Image credit: Pixabay

A research team at Cornell University has developed a reusable cyclodextrin-based nanofiber membrane capable of removing triclosan and other micropollutants from water with exceptionally high efficiency. In laboratory tests, the self-supporting polycyclodextrin membrane, produced through electrospinning to generate ultrafine fibers with very high surface area, achieved nearly 90% removal of triclosan, reaching 75% removal within the first 15 minutes and approaching saturation after six hours. Its performance was not limited to a single contaminant; the membrane also effectively captured ciprofloxacin and oxybenzone, demonstrating robustness across pharmaceuticals and personal-care pollutants. Importantly, the material maintained consistent adsorption efficiency in real-world water samples, including streams, groundwater, and wastewater effluents, confirming its applicability beyond controlled laboratory conditions.
A major advantage of the membrane lies in its sustainability and ease of reuse. Unlike powdered adsorbents that require high-energy regeneration processes, this fibrous material can be restored simply by washing and reused without significant performance loss. Its biodegradable, corn starch-derived polymer composition also presents a greener alternative to traditional adsorbents such as activated carbon. Advanced characterization using rotating frame Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy further validated pollutant capture mechanisms and structural integrity. Current research efforts are expanding this platform toward membranes engineered to target a broader range of contaminants, including textile dyes, volatile organic compounds, and persistent PFAS chemicals, positioning this technology as a promising next-generation solution for water purification.
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The Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI) has pioneered a major advancement in circular materials through its Looping Nylon Technique, which transforms discarded fishing nets into high performance, medical-grade nylon membranes. This technology, recognized at the 2025 R&D 100 Awards, directly tackles the environmental challenge posed by Taiwan’s large volume of fishing net waste, estimated at over 2,300 tons annually, and the difficulty of recycling due to severe contamination and mixed-material composition. TTRI’s patented ultrasonic purification process significantly improves recyclability by eliminating embedded pollutants and restoring nylon fiber purity to 98%, while reducing water usage by 90%. The regenerated nylon is further modified to enhance elasticity, durability, and moisture permeability, enabling the production of ultra-thin membranes with strong waterproofing, abrasion resistance, and inherent antimicrobial properties.
To meet the stringent standards of medical applications, TTRI worked with Carilex Medical to develop an innovative dual-layer co-extrusion and thermal lamination method that creates a mono-material membrane system without solvent-based adhesives. This design not only supports up to 20 recycling loops but also reduces carbon emissions by more than 70% compared with traditional processes. The resulting membranes are lightweight, airtight, and mechanically robust, offering reliable performance for smart medical air-pressure mattresses and promising value in additional high-demand sectors such as aerospace, emergency equipment, military protection, and advanced outdoor textiles.
With multiple Taiwanese manufacturers already adopting the technology, the Looping Nylon Technique is accelerating industrial sustainability and reducing carbon footprints as recycled nylon emits just 0.599 kg CO₂ per kilogram compared to 7.44 kg CO₂ for virgin nylon. This achievement highlights Taiwan’s growing leadership in green manufacturing and strengthens its position within global supply chains for recyclable, high-performance materials, supporting worldwide circular economy and carbon reduction goals.

