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: June 19, 2025
Flocean to Launch the First Commercial Subsea Desal Plant in Mongstad, Norway
Flocean has finalized plans to launch the world’s first commercial subsea desalination plant at Mongstad, Norway’s largest offshore supply base and a key industrial hub on the country’s west coast. The project is located in the Fensfjorden area—one of the most important marine corridors in the region. The first water is scheduled for the first half of 2026.
This next step builds directly on the success of our Flocean Zero installation, which has been delivering clean, drinkable water from ~500 meters below the surface at Mongstad since November 2024. That system showed, for the first time, that subsea desalination is not just technically feasible—it can be operated reliably at scale.
Subsea desalination demands a fundamentally different engineering approach than traditional land-based desalination plants—integrating high-pressure fluid dynamics, advanced subsea robotics, marine-grade materials, and systems designed to operate autonomously for long durations in extreme environments.
Flocean is one of the few teams in the world qualified to do this work. The company’s engineering foundation comes from deep experience in offshore energy, subsea robotics, and modular marine systems—skills traditionally reserved for oil and gas but now redirected toward planetary water resilience.
By operating at depth, their systems use the ocean’s natural pressure as a free energy source, eliminating the need for massive surface infrastructure or high-pressure pumps. That means:
- 40% less energy consumption
- 95% less land footprint
- No toxic brine discharge
- Unaffected by storms, hurricanes, flooding, and algal blooms
- Improved physical protection
Flocean’s philosophy is simple: use the ocean’s natural conditions as an advantage, not an obstacle. The result is a scalable, environmentally friendly path to global freshwater.
Ahlstrom Completes New Production Line in Turin, Italy
Ahlstrom, a global leader in sustainable specialty materials, has started a new state-of-the-art production line for molecular filtration media at its Turin site in Italy. This major investment strengthens Ahlstrom’s leadership in the molecular filtration market and enhances its ability to serve the growing global demand for high-performance specialty materials.
Equipped with the latest technologies, the new production line offers a high degree of customization and design flexibility. It enables precise tuning of adsorptive performance through detailed control of adsorbent types, blends, and content levels. The investment is complemented by a molecular filtration test bench to better support filtration manufacturers in developing high-performance filtration solutions.
The investment complements the existing Ahlstrom Trinitex® Carbon platform by targeting the growing demand for premium molecular applications such as cabin and fuel cell air intake filtration, as well as HVAC and cleanroom.
First announced in 2024, the project supports Ahlstrom’s strategy to develop next-generation filtration solutions that purify air and liquid, and protect people, processes, and the environment.
Puraffinity Signs First Commercial Agreement for its PFAS Removal Technology
Puraffinity, a leading innovator in PFAS removal technologies, has signed its first commercial agreement to implement its flagship product, Puratech G400, in a full-scale water treatment project.
This marks a significant milestone in the company’s transition from pilot projects to commercial deployment. The agreement was signed with Envytech Solutions, the leading expert in mobile water treatment in the Nordic region and a member of the Sortera Group, which operates across the Nordics and the UK. This follows a successful field pilot treating groundwater contaminated with aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a known source of PFAS pollution. The pilot project was part of a larger infrastructure remediation initiative.
Alfa Laval Joins One Water Consortium
Alfa Laval announced it has joined the One Water consortium as a core partner to address water challenges, including water scarcity, droughts, floods, and marine and freshwater degradation. With its leading technological innovators, the One Water consortium is engaged in a bid to secure the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) latest Knowledge & Innovation Community (KIC) focused on water.
The EIT, a body of the European Union, is seeking a consortium to manage its new Water KIC, which will join nine existing KICs addressing themes like digitalization, energy, food, and health. The Water KIC will focus on three core challenges: scarcity, drought and floods; marine and freshwater ecosystem degradation; and developing a circular and sustainable blue economy.
“By joining the One Water consortium, Alfa Laval is, for the first time, involved in a KIC bid that aligns perfectly with our mission to pioneer positive impact,” says Eline Suijlen, Water Industry Manager in Alfa Laval’s Food & Water Division. “Solving the water challenges is crucial for our planet. Europe is strong in concept development and patents for solutions but can do better in converting the solutions into business. The KICs are designed to do just this, take ideas and bring them to life. Alfa Laval brings both experience and expertise to the table.”
The One Water consortium brings together public sector partners such as universities and research centers, with Alfa Laval providing private sector expertise in corporate water stewardship and maritime water. Alfa Laval has had 10 representatives from across the company feeding into the consortium discussions ahead of the bid application, due 17 June 2025.
The selection process for the winning consortia of the future Water KIC will take place in Q3 this year, with the final decision from the EIT expected by the end of the year.
