flow filter cartridge is a pleated high-flow filter element that uses natural cellulose fibre as the main filter medium. It fills a unique position in the ultrafiltration pretreatment filtration sequence, suitable for general water bodies with mild chemical properties, low corrosivity and moderate solid content. Unlike polypropylene, fiberglass or stainless steel filter media, cellulose comes from renewable plant fibre raw materials, which makes it a sustainable alternative for factories and water treatment plants with green procurement requirements.
The structural design follows the mature high-flow cartridge standard. The cellulose filter medium is folded into pleats to expand the effective filtration area, supported by an inner rigid core and outer protective cage, matched with sealed end caps, to achieve high flow output under a single cartridge. Its outer diameter is 4.5 inches, and common specifications include 20, 40 and 60 inches in length, perfectly matching mainstream high-flow filter housings on the market. For users who already run ultrafiltration pretreatment lines, the interchangeable feature is one of the biggest advantages. When you need to switch filter media types, you can refer to High Flow Rate Filter Cartridge for Ultrafiltration Pre-treatment for installation size and flow parameter comparison.
It is necessary to clarify the applicable boundary of cellulose media. Cellulose fibre has good adsorption capacity for colloids, organic matter and fine suspended particles in water, but it is not resistant to strong acid, strong alkali and high-temperature continuous operation. Therefore, it is not recommended for CIP hot cleaning cycles, high-temperature condensate or highly corrosive chemical liquid filtration. In this kind of limiting working conditions, users can select Absolute Micron Rating High Flow Filter for UF Pre-treatment with synthetic media to obtain stable filtration accuracy.
In the staged filtration design of the ultrafiltration system, cellulose high flow cartridges are usually arranged in the middle and coarse protection stage, to intercept most suspended solids, sediment and organic colloids, reduce the pollution load of the subsequent fine filter. The final fine protection before the membrane can choose 5 Micron High Flow Filter Cartridge for Ultrafiltration Pre-treatment to form a complete graded filtration system. If the raw water turbidity is high, adding 100 Micron High Flow Filter Cartridge for Ultrafiltration Pre-treatment as the primary pre-filter can further extend the service life of the cellulose cartridge.
The core value of cellulose media lies in its high dirt holding capacity for organic pollutants and low procurement cost. For surface water, groundwater, municipal reclaimed water and other conventional water sources, it can effectively reduce SDI value, protect ultrafiltration membranes from particle and colloid fouling, and extend the service cycle of the UF membrane module.
Cellulose high flow filter cartridge adopts radial outer-to-inner flow mode. The raw water flows into the pleated cellulose medium from the outer cage, and the filtrate converges to the inner core and flows out. The filtration mechanism is mainly depth filtration, supplemented by surface interception. The natural cellulose fibre forms a loose and irregular three-dimensional pore structure. When the water flow passes through, suspended particles, colloids, algae fragments and organic impurities are trapped in the staggered fibre gaps.
Compared with synthetic fibre, cellulose fibre has natural hydrophilicity, which means the water wets the medium quickly, and the pressure drop builds up gently at the initial stage of operation. The fibre surface has a certain adsorption effect on polar organic matter, which can capture part of soluble macromolecular organics that are difficult to intercept by simple screen filtration, which is very helpful for controlling organic fouling of ultrafiltration membranes.
As the filtration proceeds, the captured pollutants gradually fill the pore channels inside the cellulose medium, the differential pressure of the filter cartridge rises slowly. When the pressure difference reaches the preset threshold, the cartridge needs to be replaced. It should be noted that cellulose media cannot be regenerated by hot alkali cleaning or steam sterilization. Once the pores are blocked, the internal fibre structure will collapse after backwashing, and the filtration accuracy cannot be restored.
The pore size distribution of cellulose media is relatively wide, so most cellulose high flow cartridges adopt nominal micron rating. It is suitable for scenarios that do not require strict absolute particle cut-off efficiency. If the project requires high-efficiency particle interception, absolute rated synthetic filter media is a more suitable choice. The natural hydrophilic property also makes cellulose media less prone to air locking during system start-up, which simplifies the commissioning work of the ultrafiltration pretreatment system.