                                          Industrial wastewater-Image credit: deposit photo

The rise and fall of the Oklahoma town of Picher illustrates the long-term dangers of industrial pollution. Once a booming mining center that supplied much of the lead and zinc used in the First World War, the town was eventually abandoned after contaminated water from thousands of derelict mine shafts caused severe lead poisoning. Its fate underscores the need for safe and effective wastewater treatment, an area that continues to evolve as new risks emerge.
A major concern today is the reliance on filtration membranes made with PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” because they resist environmental breakdown and may pose risks to ecosystems and human health. PVDF, the most widely used membrane material, is a PFAS, and growing regulatory pressure in the US and Europe is driving the search for safer alternatives. Researchers at the University of Bath, led by Olawumi Sadare, are developing a biodegradable, plant-based membrane made from lignin and cellulose. These polymers form a thin charged film on a PES support, enabling the selective removal of both positively and negatively charged pollutants. Early tests show strong performance, with the membrane removing more than 90% of two common dye pollutants. Its hydrophilic nature also helps draw water through while repelling contaminants.
Wastewater challenges vary widely by industry. Mining and manufacturing produce some of the most hazardous effluents, while pharmaceuticals and cosmetics contribute disproportionately to micropollutants in rivers and treatment plant outflow. A USGS study of wastewater from pharmaceutical facilities revealed drug concentrations far higher than in typical treatment plants and confirmed that these contaminants can persist many kilometers downstream. Because most pharmaceutical residues enter waterways through residential wastewater, treatment plants are the critical point of control.
To address this, the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors are facing new regulatory demands, including an EU directive requiring producers to cover most of the cost of micropollutant removal. Two treatment approaches dominate: activated carbon and ozonation. Activated carbon can be added as a powder during treatment or applied as a granular medium afterward, while ozonation uses ozone to break down pollutants. Dutch engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV has created a system called Aurea that combines biological activated carbon filtration with ozonation. By removing many contaminants before the ozonation stage, this combined method boosts efficiency, cuts energy use by up to three-quarters, and extends the life of the activated carbon.
Both the Aurea system and the University of Bath’s plant-based membrane are still progressing through development, testing, and scale-up. Their creators are working with industrial partners and refining performance, reflecting a broader push toward safer, more sustainable technologies in wastewater treatment.

 











Conventional Membrane vs Elevation membrane with Zwittershield (Source: Zwitterco)

​Organic fouling remains one of the most persistent challenges for industries that rely on reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, driving up maintenance demands, chemical consumption, and costly downtime. ZwitterCo’s newly launched Elevation product line offers a decisive answer to these issues by embedding patented ZwitterShield™ technology directly into the membrane surface. This permanently bonded zwitterionic chemistry creates an exceptionally hydrophilic barrier that repels proteins, oils, and other organic foulants, preventing irreversible fouling even in harsh feed conditions and dramatically improving operational efficiency.
Elevation membranes enable users to switch from expensive proprietary cleaning agents to inexpensive commodity chemicals, cutting per-element cleaning costs from roughly $20–$45 to just $1–$5 and reducing annual chemical expenditures by as much as 75 %. Longer intervals between cleanings (up to 80 % fewer cycles than conventional membranes) further lower operating expenses and minimize downtime. When cleanings are required, they are faster and simpler, restoring full performance quickly and freeing staff for higher-value tasks.
Also, Elevation membranes tolerate feedwater with up to 15 mg/L total organic carbon, 50 mg/L chemical oxygen demand, and 2.5 mg/L oil and grease, maintaining stable operation where standard membranes fail. Their reliability has been proven across sectors ranging from food and beverage processing to chemical refining, heavy industry, and landfill leachate treatment. In one U.S. power plant, deployment of Elevation elements sharply reduced cleaning frequency and membrane replacements while maintaining consistent output during upstream upsets, and similar results have been reported in sugar refineries and landfill operations.
Moreover, Elevation membranes are manufactured in industry-standard sizes and configurations, allowing direct replacement or system upgrades without redesign. By combining durability, easy implementation, and exceptional resistance to organic fouling, ZwitterCo’s Elevation family delivers a step change in RO performance, enabling industries worldwide to cut costs, boost uptime, and meet ambitious sustainability targets.
​To learn more about the product, click here

Atomic structure of vermiculite membrane (Source: wiley)

Argonne National Laboratory is leading groundbreaking research into securing future lithium supplies. Lithium, the lightest metal on the periodic table, is vital for electric vehicles, mobile devices, laptops, and defense technologies because of its low weight and high energy density. As global demand rises sharply, concerns about supply shortages and vulnerable supply chains are mounting.
 
To address these challenges, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME), have developed an innovative membrane technology that efficiently extracts lithium from water. “The new membrane we have developed offers a potential low-cost and abundant alternative for lithium extraction here at home,” explained Seth Darling, Argonne’s chief science and technology officer for Advanced Energy Technologies and director of the Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems (AMEWS) Energy Frontier Research Center.
 
Currently, most lithium is sourced through hard-rock mining and salt lake brines in only a handful of countries, leaving the market vulnerable. Yet the majority of Earth’s lithium exists dissolved in seawater and underground brines, sources that have long been considered too costly and inefficient to exploit. Traditional extraction methods fail largely because lithium, existing as a positively charged cation, is difficult to separate from abundant competing ions like sodium and magnesium.
 
