Pile Cloth Media Selection Guide
Which R+F filtration grade is right for your application? A systematic comparison of our three media types.
Key Decision Criteria
Choosing the right pile cloth media depends on several factors. Consider the following criteria when selecting your media:
Discharge limits
What TSS and TP limits must be achieved?
Application purpose
Tertiary treatment, water reuse, or micropollutant removal?
Operating conditions
Influent quality, throughput requirements and existing chemical dosing?
Comparing Our Three Filtration Grades
R+F Standard
Workhorse media for general tertiary filtration. Excellent balance of flow capacity, TSS removal, and media longevity. Suitable for the widest range of applications.
Ideal Applications:
- General tertiary treatment (TSS < 10 mg/L)
- Pre-treatment for UV disinfection
- Stormwater overflow treatment
- Industrial process water polishing
R+F Bioactive
Enhanced microfiber media for higher removal efficiency. Finer pile fibers create a denser filtration matrix for superior particle capture, including phosphorus bound to fine particles.
Ideal Applications:
- Phosphorus removal to < 0.5 mg/L TP
- Enhanced tertiary treatment (TSS < 5 mg/L)
- Water reuse applications
- Membrane pre-filtration
R+F SuperMicroFiber
Ultra-fine filtration media for the most demanding applications. Maximum particle retention capability for micropollutant carriers, powdered activated carbon (PAC), and ultra-low phosphorus targets.
Ideal Applications:
- Ultra-low phosphorus (< 0.1 mg/L TP)
- PAC retention for micropollutant removal
- Microplastic removal
- High-purity water reuse
Quick-Reference Comparison
| Criterion | Standard (10 µm) | Bioactive (5 µm) | SuperMicroFiber (2.5 µm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSS target | < 10 mg/L | < 5 mg/L | < 2 mg/L |
| TP target (with coagulation) | < 1 mg/L | < 0.5 mg/L | < 0.1 mg/L |
| Throughput capacity | High | Medium-High | Medium |
| Media lifespan | 7–10 years | 5–8 years | 5–7 years |
| PAC retention | Limited | Good | Very good |
| Microplastics | Partial | Good | Very good |
Fibre Construction as the Second Selection Criterion
Besides the separation grade, the construction of the pile determines how a cloth behaves under rising solids load — cycle length, retention and rinse water demand. We measured three pile constructions under four defined load cases.
Staple fibre pile cloth
Spun staple fibre pile with a high fibre count per unit area. Builds a dense filtration matrix quickly and holds a stable separation efficiency even when the solids loading rate rises sharply.
- Separation (normal load)
- 92.5 %
- Separation (extreme load)
- 95 %
- Backwash rate (normal load)
- 5.1 %
Multifilament pile cloth
Continuous multifilament yarn pile. Smooth filament surfaces release captured solids readily during suction cleaning, which keeps the separation efficiency rising with increasing load.
- Separation (normal load)
- 96 %
- Separation (extreme load)
- 97.3 %
- Backwash rate (normal load)
- 7.04 %
Microfibre pile cloth
Fine microfibre pile, densely installed on the woven support fabric. Delivers the lowest effluent TSS values of the three constructions — down to 0.53 mg/l under low load — at the cost of shorter filtration cycles.
- Separation (normal load)
- 92.2 %
- Separation (extreme load)
- 96.3 %
- Backwash rate (normal load)
- 6.59 %
All four load cases with inlet TSS, filtration speed, solids loading rate, effluent value, cycle length and backwash rate are shown in the performance data overview.
Need Individual Advice?
Our technical team is happy to help you select the optimal media for your specific application and plant configuration.