Toray Establishes Water Treatment Technology Center in Saudi Arabia
Toray Industries, Inc., announced that Toray Membrane Middle East LLC (“TMME”) began operations at its Middle East Water Treatment Technical Center (“MEWTEC”) in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in April. The new facility provides integrated technology services, covering everything from membranes through full treatment processes.
MEWTEC caters to surging water demand in the Middle East, Africa, and neighboring regions. It also addresses an increasing need for advanced wastewater reuse and seawater desalination technologies in industrial and urban infrastructure. It enables that subsidiary to swiftly deploy its on-site technological capabilities and spearhead efforts to develop solutions to local water challenges. As part of efforts to bolster Toray’s commitment to the Middle East, the center also enhances the rapid, specialized technical support that the company prioritizes after delivery to strengthen trust and long-term partnerships with customers across the region.
Providing access to clean water is pivotal to the Toray Group Sustainability Vision, representing a roadmap to the World as Envisioned by Toray Group in 2050 and embodying Toray Vision 2030, through which the Group seeks to achieve sound, sustainable growth. Toray will continue providing advanced reverse osmosis and other membrane technologies and reinforce its technical services in areas with growing water needs. It will help resolve water shortages worldwide, including in the increasingly industrialized and populous Middle East and Africa.
Aquaporin appoints Chief Executive Officer
The Board of Directors of Aquaporin A/S, an innovative water technology company dedicated to rethinking water filtration with biotechnology, announced the appointment of Ulrik Lund Jakobsen as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. The appointment is the result of a comprehensive search process in connection with Matt Boczkowski’s decision to step down as Chief Executive Officer in order to relocate to North America with his family, as announced in April.
Ulrik Lund Jakobsen brings more than 20 years of leadership skills combined with experience from the technology and process engineering sectors, most recently serving as Chief Executive Officer of GEA Powder & Thermal Separation Technologies, a business unit within GEA Group. His extensive leadership experience and deep industry knowledge will be instrumental as Aquaporin continues to accelerate growth and increase order traction. Jakobsen resides in Denmark and holds a Master in Dairy Science and Technology from the University of Copenhagen. His already strong background is further complemented with business program education from Copenhagen Business School, London Business School, and the International Institute for Management Development.
Fibroline and Big Frog Innovation LLC Enters Partnership
Fibroline, the French company that has developed dry powder impregnation solutions, has entered a strategic partnership Big Frog Innovation LLC, a consulting company with many years of international experience focused on bringing innovation to the filtration and nonwovens industries.
With this new collaboration, Fibroline aims to extend the use of its solutions in the filtration industry and especially in the American market. Capitalizing on the recent opening of its US-based Innovation Center in February and a successful presence at FiltXPO recently, Fibroline is confident that this will lead to new project developments in the filtration sector. Indeed, this partnership brings together unique innovative technologies and a seasoned company in this field.
Veolia to Provide Seawater Desalination Tech for Two Santos Basin FPSOs
Veolia’s Water Technology & Solutions has secured a multi-million dollar contract from Seatrium to provide advanced seawater desalination solutions for two Petrobras’ offshore platforms in Brazil.
The project, serving Petrobras’ P84 and P85 floating production storage and offloading platforms (FPSO), will demonstrate innovative water treatment technology solving critical environmental and operational challenges in offshore energy production.
Each platform will have the capacity to process 225,000 barrels of oil and 10 million cubic meters of gas daily. This requires sophisticated water management solutions in order to minimize environmental impact while maximizing production efficiency. Oil and gas production relies on treated, desalinated seawater to be injected into reservoirs through sulphate removal units (SRU).
At the heart of this solution is an SRU system for water injection production, featuring Veolia’s ZeeWeed Ultrafiltration and SWSR Series Nanofiltration membranes. These advanced systems will reliably process 1,960 cubic meters per hour of water per platform.
This collaboration marks the fifth contract between Veolia and Seatrium following three successful projects in the past three years.
Braskem and Ardent Advance Breakthrough Olefin Separation Technology
Braskem the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas, as well as a global market leader and pioneer producer of biopolymers on an industrial scale, and Ardent Process Technologies announced the successful completion of their joint development program for an innovative olefin-paraffin separation technology, marking a significant advancement in polyolefin production efficiency.
The collaboration, which began in November 2020, centered on the development and testing of Ardent’s OptipermTM membrane technology at a dedicated demonstration unit within Braskem’s facilities. The rigorous development program has satisfactorily met key performance metrics, including membrane efficiency, durability, and operational stability.
