Feb 15 2013
LiqTech International, Inc. ("LiqTech") announced today that the Company's ultra-filtration Silicon Carbide (SiC) membrane product has been approved for liquid sterilization according to the recognized ASTM standard F838-05 for liquid filtration. This standard is widely used for pharmaceutical, food & beverage and drinking water applications.
The combination of the unmatched performance of SiC membranes compared to any other ceramic membrane material in terms of liquid flux, chemical resistance and lifetime, now combined with the capability of providing sterile filtration, represents disruptive technology to the existing norm, and is an industry game-changer for Drinking Water, Biotech and Food & Beverage applications. The LiqTech SiC membranes enable mechanical removal of bacteria, which is cheaper and more reliable than any other sterilization technology.
LiqTech believes it is the only membrane manufacturer worldwide to achieve liquid sterilization with a SiC membrane.
The independent Danish Technological Institute (DTI) laboratory conducted the certification according to the ASTM standard. Following the test procedure set forth by ASTM, the LiqTech SiC membranes were evaluated in terms of bacteria rejection. DTI found the following:
"The test determining the membrane filters' ability to retain bacteria has been evaluated based on the ASTM standard F838-05 for liquid filtration. The LiqTech membrane filter has been challenged with a Pseudomonas diminuta suspension corresponding to the concentration of 107 organisms per cm2 of effective filtration area. The LiqTech membrane filter has the ability to retain bacteria corresponding to a log 7 reduction according to F838-05."
The complete report can be found at: www.liqtech.com. The ability to retain bacteria corresponding to a log 7 reduction (99.99999% removal), is recognized as sterile filtration, i.e. the membrane can be considered as a bacterial barrier.
On the basis of this achieved ASTM standard, LiqTech has decided to expand its strategic focus beyond the existing business areas of industrial wastewater treatment and produced water treatment. The company will enter new business areas such as Biotech, food & beverage, and drinking water, where the LiqTech SiC membranes will offer sterile filtration with a significant value proposition for the end-users.
Mr. Lasse Andreassen , LiqTech CEO, explains the innovative potential for near and long-term opportunities: "It is now a reality that end-users can achieve sterile filtration of liquids at the lowest operating costs with LiqTech ultra-filtration membranes. Companies world-wide are constantly searching for the cheapest and most effective way to produce quality drinking water, and we believe that the SiC membranes will hold an important position in the industry, ranging from compact water production units to mega plants serving the municipalities. The unmatched performance in terms of water flux through the membrane and material longevity, durability, and reduced installation footprint robustness will serve to reduce energy consumption and operating expenditures, since less energy will be required to drive the treated water through the membrane, and the life of the SiC membranes exceeds the existing standards. Besides drinking water, we see a huge potential in biotech and food & beverage applications, e.g. fermentation broth and beverage clarification processes."
The estimated combined market size for the above industries is several billion dollars.
Improved benefits for existing markets:
With the achieved status for sterile filtration, the benefits associated with the LiqTech SiC membranes for one of the primary applications – Produced Water treatment – is complemented with the capability to reduce formation of H2S (gas) in reservoirs. Removing bacteria from treated produced water before re-injecting into the reservoirs will reduce the typical formation of H2S and thereby souring, which can lead to corrosion of piping and drilling equipment. Corrosion is a big concern, and the cost associated with processing chemicals required to avoid corrosion in this industry is very significant.
Efficient and reliable bacteria removal is a must for most sites reusing flow back water from shale gas production.
The capability to reject bacteria and avoid formation of H2S, adds to the existing list of benefits using LiqTech SiC membranes for the produced water treatment for the purpose of re-injecting the treated water into the reservoirs. The SiC membranes deliver consistent high-quality injection water - oil typically less than 1-5 ppm and solids less than 1 ppm – at the highest production rate for any membrane material while accepting fluctuations in feed water composition (upsets). Produced water of this quality can be re-injected to low permeable reservoirs without the need to increase well pressure and thus increasing well life time and production. This is a valuable feature where disposal wells are not accessible, as is the case with many sites utilizing fracking.
Mr. Andreassen remarked, "We are very excited to be in the technological forefront in the ultra filtration industry with this new breakthrough. While we believe that the markets for this solution are very large, we also believe that it will take some time for customers to test and adopt this new, disruptive technology. We plan on working with potential customers and market partners in the coming quarters to facilitate efficient adoption of the new Liqtech sterile membranes."
Source: http://www.liqtech.com