O-rings are essential to the operation of the CF042 Crossflow Cell, keeping the cell sealed tight against leaks or spills. But, understandably, shoving the round rings into the rectangular grooves of the cell is of a cause of consternation for our customers. So we put together a short tutorial to help you avoid a common mistake with the CF042:
To browse our complete collection of membrane testing cells, click here.
Global distribution has begun for Aquaporin Inside Forward Osmosis Membrane, and Sterlitech is proud to announce it is one of the first to offer the breakthrough product. Developed by Aquaporin A/S of Denmark, the new membrane is specifically designed to reduce the costs of water purification by harnessing a remarkable mechanism found in all forms of life on Earth.
“Aquaporin proteins make it possible for plants to draw water through their roots and for kidneys to filter wastes in our bloodstream,” said Sterlitech President Mark Spatz. “By synthesizing these proteins and incorporating them into a membrane, Aquaporin A/S has created a membrane product with uniquely high selectivity and flow rates.”
Discovered in 1992 by Peter Agre, aquaporins are protein structures integrated into the cell membranes of all living organisms and are critical for controlling water concentrations. The unique structure of these proteins allows water molecules to rapidly move in and out of a cell while denying passage to ions and other solutes. Research continues into other types of integrated membrane proteins that also allow for transport of small molecules, such as CO2, which may form the basis of other biomimetic membrane technologies of the future.
The Aquaporin Inside membrane is the first offered by Sterlitech that is specifically designed for forward osmosis evaluation applications. Available in 42 cm2, 190 cm2, and 400 in2 pre-cut sheets, researchers can also get comprehensive supplementary equipment to perform benchmark tests and application development.
About Sterlitech:
Sterlitech Corporation provides superior laboratory products, specializing in flat sheet filter membrane and membrane process and development equipment for a variety of industries, including occupational health and safety, petrochemical, fossil fuels and biotech. For precision and accuracy, Sterlitech’s membrane disc filters, filter holders, silt density index test kits, and syringe-and-capsule filters are consistently relied upon to assure exceptional results. Visit www.sterlitech.com for more information.
About Aquaporin A/S:
Aquaporin A/S is dedicated to revolutionizing water purification and desalination of seawater through the use of industrial biotechnological techniques and thinking. The main goal of Aquaporin A/S is to develop the Aquaporin Inside™ membrane technology, for which the company won the European Inventor Award in 2014.
Sterlitech Corporation is pleased to introduce Sepideh Jankhah, the latest member of our team, and the new product manager for Membrane/Process Development. She will be driving the development and design of lab-scale equipment top evaluate reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and microfiltration membranes and processes.
Sepideh brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise in the realm of membrane filtration. She received her Masters of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sherbooke and her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC). In her PhD research, she investigated the effect of hydrodynamic conditions on fouling rate in membrane filtration systems, and identified the optimum sparging conditions/design for fouling control in submerged membrane systems, which could result in 50% reduction in the power required for fouling control.
In addition, Sepideh holds membership with the American Water Works Association (AWWA), Canadian Water Network (CWN), and the British Columbia Water and Waste Association (BCWWA). In the BCWWA, she was a member of the Drinking Water Committee, where she was involved with the review of guidelines for drinking water quality and organized technical workshops at BCWWA annual conferences.
Since joining Sterlitech, Sepideh has listened to our customers’ feedback and spearheaded our efforts to improve our existing line of crossflow filtration and forward osmosis testing equipment. With her expertise, background, and passion for engineering, Sepideh will be a great resource for our customers while she helps us develop new products and systems to meet the needs of the rapidly innovating membrane filtration industry.
Silicosis is one of the oldest known and widespread occupational lung diseases. Caused by the inhalation of dust containing crystalline silica (SiO2), it kills thousands of people each year around the world. Silica is one of the most common minerals found in the crust and is released into the air when rocks, concrete, or sand are crushed, broken, or sprayed. Construction workers, miners and those that work with masonry, glass, and ceramics are particularly susceptible to exposure to airborne silica dust.
