IFAT 2026: The complete MBR membrane experience
IFAT Munich 2026 − a leading trade fair for environmental technologies − took place 4–7 May 2026. The MBR Site's Simon Judd spent two days at the Messe München exhibition, and summarises his conversations with the MBR membrane exhibitors about what's going on in the membrane world.
P.S. On the subject of ‘Bizarre Things Found In Inlet Screens Of Sewage Treatment Works’ mentioned below − contact us on [email protected] with your stories − if we get enough response, we'll publish a blog on the subject.
1. Introduction
There’s always a sense of trepidation when planning a visit to a trade show. Even at major events like IFAT, it’s never certain who will show up. However, at around 3,400 exhibitors (compared with ~3,200 two years ago), IFAT 2026 did not disappoint in terms of its size, vibrancy and diversity of the technological exhibits – some of which were truly gargantuan. The organisation was as slick as ever, the visuals impressive, and the stamina and unrelenting cheerfulness of everyone on the exhibition stands was outstanding. Even the coffee at the cafés was almost drinkable.
As far MBR membrane technology was concerned, there were both familiar and new faces. A few of those faces belonged to Cranfield University alumni or researchers whom I hadn’t seen in many years, which is always a pleasant surprise. But all were engaging and knowledgeable, as well as moving up in the industry, which meant we probably used up far too much of their precious time chatting.
Inbetween chats with old friends, however, we managed to get some work done. Below (listed in no particular order) is a brief summary of some of the key points we picked up from our many valuable and informative conversations. Our thanks to everyone who gave us their time.
2. New technical developments
The latest model of Veolia’s ZW500 module (the ZW500EV) for municipal wastewater treatment provides a further advancement over the previous incarnations. The ZW500EV R-56M module targets the lifecycle/aftermarket business, having the same footprint and height as the historical 52M cassette, but with a higher packing density. The ZW500EV T-64M module targets greenfield applications; it incurs the same footprint but has a taller cassette offering a membrane area of 3,155 m2 for a 64-module cassette. This amounts to a 24% increase in membrane area compared with the 52M
cassette (fitted with 52 RX12 modules) without increasing the footprint (3.7 m2 floor area). So, 850 m2 of membrane area per m2
footprint.
On the other hand, there appears to be value in increasing the internal diameter (ID) of a multi-tube (MT) cross-flow membrane module for some particular streams and applications, which actually decreases the membrane packing density. Berghof has proposed and implemented 12 mm ID tubular membrane modules (Fig. 1) for sidestream AnMBRs or digestate ultrafiltration in biogas plants, resulting in a lower differential pressure drop and thus a reduced energy consumption. The key benefit is the tolerance to the high solids loading associated with such applications.
This extends to abiotic UF membrane filtration applications, where these tubular membranes have been used downstream of lime precipitation for hardness removal. This two-step precipitation-UF system has been used for softening of cooling tower blowdown for reuse or RO brine recovery, where the products of both Berghof and Memos have been employed. The wide-bore membrane enables higher shears, reducing the risk of blockage of the tubes at the high solids loads involved.
3. Localised products and suppliers
Some of the newer products on display originated from unexpected regions of the world. Of these, the MEMSIS GENMBR technology merits a mention. It was developed at Istanbul Technical University in Istanbul under the auspices of Professor Ismail Koyuncu − an established researcher of some repute in the field of membrane science and technology. The Esenyurt region of Istanbul now boasts a membrane manufacturing capability of around 1m m2 reinforced hollow fibre per year. It is a fairly well-established product, with the first full-scale reference approaching ten years. A third generation of the product is due to be launched, featuring membrane aerators integrated within the membrane bundles and the membrane polymer impregnated with bismuth to provide bactericidal action.
The unusually-named Spacedrip technology is based in Jüri, Estonia. The company targets remote, arid locations featuring low flows and non-potable water reclamation and reuse (NPR). The technology is based on the classic MBR−RO sequence, containerised to allow rapid and flexible deployment − including as a temporary/mobile installation. Units have been employed at army bases and in remote island locations in Estonia and elsewhere in the world. The company has developed a means of seeding the reactor using special activated sludge ‘capsules’ to overcome the issue of sourcing activated sludge for plant commissioning.
