Membrane momentum
7 Jun 2004
In the UK, close on three quarters of all fresh water is consumed by industry - and industry wants that water to be fit for purpose, which in many sectors calls for increasingly higher standards of purity.
According to Frederick Royan, water specialist with industry analysts Frost & Sullivan (F&S), this strict requirement of process water quality in key industries such as food and drink, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, is one of the main drivers behind the growing popularity of membrane-based separation systems.
In an earlier study conducted by F&S on the industrial process water treatment market, these three sectors accounted for half the total spend on such systems. Latest figures show the European membrane market to be worth $359million out of a total spend of around $761million.
And the trends suggest that the share of the market taken by membrane systems is set to grow at a steady rate over the next three years, at double digit compound annual growth rate to around $555million in sales by 2007.
Looking at the membrane separations market in terms of the available technologies, reverse osmosis (RO) dominates the scene with close on half the market. RO membranes are extensively used to provide pure water for the food processing, electronics and pharmaceuticals sectors, and are now also being used in combination with techniques such as electrodeionisation (EDI) to produce ultra pure water.
Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes take up a third of the European market, according to the F&S surveys, although these are becoming increasingly used in the growing sectors of biotech and pharmaceuticals for the preparation of ultra pure water.
For less onerous duties, microfiltration membranes are an established and more mature technology, although only account for around a tenth of total membrane sales as they have to compete more directly with traditional non-membrane methods of filtration and separation.
The huge strides currently being made in nanotechnology might also be expected to give a boost to nanofiltration membranes, but these remain something of a niche product and demand 'is expected to remain stable', according to F&S.
Apart from the stricter requirements on process water quality, Royan puts forward several other key drivers behind the increasing market dominance of membrane separation systems. There is, he says, a growing realization in industry that setting up your own water abstraction and treatment process - as opposed to buying in from the public water supply - may not only be more economic, but also ensures the desired quality requirements and continuity of supply.
The increased growth in the manufacture of 'high end' technology products - in the electronics, biotech and pharmaceuticals sectors, for instance - is another factor, allied to an increased acceptance of advanced technologies like membrane systems themselves.
And last, though almost certainly not the least consideration, the decreasing costs of membranes, brought about by improved production methods, is another key driver.