The Argonne team’s breakthrough lies in a new vermiculite-based membrane. Vermiculite, a naturally abundant clay costing about $350 per ton, was exfoliated into ultrathin layers—on the order of a billionth of a meter—and then reassembled into a 2D filter. To overcome the natural instability of clay layers in water, the researchers inserted aluminum oxide pillars between them, creating a stable, high-rise–like structure. This design prevented structural collapse while neutralizing negative surface charges.
 
By doping the structure with sodium ions, the researchers engineered a positively charged membrane surface that repels divalent magnesium ions more strongly than monovalent lithium ions. Further sodium ion modification reduced pore sizes, allowing smaller ions like sodium and potassium to pass through while selectively capturing lithium. “Filtering by both ion size and charge, our membrane can pull lithium out of water with much greater efficiency,” noted first author Yining Liu, a Ph.D. candidate at UChicago and AMEWS researcher.
 
This innovation could not only unlock new domestic lithium reserves but also extend to recovering other critical elements like nickel, cobalt, and rare earths, or even cleaning harmful contaminants from water. “There are many types of this clay material,” Liu added. “We’re exploring how it might help collect critical elements from seawater and brines or even improve drinking water purification.”
 
As access to clean water and secure supplies of strategic materials become defining global challenges, Argonne’s research underscores how advanced material science can power the technological empowerment and mission to achieve self-reliance in critical defence technologies.
Kindly learn more about the work here
Source: Agonne National Laboratory

​Ultrahigh-charge-density Membrane (Image credit: Springer Nature)    

​Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new class of charged membranes that could dramatically reduce the waste and energy demands of desalination, offering a more sustainable approach to freshwater production.
Desalination plants, essential for supplying drinking water in arid regions, generate vast amounts of brine waste (approximately 1.5 liters for every liter of clean water), posing serious environmental risks, particularly to marine life and groundwater. Traditional methods of managing this brine involve energy-intensive evaporation or environmentally harmful disposal into oceans or underground.
The new membranes, detailed in a study published in Nature Chemical Engineering, overcome long-standing salinity limitations in electrodialysis—a low-energy method that uses electricity to separate salt from water. By packing the membranes with an unprecedented density of charged molecules, the researchers achieved enhanced ion rejection and conductivity, making it feasible to concentrate salt brine to the point of crystallization. This paves the way for recovering both fresh water and valuable minerals like lithium, magnesium, and potassium from seawater. The innovation comes from linking the charged molecules with carbon-based connectors that prevent swelling, a problem that dilutes charge density in conventional membranes. This customization allows the membrane's performance to be tuned for different applications, balancing ion selectivity and conductivity.
“Our technology could help desalination plants be more sustainable by reducing waste while using less energy,” said lead researcher Dr. Jovan Kamcev, assistant professor of chemical engineering. Postdoctoral fellow David Kitto added, “Water is such an important resource—it would be amazing to help make desalination a sustainable solution to our global water crisis.”
The work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and supported by the NSF through facilities at the University of Pennsylvania.
To access the published article, kindly click here 

