BlueNotes
BlueNotes
PFAS pressure points and the membrane shake-up
The proposed EU PFAS ban is poised to reshape the membrane landscape, pulling PVDF into the regulatory crosshairs and forcing utilities, industrials and suppliers to rethink long-term planning. Rhys and Divya unpack what a universal restriction could mean for plant design, stranded-asset risk, supply-chain readiness and the accelerating push toward ceramic and other non-PFAS alternatives.
They also explore emerging PFAS destruction pathways, near-realtime sensing and the market signals defining this inflection point.
Dive deeper with BlueTech's PFAS Watch service, and register for the Water Innovation Town Hall on 4 December and the Ceramic Membranes briefing on 11 December.
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Presented by BlueTech Research®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence.
Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world
Welcome everyone. Welcome to another episode of Blue Notes podcast series. Welcome to my co-host Reese Owen.
Rhys:Hi, Divya. Hi everyone. How's it going?
Divya:Good, good. As they say the sprint to the year to the end of the year is on.
Rhys:Exactly, yeah. And it's, it's already the holidays for, uh. Our, uh, friends in, in, in the US with, with it being Thanksgiving. So happy holidays to everybody there
Divya:Yeah. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. It's not long before Christmas comes around.
Rhys:Exactly. It's, insight and it's, you know, always very busy at the end of the year for everybody. Yeah,
Divya:that's right Reese.
Rhys:going on.
Divya:You've certainly been very busy. You've been on the road quite a bit the last week, if not too.
Rhys:That's right. Yeah. I've been to two conferences. Uh, I went to Oxford Water Day, uh, which was hosted at the site business school part of the university. Uh, some very interesting presentations and, and networking there from the, the European Bank for reconstruction and developments, for example. And then, uh, this week I was at the science water events, which was at the Royal Institution. So it's a very historic venue where people like Charles Darwin gave lectures. And, uh, that was a day of, uh, very interesting presentations. Again, mostly centered around in the investment case for water. Um, so that was interesting and coming up. We've also got a very interesting thing on the 4th of December. We're broadcasting our, uh, innovation Town Hall, which is gonna be based around a book called The Dynamics of Water Innovation, which is, uh, by Paula Callahan. And this is going to be, um, a discussion. Uh, with Evo SIL Tech and Vortec Water Solutions, and they are sharing their stories of innovation and, um, the things that. We're turning points in their water adoption journey in getting their products outta the lab from concept to commercial reality. In conversation with Paul and Renard Hubner from Skin Water and Case Spaceman, who is also Paul's co-author from uh, vagan University. So yeah, very interesting conversation. So do you do check that out on the 4th of December? And you can find details on, uh, blue Tech Research's LinkedIn page to sign up for that. So yeah, quite a lot going on
Divya:There is, and I'm always interested in this innovation framework because the dynamics of water innovation, the book provides a fantastic foundational kind of framework for health. How innovation in the water space is supposed to look like. And then you've got all of these companies that are living and breathing that in that world right now. And you can ask them questions and say, guys, how do you, how's it working for you right now? So is that, that kind of dynamic of bringing theory into practice and getting those practical insights along with Paul's insights. I think that that makes for a wonderful mix and very rich conversation.
Rhys:Yeah. And I, in the past Sarah fil have said to me, you know, the, this theoretical framework actually mapped what happened to us almost precisely. So, um,
Divya:Oh wow.
Rhys:does, yeah. And yeah, the books, you know, found its way into boardrooms and university programs and r and d teams. So it's, it's, uh, yeah, it's making a bit of an impact.
Divya:Excellent. Look, looking forward to that on the 4th of December. Let's move on with today's episode. So for those who've tuned into us before, you know, this type of thing, we do, we pick a report that's jumped out to us in the last month and we kind of just talk through it. So. The report pick of the month for me. This month is Blue Tech's latest analysis on the proposed EU wide PFAS ban and what that could mean specifically for water and wastewater treatment. I think that was a, a, a really well-written, thoughtful piece.
Rhys:Yeah, it's, and it's, it's not new information as such, but it's such a huge issue for the industry that, uh, we wanted to do a bit of a deeper dive into it because, you know, it's not just about the usual thing that people might associate with PFAS, which is contamination into, uh, water or, you know, or in consumer products. It's about actual the membrane technology that underpins, most of our water industry at the moment.
