The American Chemical Society has awarded Arkema and Polymem for their water ultrafiltration membranes made from Kynar PVDF.
On 23rd August 2021, the American Chemical Society (ACS) has given its Team Innovation Award to Arkema and Polymem for their joint development of the new ultrafiltration membranes made from innovative Kynar® PVDF resins. The membranes are currently showcased it the wastewater treatment plant at Toulouse Metropole (France).
“Working hand in hand with Polymem and downstream users enables us to move faster and to accomplish far greater results than simply working alone. It is an outstanding example of a market driven solution,” stated David Silagy, General manager for fluoropolymers at Arkema.
“In Polymem, we are proud of this strategic and fruitful partnership with Arkema and are honored with this award granted by the American Chemistry Society,” commented Jean-Michel Espenan, President of Polymem.
The membranes are created by Polymem, a French manufacturer of modules for water filtration, with the Kynar PVDF resins from Arkema. The material allows long-term resistance to oxidants and mechanical strength. The water passes through the microporous fibres (under one millimetre in diameter) in order to be ultra-filtered with the scale of the pores in the 10 to 20 nanometres range. Moreover, due to the long-lasting hydrophilic property of the membranes, filtration throughput is high while cleaning frequency is between 20 and 30% lower than with other polymer materials.
“It is an extremely safe system. After passing through the membranes, all suspended solids and any elements in the order of 15 nm including bacteria and viruses are eliminated. The system thus perfectly fulfills its role regarding everything that is pathogenic, offering the best guarantees to prevent issues of quality non-conformity. The treated wastewater we obtain is top quality (index A) that is entirely suitable for its intended use, namely currently just the watering of green spaces (within the facility as well as the nearby golf course),” added Julie Ducrot, Process and Water Treatment Engineer at the Toulouse Métropole Cycle de l’Eau Department.
A solution for adapting water management to climate change
The reuse of treated wastewater is strongly encouraged by public policies in France, because it helps to adapt the country to climate change. The aim is to reduce the pressure on water resources, but also to reduce the products needed for treatment and the energy cost.
“The availability of this innovative technology gives momentum to a circular economy and sound water management within our community. As such, we stand among the French authorities at the forefront of this issue of wastewater reuse,” concluded Robert Médina, Toulouse Métropole Vice-President for Water and Sanitation.