Key observations on the reuse of regenerated reverse osmosis membranes in the chemical and mining industry:

• In the chemical industry, a comparative study of the behaviour of regenerated membranes versus new membranes is being carried out. In the 6 months they have been operating, similar flow rates are produced, at similar pressures and with similar water quality. Both types of membranes require identical cleaning and maintenance processes.
• In a mining industry installation with more than 1,500 membranes, a test is being carried out with one stage of a rack (one of seven). In the short term, the performance of the regenerated membranes is positive and the permeated water reaches the values required by the process.

Here you have available a summary of his presentation at the Conference on Circular Management of Membranes for Water Treatment held in June 2025: video

Other Highlighted News:

• Don’t you know yet what Ecomemb does? link
• Success stories of Ecomembranes in industry: link
• Regenerated reverse osmosis membranes, a sustainable alternative for water treatment. Source: Revista AEM link
• Workshop on Circular Management of Membranes for Water Treatment: link

L'entrada Reuse of Regenerated Reverse Osmosis Membranes in the Chemical and Mining Industry ha aparegut primer a REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANES REGENERATION .

Ignacio Sanguino, Technician at the Cogeneration and Services Plants of SAICA (Burgo de Ebro) presented the case study during the Conference on Circular Management of Membranes for Water Treatment, held on 18 June 2025 within the framework of the OSMO4LIVES project (LEQUIA, Universitat de Girona).

Key observations on the reuse of regenerated reverse osmosis membranes in the paper industry:

• The process values observed at start-up were similar to those committed by Ecomemb.
• The water treatment process continues to be reliable, guaranteeing over time the conditions required by the user, in a continuous 24h / 7 days a week operation.
• With the configuration we offer, the quantity and quality required by the process is shaped, producing more water with less energy than using new membranes, while meeting the quality requirements of the process.

Here you have available a summary of his presentation at the Conference on Circular Management of Membranes for Water Treatment held in June 2025: video

Other Highlighted News:

• Don’t you know yet what Ecomemb does? link
• Success stories of Ecomembranes in industry: link
• What is reverse osmosis membrane regeneration? Source: Aguas Residuales link
• Workshop on Circular Management of Membranes for Water Treatment: link

L'entrada Reuse of Regenerated Reverse Osmosis Membranes in the Paper Industry ha aparegut primer a REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANES REGENERATION .

Regenerated Reverse Osmosis Membranes. ECOMEMB joins forces with the public company Ens d’Abastament d’Aigua Ter-Llobregat (ATL) to promote sustainable models for the use and management of reverse osmosis membranes.

The public company Abastecimiento de Agua Ter Llobregat (ATL), dedicated to the purification and distribution of drinking water in bulk to more than 5.5 million inhabitants in Barcelona and 10 other districts of the metropolitan area, is committed to the comprehensive sustainability of the reverse osmosis process, which includes efficient management of membranes at the end of their useful life for their particular process.

ATL supported the regenerated reverse osmosis membrane initiative from the outset through a collaboration agreement with the LEQUIA group at UdG. Since 2019, they have donated membranes to ongoing research projects in order to apply and validate regeneration protocols and subsequently validate the behaviour of regenerated membranes in industrial processes requiring high pressure.

Now that the alternative is already on the market, a strategic alliance has been established with Ecomemb to identify membranes suitable for regeneration and reuse in osmosis processes, thus minimising the disposal of membranes to landfill.

Partial text of the article Regenerated Reverse Osmosis Membranes. A Sustainable and
Circular Commitment published in the journal RETEMA (May-June 2025, pp. 186-187)

Likewise, Fernando Valero Cervera, Head of R&D&I and Process Control at ATL, during his participation in the round table at the Circular Management of Membranes for Water Treatment Conference held on 18 June 2025, within the framework of the OSMO4LIVES project (LEQUIA, Universitat de Girona), expressed his views on regenerated reverse osmosis membranes as a sustainable and circular commitment.

Key messages from Fernando Valero in his intervention:

• ATL has more than 25,000 reverse osmosis membranes installed in Catalonia between the IDAM del Prat and IDAM la Tordera and plans to increase its desalination capacity in the coming years.

• They have been collaborating with Ecomemb and the Universitat de Girona to extend the useful life of their membranes for several years.

• The fact that more efficient membranes can be obtained from manufacturers and that membranes can be regenerated and reused, in the same processes or in other industrial processes, is a major step forward.

Here you have available a summary of his presentation at the Conference on Circular Management of Membranes for Water Treatment held in June 2025: video

Other Highlighted News:

• Don’t you know yet what Ecomemb does? enllaç
• · Regenerated Reverse Osmosis Membranes. A Sustainable and Circular Commitment. Source: RETEMA link
• Ecomemb, a reverse osmosis membrane regeneration company, awarded at the National Research Awards. Source: ATL link
• Success stories of Ecomembranes in industry: link
• What is reverse osmosis membrane regeneration? Source: Aguas Residuales link
• Workshop on Circular Management of Membranes for Water Treatment: link

L'entrada Regenerated Reverse Osmosis Membranes. A Sustainable and Circular Commitment ha aparegut primer a REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANES REGENERATION .

