In the dynamic and global filtration industry, news and information is breaking on a daily basis. International Filtration News is tracking stories relevant to our industry from air and gas filtration to liquid filtration and the various end-uses for filtration technology. Here we will post news stories relevant to filtration and its downstream applications on an ongoing basis. Please check back for regular updates. If you have news that you feel should be added to this summary report, please email it to Ken Norberg: ken@filtnews.com
Most recent update: July 31, 2022
Donaldson acquires Purilogics
Donaldson Company, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of innovative filtration products and solutions, announced the acquisition of Purilogics, LLC. Purilogics is an early-stage biotechnology company that leverages a novel technology platform for the development of best-in-class membrane chromatography products. The company offers a broad portfolio of purification tools for a wide range of biologics, including mRNA, plasmid DNA, viral particles, monoclonal antibodies, and proteins. Purilogics’ proprietary formulations and processes create membranes that have significant competitive advantages, enabling faster and more cost-effective production of increasingly complex biologic drugs.
“We are excited about the value Purilogics brings to the Donaldson life sciences portfolio through its novel and differentiated products,” said Tod Carpenter, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Donaldson. “Our membrane technology expertise, and global sales and manufacturing footprint, will enable faster development and commercialization of these powerful tools for biologics purification.”
Founded in 2013 by Jinxiang Zhou, Ph.D. and Scott Husson, Ph.D., Purilogics is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina. Donaldson acquired Purilogics for an initial purchase price of approximately $20 million as well as milestone-based earnout payments over the next five years. Once commercialized, revenue from Purilogics’ products will be reported within the Donaldson Industrial Filtration Solutions business in the Industrial Products segment.
Source: www.donaldson.com
De.mem signs partnership agreement
Singaporean-Australian water and wastewater treatment company De.mem Ltd., announced that it has signed a partnership agreement related to the commercialization of its Graphene Oxide enhanced (“GO”) membrane technology. De.mem will partner with Purafy Clean Technologies, Kingston, Ontario, Canada in the manufacturing, sales & distribution of the GO membrane technology. Under the agreement, De.mem receives exclusive access to Purafy’s Graphene Oxide nanoparticles for use within De.mem’s polymer ultrafiltration membrane.
In exchange, De.mem grants exclusive rights to Purafy for the use of De.mem’s GO ultrafiltration membrane, within Purafy’s portable and domestic water treatment products. De.mem intends to promote Purafy’s domestic water treatment products into Australia and Singapore initially.
Pall Corporation’s filtration technology plays critical role in EverGrain‘s new large-scale protein facility
Pall Corporation, a leader in filtration, separation and purification technology, has supplied the filtration solution for EverGrain’s new large-scale plant-based protein facility in St. Louis, Missouri. EverGrain’s new facility focuses on upcycling brewer’s saved grains with Pall Membralox Microfiltration System, which uses ceramic membranes with gradient permeability to purify the valuable protein. The purified high-functional protein, previously used for animal feed, can now be converted into nutritious, plant-friendly ingredients for other food products.
With global protein consumption expected to double by 2050, there is an urgent need to develop alternative protein sources more sustainably. Pall and EverGrain have partnered to support EverGrain’s mission to revolutionize sustainable ingredients using a proprietary upcycled process, focused on transforming barley used in the brewing process into high-quality, nutritious and sustainable protein ingredients for use in other food and beverage products. The new facility is the first commercial-scale facility dedicated to upcycling barley at scale and will play a significant role in creating a sustainable supply of plant protein to fill growing consumer demand.
Source: www.pall.com
Roxia acquires part of Aquachem
Finland-based process technology company Roxia and German Filter manufacturer Aquachem have decided to deepen cooperation through partial acquisition.
Roxia has successfully marketed Aquachem’s filtration technology to various industries and applications in global markets. With this strategic move Roxia secures access to Aquachem’s state-of-the-art filter press technology. Revised cooperation also allows parties to faster develop the related customer service and business in general.
Customers around the world will benefit as Aquachem and Roxia form a strong partnership combining decades of experience with complementary range of filtration technologies. Partnership is strongly supported by Roxia’s advanced environmental technologies and state-of-the-art industrial automation solutions.
