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Advancements in Membrane Technologies for Industrial Wastewater Treatment

  • Report

  • 61 Pages
  • November 2021
  • Region: Global
  • Frost & Sullivan
  • ID: 5513927

High Performance and Efficient Membrane Technologies Drive Large-scale Adoption of Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater from various industries such as pulp and paper, agriculture, food and beverage (F&B), personal care, healthcare, metal and mining, manufacturing, power generation, oil and gas, and other industrial segments are categorized as industrial wastewater. Effluents from these industries vary based on physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and require different treatment types. For example, effluents from pulp and paper and F&B have higher biological oxygen demand, agriculture effluent has high nitrogen content, and effluents from manufacturing, mining, and fossil fuel power plants have higher heavy metal content.

Membrane technologies are gaining traction in industrial wastewater treatment due to their higher efficiency in treating chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, total suspended substance, and organic compounds compared to conventional wastewater treatment. Membrane technologies require less space and are modular in approach, making them viable options to consider for various operations. Industrial wastewater treatment applications typically focus on two types of membrane technologies - membrane bioreactor and membrane distillation. These membranes are packed in 4 modules with reactors, which are plate and frame, tubular, spiral wound, and hollow fiber, depending on the scale of operations and amount of wastewater to be treated.

Adoption of membrane technologies in industrial wastewater occurs in the secondary and tertiary phases. Factors such as the low pH, high flux, high content of suspended substances, and nitrogen content can influence the risk of membrane fouling. Most commercial membrane bioreactor and membrane distillation solutions have complex structures and are not easy to clean, while in biofilm reactors, the biofilm can be easily removed, but reinstallation requires additional work. These factors tend to push up the maintenance costs of membrane bioreactor and membrane distillation technologies.

Membrane technology development and adoption are in the early stages, especially in Asia-Pacific, despite having several research studies published in this field. Although membrane application is energy- and cost-efficient, it involves high maintenance and capital costs, slowing the adoption rate. Interest from government agencies in promoting effective industrial wastewater treatment can boost the adoption potential of these technologies.


This research service highlights:

  • Membrane technologies in industrial wastewater treatment
  • Advantages, limitations, and applications of membrane technologies for wastewater treatment in various industries
  • Research advances and commercialization efforts
  • IP analysis
  • Growth opportunities

Table of Contents

1.0 Strategic Imperatives
1.1 Why Is It Increasingly Difficult to Grow? The Strategic Imperative 8™: Factors Creating Pressure on Growth
1.2 The Strategic Imperative 8™
1.3 The Impact Of The Top Three Strategic Imperatives on Membrane Technologies for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
1.4 About the Growth Pipeline Engine™
1.5 Growth Opportunities Fuel The Growth Pipeline Engine™
1.6 Research Methodology

2.0 Growth Opportunity Analysis
2.1 Domestic, Municipal, and Industrial Wastewater Treatment: A Snapshot
2.2 Characteristics of Industrial Effluents Determine the Treatment Process
2.3 Industrial Wastewater Treatment Stages
2.4 Governments Actively Encourage R&D and Adoption of Membrane Technologies for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
2.5 Research Context
2.6 Research Scope

3.0 Membrane Technologies for Wastewater Treatment: Introduction
3.1 Characteristics of Effluents Differ By Industry
3.2 Membrane Technology Design by Effluent Characteristics
3.3 Use of Organic and Inorganic Materials in Manufacturing Membrane Technology for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
3.4 Key Membrane Technologies for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
3.5 Pressure- and Concentration-driven Membrane Technologies in Industrial Wastewater Treatment
3.6 Scale of Operations Determines the Number and Type of Membrane Modules for Industrial Wastewater Treatment

4.0 Technology Assessment
4.1 Membrane Bioreactor for Advanced Industrial Wastewater Treatment
4.2 Membrane Distillation Technique Requires a Low Operating Temperature
4.3 Types of Pressure-Driven Membrane Technologies/Processes for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
4.4 Osmosis Membrane Technologies for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
4.5 Hybrid Microfiltration-Osmosis Membrane for Environmentally Friendly Wastewater Treatment: SWOT Analysis
4.6 Ultrafiltration and Nanofiltration Hybrid Membranes for Oil and Grease Removal from Wastewater: SWOT Analysis
4.7 Membrane Distillation Technique in the Early Stage of Commercialization: SWOT Analysis
4.8 Membrane Bioreactor Usage Yields High-Quality Effluents: SWOT Analysis
4.9 MABR Emerging as a Greener MBR Technology: SWOT Analysis
4.10 Electrically-enhanced MBR Reduces Membrane Fouling Risk Effectively: SWOT Analysis
4.11 Photocatalytic Membrane Reactor has the Potential to Facilitate Renewable Energy Adoption in Industrial Wastewater Treatment: SWOT Analysis
4.12 Dynamic Membrane Bioreactor Able to Address MBR Limitations: SWOT Analysis
4.13 Comparative Assessment of Membrane Technologies for Industrial Wastewater Treatment

5.0 Innovation Indicators
5.1 Academic Research Activities on the Feasibility of Various Materials for Membrane Development and Efficacy
5.2 Research Activity Focuses on the Development of High-Performance Membranes for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
5.3 Research Tests on Membrane Effectiveness and Commercialization Feasibility
5.4 Membrane Technology Commercialization Activities by Industry Stakeholders
5.5 Focus on Increasing Membrane Efficiency
5.6 Research Studies Showcase High Interest in Membranes for Reverse Osmosis
5.7 Organic Membranes Lead in IP Filings Globally
5.8 United States leads in IP Filings for Membrane Technologies for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
5.9 Sustained Interest in Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Industrial Wastewater Treatment

6.0 Growth Opportunity Universe
6.1 Growth Opportunity 1: Inorganic Membranes to Overcome Fouling Issues in Membrane Bioreactors
6.2 Growth Opportunity 2: Research Efforts to Develop Cost-Effective Membrane Technologies
6.3 Growth Opportunity 3: Increased Funding and Investments for R&D and Commercial Adoption of Membrane Technologies

7.0 Next Steps
7.1 Your Next Step
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