When inhaled, silica dust can lodge itself into the alveoli of lungs, deep enough that coughing and mucus cannot to remove it. The tiny particles cause inflammation and, eventually, the build-up of scar tissue in the lungs. The progress of the disease is gradual; many people with silicosis experience no symptoms initially. However, as the nodules of fibrous scar tissue grow larger, symptoms such as chronic coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue can develop. Silicosis can also create other health complications such as bacterial or fungal infections, emphysema, and even cancer.
Though it is widespread, especially in the developing world, silicosis is also preventable by limiting exposure to crystalline silica with protective equipment, and good dust control measures. The American Lung Association recommends steps such as using water sprays to lower the amount of airborne dust, using a properly fitted respirator, and practicing good workplace hygiene to minimize contact with crystalline silica dust. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), currently sets the permissible exposure limit for respirable silica dust at 100 μg/m3 as an eight-hour time-weighted average although it is also proposing to lower that limit to 50 μg/m3.
Environmental monitoring of the work site through air sampling and laboratory analysis is an important step in determining if protective equipment and dust control measure are adequately protecting workers from crystalline silica dust. The primary analytical method for determining the crystalline silica content of a sample is through x-ray diffraction (XRD) and the standard procedures for conducting this type of analysis on respirable silica dust are NIOSH 7500 and NIOSH 7501. Both of these methods involve the use of a Sterlitech silver membrane filter as the substrate that the sample is mounted prior to x-ray exposure. Silver membranes make excellent substrates for XRD analysis thanks to their smooth, reflective surface, low background noise, and distinct diffraction peaks.
The widespread adoption of protective equipment, dust control, and environmental monitoring have helped sharply reduce the incidence of silicosis in the United States. However, the abundance of silica means that the risk of developing silicosis remains ever present for people who work in construction, mines, quarries, and in the manufacture of powders, glass, and ceramics.
Further information:
"Preventing Silicosis and Deaths in Construction Workers." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. June 6, 2014.
"Hazard Prevention and Control in the Work Environment: Airborne Dust (WHO, 1999)." WHO.
"Silicosis." Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
"Preventing Silicosis." American Lung Association.
Late last month, we had the privilege of providing a few props for a special Thanksgiving episode of NCIS: New Orleans. The episode will air on Tuesday, November 25 at 9/8 Central on CBS. Be on the lookout for our glass filter holder and the Autofil vacuum filter.
With a new version of these pumps just on the horizon, Sterlitech is offering the remaining KNF Simdos 10 liquid handling pumps at 25% off of their usual list price. We have very limited quantities of these pumps remaining, so visit this page here to take advantage of this special offer.
From now until January 31, 2015, Sterlitech will be giving away a free Benchmark myBath 4L Water Bath with the purchase of a BenchMixer XL Multi-tube Vortexer (SKU: BV1010 for 115 VAC or BV1010-E for 220 VAC). The BenchMixer XL is a digital, high capacity vortexer that can accomodate almost any tube rack. The myBath 4L is a an excellent companion piece to the vortexer and comes with three racks for 1.5/2/0, 15, and 50 mL tubes. Visit our this page here to get your free myBath 4L Water Bath.
Don't forget to also browse Sterlitech's other special offers on this page here. The complete list of Sterlitech's vortexers and vortex mixers can be found here.
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Sterlitech's offices will closed on November 27-28, opening again on Monday, December 1. We here at Sterlitech have much to be thankful for this year, not the least of which is the ongoing support from our customers. We wish you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend!
Application Engineer Jason Struthers has been a member of the Sterlitech team since 2010, helping customers find the most suitable filtration products for their particular project or study. Like all of our employees, Jason brings a unique blend of experience, education, and a passion for solving problems to bear on an incredibly diverse range of scientific and product development applications.
A San Diego Native, Jason came to Seattle when he joined the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to study cancer proteins via mass spectrometry. During his time there, he also worked on potential HIV vaccines by assisting in the redesign of common adenoviruses. Back in his hometown, he did early bench research at UC San Diego designing and building monoclonal antibodies via Phage Display. Jason has also co-authored two scientific papers and several tradeshow posters and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Molecular Biology from Whitworth University in Spokane.
