RUSNANO has begun a project to produce nanostructured membranes for water purification. The products to come from this project are membrane plating and membranous roll-fed modules that are used in the process of filtration and reverse osmosis.
Participants in the project, which is estimated at $63.7 million (1.92 billion rubles), are RUSNANO, Vladipor, and an outside investor who will provide co-financing. RUSNANO will invest $11.6 million (350 million) rubles in equity of the project company and provide it with a loan of $15.2 (460 million rubles).
The project will be carried out in the city of Vladimir. The production facility is expected to be completed in 2012.
Membrane technology is widely used in all areas of industry that must purify water and/or treat sewage. The use of membrane technology in electroenergy, microelectronics, pharmaceuticals, and the food industry reduces costs in obtaining water that is ultraclean, salt-free, and free of dangerous microbes. Membrane technology is used to reduce costs for sewage treatment and to obtain concentrated solutions in the chemical and milk industries. Realization of the project will permit to replace imported analogs with domestic products that have better consumer qualities.
The project falls within the realm of nanotechnology because of the size of the pores of the membranes. Each membrane type has its own size and all lie in the range of one nm to 100 nm. Membranes hold all that is larger than the size of their pores.
Thanks to the experience and scientific-technological potential of Vladipor in membrane technology, the project company has broad opportunities for further growth, including development of new types of membranes for application in specific fields.
Direct customers for products that emerge from the project are engineering companies that produce units for water purification and sewage treatment for end consumers. There are about 150 domestic and foreign companies working in Russia today that offer engineering services for delivery of membrane equipment, mostly for imported membranes.
Businesses in energy, machine building, chemicals, electronics (together 20 percent) pharmaceuticals and medicine (24 percent), and the food industry (20 percent) have the highest demand for membrane modules. In 2008 the market in Russia for membranes was $225 million; in 2017 it is expected to rise to $645 million. The market for membrane modules for ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis will reach more than $238 million, and average annual growth in the market from 2010 through 2017 will exceed 13 percent.
Vladipor was established in 1998 on the base of the scientific departments and pilot-commercial production facilities of Polymersintez, which has been engaged in the development and manufacture of mebrane products for more than 35 year. Polymersintez was the lead organization in the interdisciplinary scientific and technical complex Membranes, coordinating all scientific research work in polymer membranes and membrane processes carried out in the Soviet Union. Vladipor works primarily in the creation of various types of polymer membranes and separating elements associated with them.
The membrane project was announced on January 14, 2010.
