A Danish company which can make membranes up to 50% more effective has been invited to join the Innovation Showcase at the 2017 BlueTech Forum. Aquaporin joins delegates at the event in Dublin, Ireland, which brings together industry experts, investors and innovative water technology from around the world.
The company takes its name from the cell membrane pore structure discovered by Nobel Prize winning scientist Peter Agre in 2003. Head of Business Development for Aquaporin, Esben Gad said: “The aquaporin allows one water molecule at a time by means of molecular recognition. It is selective, it lets through water and nothing else.”
The company is the first to have found a way of incorporating aquaporins into membranes aimed at the industrial and municipal water market, with potential applications in both reverse and forward osmosis.
Multiple aquaporins are captured within a polymer bead which can be incorporated into conventional membranes during the manufacturing process. In small-scale trials the membranes containing aquaporins were shown to allow between 20 to 50% more water to pass through.
Industrial scale
Aquaporin has recently attracted US$60 million in investment and is building a plant to develop the technology on an industrial scale. The first target is the brackish water reverse osmosis market, but the same technology also has potential to impact the emerging market for forward osmosis.
Aquaporin technology could be particularly significant for industrial users in China, India and the US, who are required to attain zero liquid discharge because of tightening regulatory regimes.
Graeme Pearce, a member of BlueTech Research’s Technology Assessment Group (TAG) has 30 years experience in membranes. He said he is impressed both by the technical expertise and the business approach of Aquaporin.
“People have known about these aquaporin proteins for some time but this company has found a clever way of protecting this potentially delicate structure by incorporating it into a bead or a bubble and then into the polymer film.
“From a business point of view Aquaporin can also be used in plants which use reverse osmosis, which is a long established technology used in 97 per cent of desalination plants, while also being developed for use with forward osmosis, which is still an emerging market.”
Advanced technology
Founder and chief executive of BlueTech Research, Paul O Callaghan said: “Aquaporin is a company we’ve been tracking closely for a number of years. They’re very much at the cutting-edge of biotechnology and advanced materials science, which maps back to the theme of BlueTech Forum 2017 – the 4th Industrial Revolution.
“They have made significant progress in recent months with the rollout of the manufacture of Aquaporin membranes.”
Esben Gad said: “BlueTech has a great reputation for seeking out some of the most innovative technology in water and for bringing the latest developments to the attention of major international decision-makers.
“Aquaporin is currently looking for system integration. The company is seeking partnerships with clients, manufacturers and investors who are interested in helping us scale-up and develop this technology for industrial and municipal use.”
All participants in the BlueTech Innovation Showcase will receive nominations and votes from the O2 Environmental TAG to win one of two BlueTech Awards: the BlueTech Disrupt-o-Meter Award and the BlueTech BlueTuffle Award. BlueTech Forum takes place at The Marker Hotel, Dublin, Ireland on 6-7 June 2017.
