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Surface water · Drinking water · Submerged UF
UF for surface and drinking water.
A physical UF barrier for surface, spring and groundwater that handles turbid raw water, often without a flocculant. Scrub UF can replace a floc, settle and sand-filter train with a screen, UF and disinfection.
Typical values from reference installations, test data and design studies. Your proposal sets the design point and guaranteed values for your feed.
Process
Screen, UF, disinfect.
| Item | Scrub UF | Conventional treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Process steps | Screen, UF, disinfection | Coagulation, flocculation, settling, sand filter, disinfection |
| Coagulant | Often none | Required; dose tracks raw water |
| Turbidity swings | Tolerated by the membrane barrier | Need dose re-tuning |
| Sludge | Less, without coagulant chemicals | Chemical sludge |
| Footprint | Compact process | Large settling and filter area |
Treatment for potable use must meet the applicable state and federal requirements. We review certification and approval needs with you per project.
Reference case
Village spring water.
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Capacity | About 26,000 gpd (100 m³/d) |
| Source | Surface mountain spring water |
| Raw turbidity | 11–40 NTU |
| Permeate turbidity | Below 0.3 NTU |
| Use | Daily household water after disinfection |
One reference case. Results on other sources will differ.
What the long-term test shows.
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Feed | Micro-polluted river water | One test site |
| Observed flux | About 24–29 GFD (40–50 LMH) | Clean surface water; not a design value |
| Observed TMP | About 1.1–2.3 psi (7–16 kPa) | Recovers after each cleaning cycle and drain |
| Zyramic design flux | 9–12 GFD (15–20 LMH); peak 15 GFD (25 LMH) | Basis for proposals until pilot data supports more |
Compared with submerged hollow fiber.
| One reference comparison | Scrub UF | Submerged hollow fiber |
|---|---|---|
| Feed TSS tolerance | About 200 mg/L | About 100 mg/L |
| Time between chemical cleans | About 20 days | About 7 days |
| Membrane life | About 5 years | About 3 years |
| Water recovery | About 90% | About 85% |
Typical reference values from published test data. Feed-dependent; we confirm by pilot.
Packaged units
Scrub UF sizes, 861 to 11,300 ft² (80 to 1,050 m²).
| Model | Membrane area | L × W × H | Design permeate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scrub-UF80 | 861 ft² (80 m²) | 3'-3" × 3'-3" × 5'-11" (1,000 × 1,000 × 1,800 mm) | 5–7 gpm 7,800–10,300 gpd (29–38 m³/d) |
| Scrub-UF260-1 | 2,800 ft² (260 m²) | 3'-11" × 7'-3" × 7'-5" (1,200 × 2,200 × 2,250 mm) | 17–23 gpm 25,200–33,600 gpd (94–125 m³/d) |
| Scrub-UF350-1 | 3,770 ft² (350 m²) | 3'-11" × 7'-3" × 8'-4" (1,200 × 2,200 × 2,530 mm) | 24–31 gpm 33,900–45,200 gpd (126–168 m³/d) |
| Scrub-UF260-2 | 5,600 ft² (520 m²) | 7'-7" × 7'-3" × 7'-5" (2,300 × 2,200 × 2,250 mm) | 35–47 gpm 50,400–67,200 gpd (187–250 m³/d) |
| Scrub-UF350-3 | 11,300 ft² (1,050 m²) | 11'-0" × 7'-3" × 8'-4" (3,350 × 2,200 × 2,530 mm) | 71–94 gpm 101,700–135,600 gpd (378–504 m³/d) |
*Design permeate at 9–12 GFD (15–20 LMH), peak 15 GFD (25 LMH). On clean water, flux may run higher; we confirm that by pilot or reference data before we design to it. A 0.16 in (4.0 mm) sheet family is also available (Scrub-UF210 / UF280).
Larger plants can use a multi-cell tank, with each cell taken offline for cleaning while the others keep producing. We confirm the configuration per project. Units are assembled in Poughkeepsie, NY. Tell us your domestic-content or BABA requirements and we'll review what we can document. UF catalog Rev03 (PDF).
Questions
Common questions
Can Scrub UF run without flocculant on surface water?
In many cases, yes. Direct filtration of surface water without flocculant is a common Scrub UF duty. Very high color or organics may still need a dose or a polishing step.
Is Scrub UF certified for drinking water?
Certification and state approval requirements depend on the project. Tell us your requirements and we will review what we can document.
How fast can I pilot?
The Scrub-UF80 packaged unit, 861 ft² (80 m²), is available to buy or rent for a pilot.
What flux do you design to?
9–12 GFD (15–20 LMH). Clean surface water may run higher; we confirm that by pilot before designing to it.
Send us your water data.
We will size Scrub UF for your flow and feed, or set up a Scrub-UF80 pilot.