MEMTEK: next generation membranes for water treatment applications

# Record card
144
Thematic areas
Energy and environmental sustainability
Energy and environmental sustainability / Environmental engineering/technologies
Energy and environmental sustainability / Pollution treatment (air, soil, water)
Chemicals & Physics
Chemicals & Physics / Separation technologies
Agrifood
Agrifood / Agriculture
Agrifood / Food quality & safety
Description

WembraneX is an Italian start-up born with the ambition to make a significant contribution to UN Sustainable Goal 6 - Ensure Access to Clean Water and Sanitation for all by 2030.

Our technology allows a significant improvement in the performance of MBR based municipal and industrial water treatment facilities by decreasing their operating costs up to 50%. We achieve this goal through a new generation of membranes, which are easily retrofittable in existing facilities without additional capital investment. Specifically, the MEMTEK membrane manufactured by WembraneX has intrinsic anti-fouling and anti-microbial properties, is tailorable depending on the characteristics of the waters to be purified, has stable performance over time and is manufactured using environmentally friendly materials.

Business fields
Industry
Type of innovation
Product innovation
Description of innovative features / Competitive advantages

MEMTEK membranes in MBR based water treatment facilities provide several advantages compared to commercially available membranes and specifically:

  • Low fouling tendency; 
  • High antimicrobial activity; 
  • Properties tuneable to target application; 
  • High stability; 
  • Low environmental impact of the materials used in the manufacturing process. 

Based on an analysis to assess the operating costs improvements in a water treatment facility over 12 years, the use of a new MEMTEK membrane is expected to deliver a reduction of: 

  •  up to 75% in the use of chemicals for membrane modules cleaning;  
  •  up to 75% in the time spent for module cleaning; 
  •  up to 30% in membrane module replacement; 

this will translate in an estimated overall operating cost reduction up to 50% in a MBR-based facility.

Reference market
Incremental innovation
Impacts on existing markets
Creation of new markets
Development stage
Prototype
TRL
5
6
Advantages
New product/process/service/technology
Cost reduction
Patented technology
Yes
Country/ies

Italy, UK, Germany, France, Belgium e Holland

Technology validation/demonstration
External validation
Market positioning
Italian
European
International
Partner required
Enteprise
Seed capital
Cooperation in national /european / international project

Information
For more information and/or to be put in contact with the Research Team, please contact the Project Manager:

Barbara Angelini - Project Manager
CNR - Unità Valorizzazione della Ricerca
Phone number 06.49932415
E-mail barbara.angelini@cnr.it