“The successful pilot program demonstrates the tremendous potential of this technology to revolutionize olefin paraffin separation processes,” said Bill Charlton, the COO of Ardent and leader of this project. “We are excited to move forward with Braskem towards full commercial implementation.”
Following these promising results, Braskem has confirmed its intention to implement this groundbreaking technology across commercial facilities. Engineering and design work have already commenced for the first commercial installation.
“This technology represents a significant step forward in our commitment to innovative and sustainable solutions,” said Gus Hutras, Global Process Technology Director at Braskem. “The successful pilot results align with our vision of transforming the chemicals and plastics industry through innovation while advancing our goals toward carbon neutrality. We’re excited to move this breakthrough technology into commercial implementation.”
MANN+HUMMEL Expands Management Board
As the next step on the path toward Leadership in Filtration, MANN+HUMMEL is strengthening its leadership structure and expanding its Management Board from two to three members. This decisive step reinforces the company’s strategic focus on sustainable growth, customer centricity, and the resilience of its global structures – in an increasingly dynamic geopolitical and economic environment.
The current Executive Board – consisting of CEO Kurk Wilks and CFO Emese Weissenbacher – will be expanded by introducing the new role of Chief Operating Officer. As part of the reorganization, Emese Weissenbacher – currently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer – will take on the newly created role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Jurate Keblyte will join MANN+HUMMEL as Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Weissenbacher. She brings over 25 years of international leadership experience in financial transformation. As CFO, she will be responsible for Finance, IT, and Global Business & Technical Solutions, and will continue to drive MANN+HUMMEL’s transformation journey.
Membrane Technology Makes Fuel Cells Cheaper, Environmentally Friendly
A new membrane technology – so light and thin that it makes an A4 sheet of paper feel like thick cardboard – has been created in the hydrogen laboratory at Norwegian research institute SINTEF.
Fuel cells that run on hydrogen are efficient and emit water vapor instead of exhaust. But so far, the technology is still expensive and therefore not competitive with the electric motor alternative. Researchers have now figured out how they can accelerate competitiveness by reducing two critical components, potentially making fuel cells both cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
Fuel cells consist of a membrane and a catalyst. Both are crucial for the process of converting hydrogen gas into electrical energy and for the overall performance of fuel cells. The membranes are made of fluorine-containing materials that are harmful to the environment, while the catalyst consists of platinum, which is a rare and expensive mineral. Membrane and catalysts account for over 40 percent of the total cost of fuel cells.
“It was thus important to find the optimal balance between the amount of materials used and the amount of electricity produced. In the research project, we found a way to arrange the reactors so that they provided enough power to run the fuel cell, while at the same time drastically reducing the amount of materials required,” said Patrick Fortin, a researcher at SINTEF.
He explains that the research has led to a 62.5 percent reduction in platinum content, compared to state-of-the-art fuel cells.
“By reducing the amount of platinum in the fuel cell, we’re not only helping to reduce costs, we’re also taking into account the global challenges regarding the supply of important raw materials and sustainability,” says Fortin.
Platinum is one of the most expensive and rarest minerals on earth, and it is only extracted in parts of the world outside Europe. The EU has therefore categorized platinum as a critical raw material. By slimming down the already razor-thin membrane by 33 percent, the researchers have now come up with a far more environmentally friendly membrane that is also less expensive, and cost can be reduced by up to 20 percent and PFAS can be reduced by a third.
PURE Bioscience Unveils Membrane Treatment Solution for Dairy, Beverage Industry
PURE Bioscience, Inc., creator of the patented non-toxic silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial, announced an innovative application method for membrane treatment in the dairy and beverage industry using their flagship product, PURE® Hard Surface. This groundbreaking solution addresses common membrane fouling and sanitization challenges, delivering outstanding results that enable operators to restore throughput and sanitize the membrane without damage or oxidation.
Tom Myers, EVP of Technology & Development at PURE Bioscience, stated, “The introduction of PURE Hard Surface to the Dairy and Beverage industry represents a significant advancement in membrane treatment technology. This product delivers unmatched efficiency and enhances filtration operation and longevity.”
Key Attributes of PURE Hard Surface for Membrane Treatment:
- One Treatment
- Complete Penetration in Minutes
- Environmentally Safe
- Cost-Effective Solution
“Our SDC technology is redefining what’s possible in the food industry – and PURE Hard Surface is at the forefront,” said Tim Steffensmeier, Vice President of Sales. “This modern membrane application brings a smarter, more efficient approach to streamlining operation, delivering a measurable cost savings, and empowers manufacturers to uphold the highest quality standards in the industry, without the negative trade-offs of traditional chemistry.”
