Membrane separation is a technology which selectively separates (fractionates) materials via pores and/or minute gaps in the molecular arrangement of a continuous structure. Membrane separations are classified by pore size and by the separation driving force. These classifications are: Microfiltration (MF), Ultrafiltration (UF), Ion-Exchange (IE), and Reverse Osmosis (RO). When membrane filtration is used for the removal of larger particles, micro filtration and ultra-filtration are applied. Because of the open character of the membranes the productivity is high while the pressure differences are low.
