Freudenberg Launches Fully Synthetic Wetlaid Nonwovens for Filtration

Toray Industries, Inc., has developed a highly durable reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. This innovative offering guarantees the long-term provision of high-quality water. It also maintains the superior removal performance of Toray’s existing membranes vital for reusing industrial wastewater and treating sewage. The new membrane offers double the resistance to cleaning chemicals of conventional counterparts. This reduces performance degradation from membrane wear and simplifies operational management, halving replacement frequencies and shrinking the product’s carbon footprint.

The company is preparing to mass produce this membrane and launch it in the rapidly expanding Chinese market in the first half of 2024. It looks to develop products with the new membrane for the global market thereafter, including Japan.

The broad applications of RO membranes include desalinating seawater and river water, reusing wastewater, and producing drinking water as a technology to ensure sustainable water sources. Reusing wastewater entails treating water of diverse quality levels with RO membranes. The downside is that an increased reliance on cleaning chemicals to purge contaminants on the membrane surface to maintain their operational efficiency deforms their pores, diminishing removal performance. This has spurred demand for more resilient membranes. www.toray.com

CMU Chemists, Engineers Work on Water Filtration Technique for the Military

A polymer developed at Central Michigan University could provide a new generation of water filtration technology for the U.S. Department of Defense. It also has the potential to help solve stubborn water quality issues.

Three members of the chemistry and engineering faculty – Brad Fahlman, Itzel Marquez and Anja Mueller – are working on two types of filters using the polymer to remove ammonia and a form of arsenic in a water filtration system.

A graphitic material composed with the polymer would do the heavy lifting. The process begins in a lab where contaminants are imprinted on the polymer. Those contaminants are then removed from the polymer, leaving tiny indentations that fit the contaminant like a key in a lock, according to Fahlman.

The CMU research team is looking at two applications to clean water. One involves a membrane, which is Mueller’s specialty. Marquez is working the other angle, mixing the polymer and contaminated water in a filter similar to a home pitcher.

The membrane theoretically would work faster, but that brings its own challenges, Mueller said. It must permit water to flow through it without breaking.

Freudenberg Performance Materials unveiled a new 100 percent synthetic wetlaid nonwoven product line made in Germany. The new materials can be manufactured from various types of polymer-based fibers, including ultra-fine micro-fibers. These unique wetlaid materials from Freudenberg are designed for use in filtration applications as well as other industrial applications. This product line rounds off the wide range of wetlaid nonwoven capabilities from the leading manufacturer of high-performance materials.

Customers in the filtration business can use Freudenberg’s new fully synthetic wetlaid nonwovens in both liquid and air filtration. Applications include support for reverse osmosis membranes, support for nanofibers or PTFE membranes, as well as oil filtration media. The new materials are suited to use in the building and construction industry or the composites industry. www.freudenberg-pm.com

The polymer has lots of folds and bulges which attract and trap contaminants. The polymer technology has far-reaching potential, according to Fahlman. It can be replicated to remove a wide range of contaminants, including some that are currently proving difficult like PFAS. www.cmich.edu