His academic background and experience in research make him a great resource for customers, sometimes in unexpected ways. In one example, when a chemical engineering client needed to concentrate a carbon nanomaterials mixture, he recommended combining a nylon membrane filter (originally designed for the medical industry), with a filter holder designed for crossflow filtration studies studies. Together, this unlikely combination was able to meet the client’s demand for a highly purified product.
Jason currently handles customers in all of the states west of the Mississippi River (except for Texas and Louisiana), the four westernmost Canadian provinces, all of Latin America (He has moderate fluency in Spanish), and all inquiries for membrane/process development equipment originating from Western Europe, the South Pacific, Japan, and South Korea. You can contact him at jstruthers@sterlitech.com or by phone at 253-981-6659.
Sterlitech is offering our first buy one, get one free Black Friday Special. For one week, from 11/28 until 12/5, when you buy one myFuge Mini-centrifuge, a CoolCube Microtube and PCR Plate Cooler, or a Mortexer Vortex Mixer, you can get a second one for free. You can place your Black Friday Order for these special products at on this page of our website.
Sterlitech is looking forward to meeting all of you at the following conferences and tradeshows in 2015:
AMTA/AWWA Membrane Technology Conference, March 2-6, Orlando, FL, Booth #112
Pittcon, March 8-12, New Orleans, LA, Booth #2745
ASM General Meeting, May 30-June 2, New Orleans, LA, Booth #945
NAOSMM Conference and Trade Show, July 27-31, Long Beach, CA, Booth #83
This promotion may be mini, but the savings are considerable. From now until March 31, 2015, Each purchase of a BenchMixer vortex mixer or a MC-12 microcentrifuge will come with a free miniature version, essentially, two vortex mixers or centrifuges for the price of one. Visit our monthly specials page for details.
One Sterlitech’s most veteran employees, Kristina Shahbazian has spent nine years proving herself to be an invaluable resource to clients and co-workers alike. As Sterlitech's Sales Manager, she leads and trains the members of the sales team, ensuring that our clients have the best customer service experience possible.
Kristina joined Sterlitech almost immediately after graduating from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular Cellular Biology and German. She uses her science background to interface with customers and enjoys learning about how they intend to push the boundaries of their field with the help of Sterlitech’s equipment. With her science expertise and sales savvy, Kristina has helped give Sterlitech a worldwide presence and made sure that our products are helping make scientific advancements globally.
Like Sterlitech itself, Kristina is a native of the Pacific Northwest, born and raised with a love its varied landscape, equally varied weather, local chocolates and warm summers. You can take advantage of her expertise by contacting her at kshahbazian@sterlitech.com.
In the remote mountains of northern Chile, miles away from nearest city or streetlight, construction of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) has begun. Coupling an extremely wide field of view with a 3200 megapixel digital camera, the LSST will be able to capture the entire night sky every few days, generating a wealth of information that will be used to detect signatures of dark matter and dark energy, map the Solar System and the Milky Way and observe fleeting stellar phenomena like supernovae.
In order to do this, the LSST relies on a complex system of lenses and reflecting mirrors to collect and focus incoming light; the largest of the mirrors is a mammoth 8.4 meters in diameter. To get the clearest view of the most obscure celestial objects, the telescope’s mirrors and lenses need to be free of terrestrial contaminants. When the researchers working on the LSST asked us to recommend a filter media to keep dust out of a pressurized lens assembly, we recommended that they test out one of our Aspire PTFE filters.
Aspire membranes are created by expanding PTFE into a three-dimensional web-like structure with billions of microscopic pores. Air or gases can pass through the membrane while its microporous structure blocks out liquids and particulates as small as 0.1 micron, making them a good choice for applications where contaminant rejection is key.
Sterlitech offers Aspire ePTFE membrane filters as cut discs and in packs of 200 mm x 250 mm sheets with pore sizes ranging from 0.1 microns to 5.0 microns. The membranes are supported by a layer of polypropylene or polyester to improve durability and are available in thicknesses ranging from 2 to 12 mil. The full range of Sterlitech’s Aspire Membranes, including hydrophilic and oleophobic versions, can be found on this page here. You can also visit this page to learn more about the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and its mission.