Filter medium: natural cellulose fibre, pleated configuration. Nominal outer diameter: 4.5 inch. Available lengths: 20 inch, 40 inch, 60 inch. Micron ratings: 1μm, 5μm, 10μm, 25μm, 50μm, 100μm, nominal micron rating. Support structure: PP inner core, PP outer cage. End cap material: polypropylene. Seal options: EPDM, silicone. Maximum continuous operating temperature: 60℃. Chemical compatibility: suitable for neutral and weakly acidic aqueous liquid; not suitable for strong alkali, strong oxidant, high-temperature steam and organic solvent.
Flow performance: under the same size and precision, the flow rate is close to conventional polypropylene high flow filter cartridges. Dirt holding capacity for organic colloid is better than ordinary melt-blown PP media. Differential pressure for replacement recommendation: 0.35 MPa. Operating pH range: 4 ~ 9.
The above parameters are based on clean water test conditions. The actual on-site pressure drop and service cycle will be affected by raw water turbidity, organic content, temperature and flow velocity. Before batch application, we recommend carrying out on-site trial operation to confirm the replacement cycle and filtration effect.
Our cellulose high flow filter cartridges are manufactured under ISO 9001 quality control system. The incoming cellulose raw paper is inspected for grammage, pore uniformity, tensile strength and impurity content. The fibre raw material must avoid residual inorganic impurities, so as to prevent secondary pollution to the ultrafiltration membrane.
The pleating process is precisely controlled to ensure uniform pleat spacing, avoid local over-compression or loose gaps, prevent fluid channeling which will reduce filtration efficiency. After hot melting and bonding of end caps, each cartridge will undergo air tightness inspection to eliminate leakage risk. Finished products will be sampled for particle challenge test and pressure drop test to verify the actual retention performance.
All products are cleaned and packed in dust-free workshop before delivery. Batch test reports can be provided upon request. We strictly control the adhesive used in the medium, select water-insoluble food-grade adhesive, reduce the risk of organic dissolution into the filtrate. Every batch of finished products retains production records, which is convenient for traceability. We will remind customers in the product data sheet of the applicable chemical and temperature limits, to avoid improper use leading to early failure.
It is the most mainstream application scenario. For river water, lake water and well water, cellulose cartridges effectively intercept sediment, colloid and algae, reduce SDI value and protect ultrafiltration membranes.
In the reuse project of municipal wastewater, cellulose media has good adsorption capacity for residual organic pollutants, which helps to reduce the organic fouling load of the subsequent UF system.
For neutral process water in food and beverage factories, natural cellulose material meets the requirements of low chemical precipitation, suitable for the pretreatment of production water.
In large-scale aquaculture water circulation systems, cellulose high flow cartridges remove residual feed residue and biological debris, maintain stable water quality and protect the membrane filtration unit.
For cooling circulating water with low corrosion, it is used as a side-stream filter to reduce suspended solids and organic slime, with low replacement cost and simple operation.
A: Cellulose media is natural hydrophilic fibre, better at adsorbing colloids and organic matter, lower cost and renewable raw material. But it cannot withstand high temperature and strong alkali. PP media has wider chemical tolerance and higher temperature resistance, suitable for more complex chemical working conditions.
A: Generally not recommended. The cellulose fibre structure is easy to collapse after backwashing or chemical cleaning, the pore structure will be damaged, and the filtration accuracy will decrease permanently. It is a disposable filter element.
A: The stable operating pH range is 4-9, and the continuous working temperature should not exceed 60℃. Strong alkali, strong oxidizing agents and high-temperature water will cause rapid degradation of the cellulose fibre.
A: Not recommended. Cellulose usually adopts nominal micron rating, and its particle interception consistency is lower than absolute rated filter. It is more suitable for the front protection stage. The fine protection before the membrane still needs absolute rated filter media.
A: Qualified products use stable adhesive and complete supporting cage structure. Under normal operating pressure, the risk of fibre shedding is very low. Do not exceed the maximum differential pressure, otherwise the medium will be damaged.
A: Yes, the 4.5-inch outer diameter and standard end cap structure are universal. You only need to confirm the length, seal material and flow rate to complete the replacement.
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