Divya:Well, more specifically polymer right in membrane technology, PVDF, um, you know, and that's, that falls under the definition of. EFAs that's being proposed for this restriction.
Rhys:Yeah, exactly. It's everywhere. PVDF, I mean, uh, especially for MBR systems, uh, you know, it's kind of a default material in NBR because of its chemical resistance and durability. Poly ether cell phone or PES is also used in, in, you know, drinking water. Particularly in, in the us. But yeah, PVDF huge, uh, part of membrane treatment at the moment.
Divya:Yeah. And if the restriction moves forward as proposed, it wouldn't just affect. New manufacturing, it would, you know, cover the placing on market for the use of these materials and, and that really touches the entire life cycle of membrane technologies and systems.
Rhys:Exactly. Yeah. So it's, you know, it's still proposed. It hasn't happened yet, but it's, it's a universal ban. So a ban on manufacturing, a ban on use. Uh, there are proposed transition periods and derogations for water treatment, uh, and in very specific things like sealants, but it's still a finite window. So, you know, and that means that for plants being built, plants today, uh, there is a risk of stranded assets. If, if PVDF membranes are used.
Divya:Yeah, I. I mean, from a capital planning perspective, you know, you might design a membrane system for a 15, 20 year life cycle or life, right? And, but the regulatory clock could be much shorter than that. So this isn't something that you can just say, well, we'll think about it. It's something that you have to start doing. And that's why the report we go into detail about actions for C-Suite. So if you are a member sitting in the C-Suite team listening to this right now, what are some of the obvious questions that you need to start asking?
Rhys:Exactly. Yeah. It's, it's about looking at what the exposure could be depending on what happens and being forward looking about, thinking about non PFAS alternatives. Ceramics could really be coming into their own. We just, we discussed ceramic membranes last time. And yeah, it's not just a procurement decision that changes the, potentially the design of a plant. Um, so yeah, it it's, it's. You know, looking at flux performance, following behavior, cleaning regimes, what it does to opex and lifecycle costs, there's a lot to think about.
Divya:And there's also the, uh, the supply chain to think about. So many utilities and industrial operators move away from pfas based membranes than supplier capacity. You know. We'll have to start thinking about how we're gonna change that. Uh, what's the smart move to start engaging with suppliers today and and who would they be?'Cause there's some very dominant suppliers out there that, that, that have been around for, you know, hold strong market position.
Rhys:Exactly, and this is a great example of the, the effect of regulation. And you know, it, it's a reason why we're launching Blue Tech's Regulation Watch or Reg, uh, in the new year. You couldn't really ask for a better example of how our regulation will directly impact the water industry and the wastewater industry. And the effects of that start, you know, even before the legislation is reality because of these long lead times.
Divya:Yeah. So do check out that report that's available on the Blue Tech platform for download. On a similar note, we, we've also just been looking more generally at what's happening in the broader PFAS world. Um, you know, we published our latest quarterly PFAS briefing, and this is, this is accessible to clients that are currently subscribing to the PAS watch service. But really, the single takeaway is. One of the biggest signals this quarter is, is the acceleration around PFAS, destruction and disposal. technologies that were previously considered experimental are now reaching destruction efficiencies that are, you know, a demonstration stage. We've got new data in from a big incineration test program in the US that reportedly achieved extremely high destruction rates between 99.5 to 99.9% for nine of the PFAS compounds. And on paper, the numbers look great. There are some lingering questions and we go into more detail in, in, in the briefing on this, but you know, there are some lingering questions about the possible formation of byproducts and the concerns about whether those high destruction efficiencies hold up under, under real world waste feed conditions. I.
Rhys:Yeah, exactly. And then o on the detection side, there's a shift as well. We're seeing faster near realtime PAS screening move closer to reality. Uh, and that would change very much how utilities and industrial sites and, and regulators can manage the risk. Um, so that would be a big deal. And that, that's a, we, we, we've recently published a report on pfas sensing.
Divya:Yeah, and, and you know, just mentioned about regulations, Europe continues to tighten and North America is, you know, moving quite aggressively in, in that direction too. So when you pull it all together, you've got better detection, emerging destruction, pathways, tightening regulation, shifting of capital. This is a real market inflection point, and or this is at least what a real market inflection point looks like.