Toray is discontinuing the production the 70AC reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. This membrane is being replaced in Sterlitech's line-up by Toray's new 73AC RO membrane. The table below lists the specifications of the new membrane for easy comparison. To browse our complete selection of RO membranes or to place an order with us, click here.
|
Designation (SKU) |
Manufacturer | Polymer | Molecular Weight Cut-off (MWCO) | Rej-Size | 25°C pH Range | Typical Flux/psi GFD@PSI |
|
73AC |
Toray | Polyamide | 0 MWCO | 99.8 | 2-11 |
30.7/225 |
Tauni Wright is a Sales Engineer who joined Sterlitech in April 2013 and quickly established herself as an excellent resource for our clients. She enjoys using her background in science to meet the challenge of providing effective, efficient solutions for customers.
Before joining Sterlitech, Tauni analyzed cheese, milk and whey for microbial contamination at the Tillamook County Creamery Organization and performed tests to verify that all of those products met state, federal and local regulations. Tauni graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology. During her studies at WSU, she conducted research to help identify and characterize microbial enzymes that are involved in industrial biofuel production.
Her experience in the laboratory, both academically and professionally, gives Tauni good insight and perspective on how to help the researchers, students, and scientists who contact Sterlitech. You can contact Tauni by emailing her at twright@sterlitech.com.
Schistosomiasis is one of the most widespread diseases in the world, with an estimated 200 million people infected across the world. It is a chronic and debilitating disease caused by parasitic worms called schistosomes. The World Health Organization wants to have Schistosomiasis under control by 2020 and one of Sterlitech's customers, the Natural History Museum in London, is tackling the disease head on.
The Natural History Museum, in partnership with other organizations including the Zanzibar Ministry of Health, is helping with the WHO's initiative with a special project called the Zanzibar Elimination of Schistosomiasis Transmission (ZEST). ZEST's goal is to reduce the number of new cases of schistosomiasis using a three-pronged approach to eliminate the worms that cause the disease:
The Natural History Museum hopes that once their approach has proven itself, that it will be used a the model to eliminate the disease throughout the rest of world.
You can learn more about the Natural History Museum, schistosomiasis and the ZEST project from their blog here.
Sterlitech also has additional information on Schistosomiasis in a white paper that we published last year. We also offer schistosome testing kits (which are used by Natural History Museum) on our website.
When the Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers to reach the Super Bowl, Seattle fans exploded in celebration. The excitement was so strong and so real that it became tangible. And when it did, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) was on hand to quantify it.
Since 2011, when Seattle fans first tripped their seismic sensors, the PNSN has been monitoring the ground vibrations caused by crowd activity at CenturyLink Field. This year, they placed new sensors in the stadium itself to test new technologies that will track earthquakes and disseminate seismic information to the public and authorities in the event of a real earthquake.
Their new tool, dubbed "QuickShake," displays vibration data from CenturyLink Field in real-time on their website. There is a three-second delay between the detection of the vibrations and when users were able to see them on the QuickShake tool. To put that in perspective, the time delay in live broadcasts of football games is 10 seconds. If you were watching the feed on QuickShake tool, you would have known when the crowds got to their feet before you actually saw it happen on your TV. You can check out the recaps of the PNSN's seismic coverage on their blog.
The PNSN is headquartered at the Department of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. It is a joint collaboration between the University of Washington and the University of Oregon to monitor volcanic activity and seismic movement throughout the Pacific Northwest.
We have two new animations that show the inner workings and assembly of our Sepa CF and Sepa CF-FO membrane testing cells.
The Sepa CF Cell is a lab-scale cross flow filtration unit that provides fast and accurate performance data with minimal amounts of membrane, product, expense or time. This cell is capable of performing reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, and microfiltration.
The Sepa CF-FO Cell is a variant designed for forward osmosis and pressure-retarded osmosis.
Both of these cells are available on our Membrane/Process Development page along with all of the components necessary for operation.
From March 8-12, Sterlitech will be exhibiting at Pittcon in New Orleans! Stop by Booth 2745 where our team will be there to show off our latest products and answer all of your questions. You can also contact us with your questions ahead of time so we can prepare our answers for you.
Booth Staff:
March 9-10: Mark and Kristina
March 10-12: Tauni and Brandon