Active Membranes develops patented electro-active membrane technology to address fouling and scaling challenges in reverse osmosis desalination. This innovation simplifies process design, reduces pre-treatment needs, and significantly lowers capital and operating costs for freshwater recovery. The technology enhances efficiency and scalability, making desalination more economically and environmentally sustainable.
Funding
$2.3M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Conventional reverse osmosis (RO) desalination membranes are passive, leading to fouling, scaling, and reliance on chemical pre-treatment. This results in high capital and operating costs, complex process design, and limitations in freshwater recovery. Desalination is often considered a last resort due to these inefficiencies.
Solution
Active Membranes offers electro-active desalination membranes that actively inhibit scaling and fouling through a tunable electrical potential. This technology minimizes the need for chemical pre-treatment, simplifies process design, and enhances freshwater recovery. The membranes can be seamlessly integrated into existing or new plants, reducing capital and operating costs, and making desalination a more viable and efficient solution for addressing global freshwater scarcity. The membranes are available in standard spiral wound form factors.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes desalination plant operators, water treatment facilities, and industries requiring freshwater from unconventional sources such as brackish water, seawater, and industrial wastewater.
Features
- Electrically conducting membranes with tunable anti-scaling and anti-fouling properties
- Reduced chemical usage and waste generation
- Increased freshwater recovery rates
- Simplified process design with minimal pre-treatment requirements
- Compatibility with standard spiral wound module designs for easy integration
- Reduced footprint compared to traditional desalination systems
- Demonstrated performance in produced water reuse and brackish water desalination
- Electrically activated membranes that drive the process instead of reacting to it