Rhys:Yeah, exactly. And, and that's why you Blue Tech's got a PFAS watch service. You know, be it, it's such a hot topic. It's, it's worth having a dedicated service just to keep an eye on what's happening in terms of technology regulation, uh, companies. So yeah, it does, you know, help have a, keep an eye on where capital's flowing and which technologies are gaining momentum.
Divya:Yeah. All in all, I think it was, um. A really interesting, uh, debate to witness. Um, and yeah, we'll it's amazing how something small, how a small news alert like that can trigger so many opinions to come, to come through. You know, it's, it's, it's nice to see that discussion. So, um, again, if you're a subscriber to Blue Tech Research, you can, you can click on the analyst alerts part of the blue. Website and, um, you'll see the, the HOF stat update there and you'll also hopefully see various, um, views from our experts on that and, and many other news alerts that we've picked up over the last week or two. Let's maybe move on to talking about Tracker or company. Of the month. Um, this month our tracker picked up a company called Lonna, which I'm sure everybody's familiar with. A US-based company working on a bio-based mineral processing technology called Dessolve. And what makes'em stand out right now is that they've moved, you know, their technology has moved beyond lab into real world demonstration stage, which, you know, again, going back to the, the book of Dynamics of Water innovation is a big milestone for any company in the water sector.
Rhys:Yeah, exactly. And so this is, uh, what's the concept? It's, it's a microbially derived metabolite or, or bio solution, and that selectively dissolves unwanted. Minerals like magnesium, calcium, and silica, uh, while leaving valuable metals such as nickel and copper behind. Uh, so these BioSolutions are produced offsite in fermentors and shipped as liquids. So, um, that means there's no live biology on site. And the, uh, the idea is it's a bolt-on to existing mining operations.
Divya:And I think the data, what we're seeing is interesting as well.'cause Elon achieved 40% removal of magnesium, um, from a nickel concentrate, um, which delivered about a 3% point increase in nickel grade, um, which is roughly overall good improvement. And then in practical terms, that means. You know, lowering transportation costs, fewer, you know, uh, smelter penalties and, and, and just overall, um, stronger project economics, if you're looking at the energy input, if you're looking at the kind of the flow sheet of, um, input and output. So it's looking attractive.
Rhys:Yeah. Uh, that's moving, you know, somewhat up the scale. It's early days, but they've completed a small continuous pilot in Ontario. Uh, and it, there's, there's, there's also a one to two done per day demonstration with Eagle Mine. So going from kilos to tons, it's, it's, you know, that's where technologies prove themselves or, or don't in this scenario.
Divya:Yeah. And you know, what we've done in the, in our Tracker database is we've rated Lonna. Um, a number of points, but one of them is the address size of the addressable market. The strength of the leadership team is it an innovative business model. So overall Alon score a four out of five, which, um, you know, is a good score for a company still at early, early stages.
Rhys:Yeah, exactly. It's a very good score. Um, as I say early days, but, uh, you know, it's, it's very promising technology. So, and if that timescale demo delivers what the lab and pilots have shown so far, it could be a genuinely important upgrade tool for, you know, critical ral supply. Uh, so definitely want to watch.
Divya:Yeah, absolutely. Um, okay. I think that's, that's, that's all we have time for today. I think I did want to just remind our audience that we, Reese mentioned the fourth of, uh, the briefing coming up on the 4th of December. And we also have a web briefing coming up, um, in December on ceramic membranes. I believe it's the 11th of December, or I can't remember the exact date now. Let me just.
Rhys:Uh, ceramic membranes on the 11th
Divya:On the 11th of December. Yeah, so, so, um, you know, you can register for that briefing through the BlueTech website or you, you should have received an email with a registration link also. So we look forward to discussing everything to do with ceramic membranes with our expert, uh, Dr. Graham Pierce on that session.
Rhys:Absolutely. So yeah, we will speak to you next time. And in the meantime, uh, everybody, uh, have a great, uh, start of December, uh, uh, good Thanksgiving and you know, en enjoy going off and looking for those bargains on Black Friday, if that's what you're doing.
Divya:Very timely. Very timely. Reese. Yeah. Yeah, the, yeah. Holiday shopping certainly started, that's for sure. Thanks very much everyone. See you soon.
Rhys:Bye for now.
Divya:Thanks. Thanks, Reese. Bye.