Oil-Water Separation of Cutting Drainage by a Spiral Cross Flow with Ceramic Filter

Abstract

Oil-water separation of cutting drainage using a spiral cross flow with ceramic filter was conducted. Hollow ceramic filter (1 . 2 μ m and 2 . 5 μ m openings) with a spiral rod was used as a separation membrane. In the separation experiment, water separation from real cutting drainage, which contained water, mineral oil, detergent and cutting dust, was conducted, and the effect of separation conditions, including emulsion rate, filter opening, and emulsion type, on the separation rate and separation ratio was evaluated. As results, the spiral cross flow using a ceramic filter had the capability to separate water from cutting drainage, and the oil ratio in the separated water was less than 1% regardless of the separation conditions and emulsion types. The separation ratio over the treatment time remained constant at a high value regardless of the separation time. As FT-IR analysis of the filtrate, mineral oil components and water in the cutting drainage were completely separated by the ceramic filter. Water soluble components, such as fatty acid, on the other hand, could not be separated by the ceramic filter.