Glorinda’s services
Membrane and Filtration Technologies
At Glorinda, we design and deliver membrane and filtration systems that separate suspended solids and contaminants ahead of the main treatment stage, reducing fouling risk and lowering the operating cost of downstream processes.
Membrane and Filtration Technologies
Glorinda provides ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, ceramic and silicon carbide membranes in hollow fibre, tubular and flat sheet configurations, as well as membrane bioreactors, selected according to the specific foulants and process requirements rather than a standard catalogue.
Most membrane performance issues result from incorrect selection rather than membrane failure. A polymeric hollow fibre module in a stream containing oil and grease will foul. A flat sheet configuration in a high-solids application may blind. A membrane selected based on price per square metre may require more frequent cleaning than one selected according to the chemistry of the contaminants it must reject.
Your solution can be the right membrane, not more membrane.
“The membrane plant we bought can't handle our solids”.
What problem does it solve?
Glorinda works with a wide range of membrane technologies to ensure selection is based on process data. These include ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, ceramic and silicon carbide membranes; hollow fibre, tubular and flat sheet configurations; and membrane bioreactors where biological treatment and separation need to operate within the same footprint.
Benefits
Selection driven by foulants
Oil and grease, high solids, abrasive particles, high temperature, extreme pH and aggressive cleaning chemistry all point to different membrane materials. We start from what is in the water.
Configuration matched to solids
Hollow fibre for clean feeds and high packing density; tubular where solids and viscosity are high and cross-flow velocity matters; flat sheet where access and modularity dominate.
A stage, not an island
Membranes sit inside MLD, ZLD pre-treatment, desalination and post-treatment trains. We design them in context so the recovery target and the cleaning regime are compatible.
MBR where footprint is the constraint
Membrane bioreactors decouple biomass retention from settling, so a plant can carry more biomass in the same tank and produce a consistently high-quality effluent. The usual answer for a municipal works with nowhere to expand.
How it works
Membrane separation works on size exclusion and, for tighter membranes, on charge and diffusion. The engineering decisions are which cut-off you need, which material survives the feed and the cleaning regime, and which configuration handles the solids loading at the cross-flow velocity you can afford to pump.
Below are the technologies we work with and what each is genuinely good at.
01
Ultrafiltration (UF)
Membrane separation works on size exclusion and, for tighter membranes, on charge and diffusion. The engineering decisions are which cut-off you need, which material survives the feed and the cleaning regime, and which configuration handles the solids loading at the cross-flow velocity you can afford to pump.
Below are the technologies we work with and what each is genuinely good at.
02
Nanofiltration (NF)
Sits between UF and RO. Rejects divalent ions, hardness, colour and larger organics while passing much of the monovalent salt load. Frequently the right answer for colour removal and for selective softening where full desalination is not required.
03
Silicon carbide (SiC) membranes
Highly hydrophilic, which resists organic and oil fouling; chemically inert across the full pH range; and thermally stable. In this segment Glorinda partners with Cembrane, the world’s leading producer of SiC membranes for water and wastewater treatment, ensuring state-of-the-art solutions for our clients.
04
Ceramic membranes
Inorganic, mechanically robust and chemically tolerant. They handle high temperature, extreme pH, oxidative cleaning and abrasive solids that would destroy a polymeric module, and they tolerate aggressive clean-in-place regimes that restore flux rather than gradually reducing it.
05
Membrane bioreactors (MBR)
Biological treatment with membrane separation replacing the secondary clarifier. Biomass is retained by the membrane rather than by settling, which allows higher mixed liquor concentrations, a smaller footprint and an effluent quality that does not degrade when the sludge settles badly. Where the load is high in organics and the objective is energy recovery, the anaerobic variant is usually better. See AnaeroMBR.
Where this is used
Membrane and filtration systems are selected based on feed water characteristics, contaminant load, and downstream treatment requirements. Glorinda deploys ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and membrane bioreactor technologies as pre-treatment across industrial and municipal water and wastewater projects, reducing fouling risk and protecting downstream equipment.
Oil, gas and petrochemical
Power generation
Food and pharma
Rubber manufacturing
Cement
Steel
Palm oil
Textile
Mining
Wood and paper
Electronic industries
Consumer goods manufacturing (CGMF)
Typical usages
- Colour and hardness removal by nanofiltration
- Fibre recovery from paper machine effluent White water recovery loops
- High-temperature or extreme-pH streams requiring ceramic or SiC
- Solids-laden feeds requiring tubular configuration
- Pre-treatment ahead of reverse osmosis in MLD and ZLD trains
- Secondary clarifier replacement in a capacity-constrained works
- Oil and grease separation where polymeric membranes foul
Which MLD systems suits your needs?
Selecting a process is an engineering decision, not a purchasing one. We run feasibility and pre-feasibility studies, characterise the stream, compare the routes on capital and operating cost, and act as owner’s engineer while somebody else builds it if that suits you better.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the foulants, not the flow. Oil and grease, abrasive solids, high temperature, extreme pH and oxidative cleaning all push towards ceramic or silicon carbide. Clean feeds with high flow favour polymeric hollow fibre. High solids and viscosity favour tubular. Send us an analysis and we will tell you which and why.
Where the constraint is footprint or effluent consistency, usually yes. MBR retains biomass on the membrane rather than by settling, so the plant carries more biomass in the same tank and the effluent quality does not collapse when the sludge settles badly. Where the constraint is energy cost on a high-organic load, look at anaerobic treatment instead.
By finding out what is actually fouling. Autopsy of a failed module, a proper feed analysis and a review of the cleaning regime normally identify it within days. The fix is often pre-treatment or a change of cleaning chemistry rather than new membranes.
Yes, and we can also supply it as part of a wider treatment package. We ask to see the whole line either way; a membrane stage designed without visibility of what feeds it is where performance guarantees go wrong.
Take this further
Send us the stream data, the discharge limit or the equipment list you are working from. An engineer reads every enquiry and replies with the questions that actually decide the solution — not a brochure.