EDR, microfibers, and PFAS: signals to watch

Electrodialysis Reversal (EDR) is getting a second life. Once overshadowed by reverse osmosis, new designs, capacitive approaches, and ceramic membranes are opening doors in brackish desalination, food and beverage, and even lithium recovery. Costs and complexity remain hurdles, but innovation is giving EDR fresh momentum .

Another blind spot: microfibers. Over half a million metric tons entered the environment in 2023, with textile effluents averaging 37 mg/L. BlueTech’s new report maps the problem and highlights solutions from ultrafiltration to simple strainers, stressing that no single fix exists — integration and shared data are key.

This month’s Analyst Alert highlights Norit’s PFAS breakthrough: NSF-certified thermal reactivation destroying 99.98% of PFAS in spent carbon. More than reuse, it signals hybrid pathways where removal, regeneration, and destruction combine to outcompete standalone solutions.

Patent Watch adds a sustainability twist. Kemira’s bio-based flocculants from cellulose and starch cut dewatering times nearly in half, showing that performance and green chemistry can align.

Looking ahead: BlueTech partners with Apple at New York Climate Week, then heads to WEFTEC with Imagine H2O for the Innovation Pavilion, breakfast briefings, and this year’s top abstracts. A packed fall, set against signals of reinvention across the sector.

Join us for the following briefings:

• 30th September: Breakfast Briefing at WEFTEC in Chicago. Register here
• 7th October: The Commercial Future of Water: Microplastics, PFAS & Consumer Trust (in collaboration with Lux Research Inc). Register here

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Presented by BlueTech Research®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence.

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