Startup to Improve Seawater Desalination with Innovative RO Tech

Water technology startup addressing global freshwater scarcity, could improve the membranes used in seawater desalination plants and industries such as food and beverage, oil and gas, and pulp and paper

According to Jaime Mateus, Ph.D., CEO of Anfiro, a water technology startup addressing global freshwater scarcity, his company -- based on innovations from Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame -- could improve the membranes used in seawater desalination plants and industries such as food and beverage, oil and gas, and pulp and paper.

Mateus explained that the company is developing reverse osmosis membranes, which are capable of separating water from all other dissolved ions commonly found in water. In conventional usage, membranes can be permanently damaged by chlorine, which is the most widely used water disinfectant, but Anfiro's membranes are not damaged during the process, which saves time, energy and cost, he said.

"In a typical seawater desalination process, chlorine is added upstream of the reverse osmosis stage, then removed before passing through the membranes. Afterward, a residual amount is reintroduced into the system," Mateus said. "Anfiro's polymer materials are not degraded by exposure to chlorine, which means chlorine can be used throughout the reverse osmosis stage, which reduces bio-fouling and can lead to a longer membrane lifespan."

Anfiro's core technology is based on self-assembling polymer technology. The company licensed part of its technology from the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. More than 20 startups fully or partially based on Purdue intellectual property were launched in the 2015 fiscal year.

Source: WaterWorld

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Taxonomy

• Reverse Osmosis
• Technology
• Desalination