Braskem, the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas, and Ardent Process Technologies have announced the successful completion of a multi-year joint development program focused on advancing Optiperm™ Olefins, a cutting-edge membrane-based olefin-paraffin separation technology. This development marks a significant breakthrough in improving efficiency and sustainability in polyolefin production.
The collaboration began in November 2020 and involved installing a dedicated demonstration unit at Braskem’s facilities, where the Optiperm™ system underwent rigorous field testing. Over 10,000 hours of testing validated the membrane’s performance across critical metrics, including separation efficiency, durability, and operational stability.
Unlike conventional processes that often require full splitter upgrades, the modular membrane system enables olefin recovery from purge gas streams without extensive infrastructure modifications—making it a more flexible and cost-effective solution for industrial plants.
Based on the success of the pilot phase, Braskem has confirmed its commitment to moving forward with commercial-scale implementation of the technology. Engineering and design work for the first commercial installation is already underway.
Leaders from both companies emphasized the technology’s potential to transform olefin-paraffin separation, reduce energy consumption, and align with sustainability goals, particularly Braskem’s aim to lead innovation in the chemical and plastics industry while advancing toward carbon neutrality.
This milestone not only positions Optiperm™ as a high-impact solution for the petrochemical sector but also strengthens the broader membrane platform developed by Ardent for other industrial applications.
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LG Chem presents the LG NF9, an advanced nanofiltration membrane engineered to meet the demanding needs of both municipal and industrial water treatment systems. Specifically designed for applications requiring selective removal of contaminants, LG NF9 delivers high rejection performance while operating at low energy consumption levels.
This membrane effectively removes a broad range of organic pollutants and emerging contaminants, including PFAS and trihalomethanes (THMs), while demonstrating strong resistance to fouling and ensuring long-term operational durability. These features make LG NF9 a reliable choice for high-performance treatment systems focused on water quality and sustainability.
LG NF9 enhances overall system efficiency by operating at lower feed pressures, which reduces energy use without compromising on water quality. Its superior rejection of multivalent ions and organic compounds contributes to consistently high-quality output. In addition, its robust fouling resistance supports stable, long-term operation and extends membrane life.
By integrating LG NF9 into water treatment systems, operators can expect lower operational and maintenance costs, reduced downtime, and improved membrane longevity, ultimately achieving sustained performance and value.
For more about the product specification and inquiry, visit the company website.
Source: LG Chem

​The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), through its Kanpur-based laboratory DMSRDE, has successfully developed a nanoporous multilayered polymeric membrane designed for high-pressure seawater desalination. This innovation addresses the challenge of membrane stability in saline environments, particularly against chloride ion exposure, making it highly suitable for deployment in Indian Coast Guard (ICG) vessels. The membrane development was completed in a notably short period of eight months, reflecting the urgency and effectiveness of the project.
Collaborating closely with the Indian Coast Guard, initial technical and safety trials of the membrane were conducted aboard an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV). These preliminary tests demonstrated satisfactory performance. Final operational clearance is contingent upon 500 hours of successful operational testing, which is currently underway. Once fully approved, this membrane is expected to play a transformative role in coastal seawater desalination, with potential applications beyond military use after further customization.
This achievement is a testament to DRDO's commitment to advancing indigenous technologies under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative. As the research and development wing of India’s Ministry of Defence, DRDO plays a crucial role in equipping the nation’s armed forces with cutting-edge systems. Its track record includes the successful indigenous development of strategic defence platforms such as the Agni and Prithvi missile series, Tejas light combat aircraft, Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher, and Akash air defence system, among others.
DRDO operates a vast network of 41 specialized laboratories and 5 Young Scientist Laboratories (DYSLs), each focused on diverse fields such as aeronautics, electronics, missiles, naval systems, special materials, and life sciences. This extensive infrastructure supports its vision of technological empowerment and mission to achieve self-reliance in critical defence technologies.

Muscat Gases Company, a key player in Oman’s industrial landscape, has partnered with IonClear, a California-based technology firm, to launch an advanced membrane manufacturing facility in Al Rusayl Industrial City. This groundbreaking collaboration will introduce Oman’s first local production site for Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Nanofiltration (NF) membranes, which are crucial for water desalination and treatment across various industrial applications.
The new plant, spanning 3,000 square meters, represents a major step toward enhancing Oman’s water treatment infrastructure and supporting national efforts to address long-term water security. The initiative is also aligned with the country’s broader sustainability goals, including reducing environmental impact and supporting carbon neutrality through the development of cleaner, more efficient technologies.
The partnership will not only bring cutting-edge membrane technology to Oman but also contribute to building local capacity in high-tech manufacturing. By fostering technology transfer, the project is expected to stimulate local innovation, reduce dependence on imports, and create skilled employment opportunities for Omani professionals, especially in the areas of environmental and process engineering.
As part of Oman’s vision to diversify its economy and strengthen its industrial base, this venture supports the goals outlined in Oman Vision 2040—particularly those related to increasing In-Country Value (ICV) and promoting private-sector-driven growth in strategic sectors. The facility is expected to serve not just local demand but also open up export opportunities across the Gulf region.