Donaldson Appoints Richard Lewis Chief Operating Officer
Donaldson Company, Inc. a leading worldwide provider of innovative filtration products and solutions, announced the appointment of Richard Lewis as chief operating officer, effective August 1, 2025. In his new role, Lewis will oversee the company’s three segments as well as its enterprise operations and supply chain, and corporate technology functions. He will continue to report to Tod Carpenter, chairman, president and chief executive officer.
“Rich is an experienced leader with a track record of consistent operational success through a broad range of dynamic and challenging market conditions,” said Carpenter. “During his 23 years with Donaldson, he has achieved a deep understanding of our global portfolio of businesses, end markets, and customers’ needs. I look forward to partnering with Rich to further strengthen execution of our strategy and drive value creation for all of our stakeholders.”
Lewis is currently president of the company’s Life Sciences segment and will continue to perform that role until a successor is named. During his tenure within Donaldson, Lewis has held several key leadership positions including President, Mobile Solutions and Senior Vice President, Global Operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Louisville and an MBA from Indiana University.
“I am honored to step into the COO role and lead operations for the company’s diversified portfolio of businesses,” said Lewis. “I am eager to continue working with our strong leadership team to deliver our innovative solutions for customers around the globe and further our collective success.”
Metso Wins New Indonesia Equipment Order
Metso has been awarded a repeat order to deliver sustainable tailings filtration technology for the Huayou Group’s laterite nickel mine project in Indonesia. The order value, which is not disclosed, has been booked in Minerals segment’s 2025 second-quarter orders received.
Metso’s delivery consists of the engineering, manufacturing and supply of 16 Larox® FFP3512 filters, as well as advisory services and spare parts for installation and commissioning. The fully automatic, fast-opening filter press (FFP) is part of the Metso Plus offering. The filter combines the benefits of membrane technology and sidebar design with high mechanical and process performance, providing safe and sustainable high-volume dewatering of tailings with low operating and life cycle costs.
Huayou Group is a high-tech enterprise engaged in the research, development and manufacturing of new energy lithium-ion battery and cobalt materials in China. Its nickel cobalt hydrometallurgy project in Indonesia is one of the largest and most advanced hydrometallurgy projects in the world. Metso has signed several cooperation agreements with Huayou Group to provide comprehensive minerals processing solutions for its projects in Indonesia, including SAG mills, ball mills, as well as Larox® filters and thickening equipment of various specifications.
Camfil Expands Local Presence in China
Camfil, a global leader in clean air solutions, announced two significant updates in its operations in Mainland China: the opening of a new office in Shanghai and the completion of a large-scale solar panel installation at its manufacturing plant in Taicang. These milestones reflect Camfil’s commitment to environmental responsibility and customer-focused growth in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
Following a successful visit by Camfil Group CEO Mark Simmons, who attended both milestone events, the company reaffirms its dedication to building closer relationships with local customers and enhancing its sustainable business practices.
At the Taicang facility, more than 2,000 rooftop photovoltaic panels have been installed. This system is expected to generate approximately 1.4 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually—covering nearly 30% of the plant’s total energy needs and reducing over 1,000 tons of CO₂ emissions each year. Combined with green electricity sourced from the grid, Taicang’s overall green power usage now stands at approximately 90%, marking a major achievement in Camfil’s global sustainability roadmap.
The new Shanghai office will serve as a strategic hub to support Camfil’s local teams and provide even stronger service to customers throughout Mainland China. It enhances the company’s presence in one of its most important markets, enabling faster response times, localized expertise, and closer customer partnerships.
Aquaporin Sells 500 CLEAR Membranes to China
Aquaporin announced they sold 500 Clear membranes to Beijing-based company Czrlo to help increase energy efficiency significantly at a municipal wastewater incineration plant and a coal chemical plant.
Clear is a series of brackish water reverse osmosis elements designed for industry, municipalities, and businesses. Crzlo has purchased Clear Classic, Clear Classic FR, and Clear Eco membranes to meet the needs of its customers.
The company, based in China, has already conducted testing of the energy-efficient membranes at a municipal waste incineration plant and a coal chemical plant. During the testing phase, the Aquaporin Inside Clear membranes delivered stable water quality, meeting stringent desalination requirements.
The Clear elements operate at a lower pressure than the previous membranes in use. This improved performance means the municipal waste incineration plant in Beijing has experienced an increase of more than 30% in compliant process water produced daily.
“Achieving commercial traction in China’s competitive membrane market demands more than mere presence – it requires strong technological and operational advantages. With our Aquaporin Inside Clear product line, we are earning the trust of industrial customers and consistently delivering the performance and reliability they depend on,” said Aquaporin chief executive officer Matt Boczkowski.