Telwesa is a pioneer company in the reuse of regenerated membranes for landfill leachate treatment. The company began its operations when Ecomemb was still a research project, over seven years ago.

Jordi Gabarro Bartual, PhD, Managing Director of TELWESA, participated in the roundtable discussion at the conference held on June 18 on Circular Management of Water Treatment Membranes, within the framework of the OSMO4LIVES project (LEQUIA, University of Girona). Here are his key messages:

Here are his key messages:

• Telwesa was the first industrial company to trust the use of regenerated membranes for leachate treatment
• The company conducted an internal validation through two years of operation, observing that there is no difference in quality or performance compared to other membranes.
• Since then, they have extended the use of regenerated reverse osmosis membranes for leachate treatment operated by Telwesa and have begun their installation for water reuse applications in other industries.
• All partner companies that test regenerated membranes repeat their use because clients verify that they obtain the same water quality at significantly lower costs compared to using new membranes.

A summary of his presentation at the Conference on Circular Management of Water Treatment Membranes held in June 2025 is available here: video

Other Highlighted News:

• What is reverse osmosis membrane regeneration? Source: Aguas Residuales link

• Reverse osmosis water regeneration. Source: Telwesa: link

• Workshop on circular membranne management for water treatment: link
• Success Stories of Ecomembranes in Industry: link
• Don’t you know yet what Ecomemb does?: Link

L'entrada Reuse of Regenerated Membranes for Landfill Leachate Treatment. Telwesa, a Pioneer Company ha aparegut primer a REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANES REGENERATION .

Partial membrane replacement at ETAP del ATABAL desalination plant. Nicolás Urgoiti Moinot, Head of Drinking Water Treatment at EMASA, presents a case study on the partial replacement of membranes in one of the membrane racks at the ETAP del ATABAL (Málaga) desalination plant.

This desalination facility has been a pioneer on numerous occasions since beginning operations in 2005, being one of the world’s largest brackish water desalination plants of its time with energy recovery from brine.

Key Messages from Nicolás’s Presentation:

• Reuse of 78 regenerated reverse osmosis membranes supplied by Ecomemb and installed in the second stage of one of their membrane racks: 2 membranes out of 7 (29%), positioned in the first and second positions of each membrane element.

• No need to remove all membranes for the replacement procedure.

• Pressure reduction of at least 1 bar to produce the same water quality, resulting in energy cost savings of at least €4,800 over the 221-day trial period.

• Water quality remained within the operational limits established by the user.

Here you can find a summary of his presentation at the Conference on Circular Management of Water Treatment Membranes held in June 2025. video

Other Publications of Interest

Workshop on circular membranne management for water treatment: enlace

Success Stories of Ecomembranes in Industry: link

Don’t you know yet what Ecomemb does?: link

L'entrada Partial Membrane Replacement at ETAP del ATABAL Desalination Plant ha aparegut primer a REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANES REGENERATION .

Opinion of Guillem Gilabert-Oriol (R&D in water treatment) from the company DuPont Water Solutions : A set of solutions must be applied to drive membrane technology towards the circular economy.

Guillem Gilabert-Oriol (R&D in water treatment) from the company DuPont Water Solutions , one of the largest membrane manufacturers, participated in the round table of the conference held on June 18, 2025 on Circular Management of Membranes for Water Treatment, within the framework of the OSMO4LIVES project ( LEQUIA, University of Girona ).

You can see a summary of their participation here.

Image of the round table speakers from left to right: Xavier Guillem (Ecomemb, moderator), Fernando Valero (ATL, supplier), Tomás Agulló (INFINITUM, user), Guillem Gilabert-Oriol (DUPONT, manufacturer), Jordi Gabarró (TELWESA, user).

His key messages were:

• DuPont focuses on minimizing the carbon footprint of membranes by producing durable, compact membranes with lower energy consumption and higher permeate quality.
• They work on predictive tools using operational data that help the user identify membrane fouling problems (Operations Advisor https://lnkd.in/dMzGXjut ).
• From Guillem’s point of view, in membrane technology, circularity involves a set of solutions: production of more efficient membranes, reconditioning and recycling.
• Concentrate valorization: new applications for membranes with the aim of recovering valuable compounds.

More info here

Workshop on circular membranne management for water treatment: enllaç

Success Stories of Ecomembranes in Industry: enllaç

About NEOTEC grant: enllaç

Don’t you know yet what Ecomemb does? link

L'entrada Production of more efficient membranes, membrane reconditioning and recycling ha aparegut primer a REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANES REGENERATION .