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| Membrane Technology and Research | |
|---|---|
| Name | Membrane Technology and Research |
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Location | Menlo Park, California |
| Key people | John H. Lienhard, Robert M. Yager |
| Industry | Chemical engineering, Water purification, Biotechnology |
| Products | Nanofiltration, Reverse osmosis, Ultrafiltration, Microfiltration |
Membrane Technology and Research is a private organization founded in 1987 focused on the development, testing, and commercialization of membrane-based separation processes. The entity interacts with academic laboratories, industrial firms, and regulatory agencies to advance desalination technologies, wastewater treatment, and specialty separations. Its work spans pilot testing, membrane fabrication, and consulting for projects linked to regional utilities and international engineering firms.
Membrane Technology and Research operates at the intersection of applied chemical engineering, materials science, environmental engineering, and industrial chemical process safety. Its domain involves membrane modules and pilot systems used in collaborations with entities such as Bechtel, Jacobs Engineering Group, Suez, Veolia, and national laboratories including Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The organization contributes to standards and testing protocols referenced by institutions like the American Water Works Association and participates in research consortia involving universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Cambridge.
The firm evaluates and develops a range of materials including polymeric membranes (e.g., polyethersulfone, polysulfone, polyvinylidene fluoride), thin-film composite architectures inspired by work at DuPont and Dow Chemical Company, and inorganic membranes such as ceramic membranes used in harsh environments. Their portfolio encompasses microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis membranes, with considerations of transport phenomena grounded in theories advanced by scholars at Imperial College London and ETH Zurich. Collaborations frequently reference membrane chemistries and module formats employed by manufacturers like Toray Industries, Hydranautics, and DOW Water & Process Solutions.
Membrane fabrication methods employed or evaluated include phase inversion techniques developed in the tradition of research at University of Twente and interfacial polymerization methods linked to breakthroughs at DuPont. Characterization protocols draw on instrumentation and standards from bodies such as ASTM International and ISO. Techniques include porometry, scanning electron microscopy (equipment from JEOL and Thermo Fisher Scientific), atomic force microscopy referencing work from IBM Research, and permeability testing in pilot rigs analogous to facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Testing addresses salt rejection, solute sieving, and mechanical durability metrics commonly reported in journals like Journal of Membrane Science and Desalination.
Applications span seawater desalination projects akin to deployments in Saudi Arabia, Australia, and California; industrial process water recycling in sectors represented by Chevron, ExxonMobil, and BASF; and bioprocess separations relevant to firms such as Amgen and Genentech. Membrane systems are integrated into municipal wastewater treatment upgrades, produced-water treatment in oil and gas fields like those in North Dakota and the Gulf of Mexico, and high-purity water production for semiconductor fabs operated by Intel and TSMC. Partnerships with engineering contractors such as Fluor Corporation and Kiewit support pilot-to-full-scale transitions.
Operational performance metrics consider flux decline, salt passage, and lifetime influenced by fouling from organic matter, biofilms, scaling from sparingly soluble salts, and colloidal deposition—issues studied by groups at Wageningen University, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of Toronto. Antifouling strategies evaluated include pre-treatment trains using coagulation practiced by utilities like Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, chemical cleaning protocols referenced by American Society of Civil Engineers guidance, and physical cleaning inspired by work at California Institute of Technology. Longevity studies interact with warranty frameworks promoted by membrane vendors such as LG Chem and testing standards from Underwriters Laboratories.
Modeling efforts leverage computational fluid dynamics packages from ANSYS and multiphysics platforms from COMSOL, integrating transport models inspired by researchers at Columbia University and Purdue University. Simulations address concentration polarization, energy recovery schemes utilizing turbines like those from Flowserve, and process optimization tools similar to software from AspenTech. Machine learning approaches drawing on resources and methods from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and academic groups at Carnegie Mellon University are increasingly used for predictive maintenance and fouling forecasting.
Environmental assessments consider life-cycle analyses comparable to studies by International Energy Agency, United Nations Environment Programme, and World Bank reports on water infrastructure. Economic evaluations reference levelized cost metrics used by World Health Organization assessments and capital-expenditure models applied by McKinsey & Company in infrastructure planning. Regulatory contexts span permits and discharge limits enforced by agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, guidelines from the European Commission, and regional standards implemented by authorities such as California State Water Resources Control Board and Singapore PUB.
Category:Membrane technology Category:Water treatment