3M BW Specifications
®
LifeASSURE BW
Membrane Filters for Bottled Water Service
LifeASSURE BW BLA100 filters have been
tested and certified by NSF International to
Standard 53. This standard was developed
in conjunction with the bottled water industry
to certify filter performance in removing
Cryptosporidium
meets EPA and CDC recommendations.
LifeASSURE BW filters are an effective
means of providing microbiological control in
water without the need for ozone. Ozone
can generate unwanted disinfection by-prod
ucts, such as bromate, leading the EPA to
introduce regulations restricting the level of
bromate in drinking water to <10 mg/L (10
ppb). The International Bottled Water Asso
ciation (IBWA) recommends membrane
filtration as an option in providing microbio
logical control, without the use of ozone, as
part of a “multi-barrier” approach to water
safety.
Fluid Purification
and
Giardia
cysts and
®
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LifeASSURE®BW membrane filter cartridges
are used as final filters in bottled water and
other beverage grade water requiring high retention of
Cryptosporidium,Giardia
,
heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria, and
other microorganisms. Encompassing two
leading edge technologies, FlexN™ membrane
manufacture and MaxMedia™ pleating con
struction, the LifeASSURE BW series of filters
offers an unmatched combination of exception
ally high microorganism retention and long
service life.
Features Benefits
+
Multi-zone, FlexN Nylon membrane
+
Exceptionally high HPC microorganism retention
+
Extended service life
+
No disinfection by-products
NSF International
NSF International is a widely respected independent certification organization and the
accepted authority in evaluating filter claims
related to water and public health. Only
products tested and certified by NSF are allowed to carry their mark. LifeASSURE BW
BLA100 has been tested and certified by
NSF to Standard 53
for reduction of
cysts. This inde
pendent certification
assures the rigor,
reproducibility and
impartiality that the
bottled water indus
try has come to
expect from NSF.
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Tested and certified by NSF
International against ANSI/NSF
Standard 53 for the reduction of
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Cysts and material requirements only
+
MaxMedia construction providing high
membrane surface area
+
ANSI/NSF Std. 53 certified and listed
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100% integrity tested in manufacturing
and testable by the user
+
Fast per-cartridge flow rates
+
Smaller filter housing assemblies required
+
Reliable cyst reduction as certified by the only
accredited testing body for cyst reduction
+
Ensures proper installation and operation
FlexN™ Membrane
LifeASSURE BW membrane filters incorporate
CUNO’s advanced FlexN membrane technol
ogy*. It allows unmatched flexibility in creating
a multi-zone membrane that offers the maxi
mum in contaminant holding capacity while
providing very high per-cartridge flow rates.
The cross-section SEM photograph shows that
a single layer of LifeASSURE BW membrane
consists of an “open” zone on the upstream
side of the membrane and a “tighter” zone on
the downstream side. In effect, the open zone
acts are a prefilter by capturing larger particles
and microorganisms while the tighter zone re
tains smaller microorganisms. This multi-zone
structure eliminates the need for a dual layer
membrane or thick, fibrous filter media com
monly used in other filter cartridges. The
result? LifeASSURE BW filters provide more
membrane surface area per cartridge, faster
cartridge flow rates and longer service life.
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Microorganism Reduction
Microorganism control is a critical parameter
in preparation of quality bottled or beverage
grade water. LifeASSURE BW membrane
filters consistently exhibit a greater reduction
of microorganisms than competitive filters. In
tests conduced with
fluorescens
(a typical heterotrophic plate
count, or HPC, organism) LifeASSURE BW
BLA100 grade filters exhibited retention far
exceeding that of similarly rated filters (Table
1.).
Table 1.
Filter Average LRV*
CUNO LifeASSURE BW BLA100
Osmonics Flowtrex™ GF
Whatman VTEC
Pall AbsoLife™
Even in tests with
(considered one of the smallest bacteria)
LifeASSURE BLA020 and BLA045 grade fil
ters exhibited log reduction values (LRV)
significantly higher than similarly rated filters
(Table 2.)
Pseudomonas
6.5
0.8
1.5
0.1
Brevundimonas diminuta
,
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SEM Photograph Showing LifeASSURE BW Membrane
Cross-Section
MaxMedia™ Construction
LifeASSURE cartridge filters also feature
CUNO’s innovative MaxMedia construction for
extended service life. This design technology
maximizes the useful surface area of the filter
while maintaining proper flow paths between
media pleats. By employing as much as 50%
more effective surface
area than competitive
filters, the
LifeASSURE
BW filter pro
vides lower
pressure
drops, longer
service life
and lower
overall filtra
tion costs.
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Table 2.
Filter Average LRV
CUNO LifeASSURE BW BLA020
Millipore Milligard
CUNO LifeASSURE BW BLA045
Millipore Milligard CWSC
* LRV =log10 number of organisms in/number of
organisms out.
Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of
®
CWSS
. Magnification: 8,400X.
parvum
7.3
4.5
3.5
2.6
Cryptosporidium
Optimized Service Life
As the data in Chart 1 and Tables 1 & 2
demonstrate, LifeASSURE BW cartridges
are designed to provide both enhanced ser
vice life without sacrificing effluent quality or
microorganism retention. A laboratory study
was conducted to measure the relative ser
vice life of filters marketed as cyst reducing
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