Source: www.roxia.com
Mott Corporation receives Presidential “E” Award for Exports
Mott Corporation, a technology driven high precision filtration company, recently received the President’s “E” Award, the highest honor given to U.S. exporters. Mott is just one of 19 companies in the United States selected to receive the President’s E Award.
In recognizing Mott, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, “Mott Corporation has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The “E” Awards Committee was very impressed with Mott Corporation’s record of export sales to 68 foreign markets. The company’s development products to support the global transition to clean energy was also particularly notable. Mott Corporation’s achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.”
Mott is a technology-driven precision filtration company trusted by the world’s best technical brands across four core markets: Semiconductors, Clean Energy, Life Sciences, and Space Exploration. Mott’s products can be found in everything from lifesaving medical devices to artificial intelligence to the Mars Rover. Established in 1959 and headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut, the company is 100% employee owned.
Source: www.mottcorp.com
Camfil Germany switches to 100% green electricity
Camfil Germany is now using 100% regional green electricity which means that all its air filters and air purification systems are produced entirely with local, renewable energy from sun, wind and hydropower.
By switching to 100% green electricity from regional supplier Stadtwerke Ratzeburg, Camfil Germany reinforces the Swedish group’s overall commitment to reduced CO2 emissions. This is also in line with Camfil’s long-standing membership of the UN Global Compact, and its ten principles promoting sustainability in companies.
Source: www.camfil.com
Hengst Filtration at Münster location is carbon neutral
German filtration specialist Hengst Filtration has taken a first major step toward the goal of group-wide carbon neutrality by 2030 – the main office in Münster now operates carbon neutral. This is made possible by a combination of green electricity and CO2 compensation.
“Industrial enterprises are often highly energy intensive, which means they can play a major role in protecting the environment. That is the only way to give future generations a chance for a good life,” explained CEO Christopher Heine. He added that the strategy is to achieve achieving carbon neutrality throughout the entire Group by the end of the decade.
Since the beginning of the year the family-owned company has been using only electricity from renewable sources for the main office and production facilities in Münster. In addition, the roofs of the buildings there will soon be used for installation of the company’s own photovoltaic system, in order to reduce the volume of purchased electricity during peak-load periods.
Source: www.hengst.com
EPA creates database to find thermal treatment processes for remediating PFAS
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals that have been in use since the 1940s. PFAS are found in a wide array of consumer and industrial products. Due to their widespread use and persistence in the environment, most people in the United States have been exposed to PFAS, and there is evidence that continued exposure above specific levels to certain PFAS may lead to adverse health effects.
Because there are so many forms of PFAS and treatment options, researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection, Agency (EPA) have developed a centralized database to record reliable references. EPA’s PFAS Thermal Treatment Database (PFASTT) is an easy-to-use online tool that provides referenced information on the use of different thermal treatment processes for the remediation of PFAS. It was designed for use by utilities; federal, state and local agencies; scientific researchers; and others interested in the thermal treatment of PFAS. These groups could use PFASTT when making decisions for effective PFAS treatment processes, plan for future treatment plant upgrades, recognizing research needs, and more.
PFASTT includes information for 70 publications involving thermal treatment of 58 different PFAS substance. The treatment and contaminants information in the PFASTT is gathered from literature sources focused on bench-, pilot-, and full-scale studies of thermal treatment of PFAS-laden media. The literature comes from peer-reviewed journals and conferences, other conferences and symposia, research reports, theses, and dissertations.
Source: epa.gov
SWM, Neenah complete merger and form Mativ
Mativ Holdings, Inc. announced the successful completion of the merger of equals between Schweitzer-Mauduit International, Inc. (“SWM”) and Neenah, Inc., two leading global manufacturers of specialty materials, effective July 6, 2022.
Mativ has approximately $3 billion in sales, supporting customers in more than 100 countries, and manufacturing capabilities on four continents. Beginning Wednesday, July 6, 2022, the Company will commence trading on the New York Stock Exchange at the market open, under the new ticker symbol “MATV.”
Pursuant to the merger agreement, Neenah shareholders received 1.358 shares of SWM common stock for each share of Neenah common stock owned. SWM’s shareholders will continue to hold their shares of SWM common stock. All SWM shares are now shares of Mativ common stock.
