Ultrafiltration (UF)

Ultrafiltration membranes physically hold back suspended solids, colloids, bacteria and viruses while dissolved salts pass through. The result is clear, low-turbidity water with a stable quality, whatever the variation in the feed. UF does not lower salinity, so it is often paired with reverse osmosis.

UF is the usual pre-treatment before RO and SWRO because it delivers consistently clean feed water. That reduces membrane fouling, cleaning frequency and cartridge use on the RO stage. Several AFG references combine UF and RO, including hotel plants in Kemer and Serik and a greenhouse system in Antalya.

On this site UF is part of plants from 864 m³/day (36 m³/h) at an Antalya banana greenhouse to 2,500 m³/day at a hotel in Kemer, with a 1,200 m³/day hotel seawater plant in between. New systems are sized from the flow, the raw water quality and the downstream process.

UF modules are backwashed automatically at set intervals and cleaned with chemicals when the pressure across the membranes rises. Pre-screening protects the modules from coarse particles. Routine work is mostly checking pressures, dosing stocks and automation alarms, with module replacement over the plant's life.