Source: www.mativ.com
Roxia acquires part of Aquachem
Finland based process technology house Roxia and German Filter manufacturer Aquachem deepen cooperation through partial acquisition.
Roxia has successfully marketed Aquachem’s filtration technology to various industries and applications in global markets. With this strategic move Roxia secures access to Aquachem’s state-of-the-art filter press technology. Revised cooperation also allows parties to faster develop the related customer service and business in general.
Finland based process technology house Roxia and German Filter manufacturer Aquachem deepen cooperation through partial acquisition.
Roxia has successfully marketed Aquachem’s filtration technology to various industries and applications in global markets. With this strategic move Roxia secures access to Aquachem’s state-of-the-art filter press technology. Revised cooperation also allows parties to faster develop the related customer service and business in general.
Source: roxia.com
BASF and Permionics partner on face masks
BASF has joined hands with Vadodara-based membrane manufacturer, Permionics Membranes, to extend, for the first time, the application of BASF’s Ultrason E polyethersulphone (PESU) polymer into coated fabrics that serve as particulate and bacterial filter for face masks. The face masks using the fabric as a middle layer are highly breathable, washable and re-usable unlike conventional face masks. They are designed for usage in the Indian healthcare market. Permionics selected Ultrason E for its coated fabric, Perma Bioshield. The fabric is made by adhering an antimicrobial coating made of Ultrason E to the matrix of a non-woven fabric as a bonded support. Ultrason E is a high purity material with low gel and oligomer content that ensures a stable membrane manufacturing process. PESU can be used in a wide pH range (0-13) without deterioration. It is especially suitable for the production of durable hollow-fibre membranes and filters for use in the food, beverage, electronics and pharmaceutical industries.
Source: www.permionics.com
Sulzer to write off assets in Russia and Poland
Following the Board’s decision to initiate the process of exiting the Russian market and the closing of the Polish businesses, the Swiss fluid engineering company Sulzer has decided to write off most of its assets in both countries.
After careful analysis of all options, Sulzer expects a one-time impact in the range of CHF 125m to CHF 135m at current foreign exchange rates. CHF 125m will be recognized in H1 of 2022.
The one-time asset write-offs will have no significant impact on Sulzer’s operational results, however on Net Income, which was CHF 86m for H1 2021 and CHF 141m for the full year, respectively. Sulzer will report its H1 results on July 29, 2022.
Source: www.sulzer.com
H2SITE Raises 12,5M€ to Scale Membrane Reactor Breakthrough Technology
H2SITE, a deep-tech pioneer in on-site hydrogen (H2) production, announced that it has raised 12,5 M€ in a Series A funding round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), with participation from Equinor Ventures, ENGIE New Ventures, TECNALIA and institutional investors from the Basque Country (Capital Riesgo País Vasco (EZTEN FCR) and Seed Capital Bizkaia (SCB)).
The funding will accelerate the scale up of H2SITE’s integrated membrane reactor and membrane separation technologies to obtain fuel cell purity hydrogen from ammonia or methanol cracking or enable hydrogen transportation in existing natural gas infrastructure. H2SITE will also increase its membrane manufacturing capabilities, operating a world unique membrane manufacturing plant in the North of Spain.
“While much focus is given to hydrogen generation cost reduction, less attention is given to reduction of hydrogen transport cost. Transporting hydrogen is a complex task, it being a small molecule that is difficult to contain. The current compression, storage, decompression, and transport solutions are both economically and environmentally inefficient”, says Andrés Galnares, H2SITE’s CEO.
TECNALIA, Spain’s largest private research center, and the Technical University of Eindhoven realized that 13 years ago and developed the advanced membrane reactors. They combine special membranes with one-process-step reactors to produce onsite, low-cost renewable hydrogen. ENGIE’s R&D entity CRIGEN contributed to the development of the commercial version of the reactor. Intellectual Property was transferred into the newly created H2SITE to commercialize the technology.
H2SITE has since developed these onsite hydrogen generation units. Double skin inorganic membranes with long lifespan, integrated into process units can both crack hydrogen carriers and separate the hydrogen from blends in natural gas infrastructure or purify it in dedicated hydrogen infrastructure.
Source: www.h2site.eu