Another example of a supplier specialising in MBR containerisation and mobile plant implemented in remote areas is MENA Water, whose primary geographical area of activity is as indicated by their name. The company started up in 2007, their first installations being in Sudan and UAE, but was acquired by Huber in 2017. While focusing primarily on the MENA region, they have also delivered projects in Asia−Pacific and Latin America, as well as Australia.
4. Membrane polymers
Unsurprisingly, the debate over PFAS and PVDF rumbles on. The status of PES provoked some discussion amongst some of the exhibitors of PVDF membrane products. The EU banned the use and trade of Bisphenol A (BPA) in January 2025 (Commission Regulation 2024/3190). However, this regulation applies only to food contact materials and appears to specifically exclude PS (polysulfone) and PES membranes on the basis of the extremely short contact times involved in processing, and the limited associated prospective leaching.
There are indications of an expanded range of membrane material options, in some cases in response to the above ongoing debate over the legal status of PVDF in the EU. SINAP, for example, offers their iFS membrane as both PVDF and PES (polyether sulphone). Litree offers a PVC iHF membrane alongside its PVDF membrane. Toray is apparently assessing alternative polymer materials; the company has also extended its PVDF UF offer to a 5-nm pore size which provides further fouling protection to a downstream RO. Against this, some of the EU-based membrane suppliers have formed an alliance, designed to offer a coordinated defence of PVDF membranes and to argue the case for their continued use in water and wastewater processing.
It is perhaps worth being reminded that the most established membrane material, in terms of implementation (the first plant dating all the way back to 1998 in the UK), has never been PFAS. The Kubota membrane, from the original rigid plate FS panel (the 510 cartridge) to the most recent (2020) SP-A block module fitted with composite membrane sheets (Fig. 2), has aways been a hydrophilic chlorinated PVC material.
Lastly, Mitsubishi Rayon − one of the pioneering suppliers of MBR membrane modules, originally entering the market in the early 1990s (at roughly the same time as Kubota) with its horizontally-aligned SUR polyethylene membrane – still produces a PE fibre for potable applications. The company is also apparently developing a PE-based MABR product.
5. Module construction
Our conversations at IFAT 2026 highlighted some notable features of membrane module construction.
The Kovalus PURON and PULSION technologies are based on individual cylindrical fibre bundles (or ‘candles’) placed within a shroud – a square cross-sectioned container running the length of each bundle (Fig. 3). The shroud reduces the dissipation of the air bubbles, introduced via aerators integrated into the bundles, conserving the membrane air scour.
The PURON MBR technology was the first to incorporate an aerator with the individual membrane bundles, as well as open-ended fibre bundles at the top to allow escape of problematic fibrous solids. The PULSION technology additionally employs pulsed membrane air scour pulsing to enhance solids displacement. The combination of the pulsing of the membrane air and the shrouding of the bundles can reduce the specific air scour energy to as low as 0.05 kWh/m3 permeate.
Membion also offer an MBR technology based on membrane bundles housed in rectangular containers (or 'bundle tubes'), with spacing between them to permit downflow, and fed with pulsed membrane air scour. In this case, the below-membrane aeration units are referred to as 'geysers' and the air scour effect termed JetSplash.
The new CUT MT membrane module (the T-CUT PP PVDF R50) employs a polypropylene (PP) backing and seal (Fig. 4a), instead of the conventional polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for the backing and polyurethane (PU) resin for the seal. This makes the module more robust and resistant to extremes of pH, offering extra durability for chemical cleaning.
Our conversations revealed that the resilience of membranes during chemical cleans has sometimes been severely challenged – largely inadvertently. The alumina CERAFILTEC membrane (Fig. 4b) has, on different occasions, been subjected to (i) a 2% solution of hypochlorite and (ii) a 30% HCl solution during on-site chemical cleaning. While these sorts of oversights are uncommon, it is perhaps expedient to have a product able to cope with such contingencies.
The DuPont stand afforded the opportunity of getting to grips with the company’s MBR (MemPulse), featuring a pulsed-air membrane scour, and MABR (OxyMem) technologies. The two HF membranes certainly do look starkly different, with the MABR using dense, gas-permeable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) – or silicone − as opposed to the PVDF of the MBR.
Finally, the Supratec Microclear FS membrane, acquired from NewTerra in 2021 but based on the original Weise technology, is the earliest example of an FS membrane module having a permeate manifold joined to the ends of each membrane sheet along their entire length [Fig. 6]. The FS module is offered alongside their HF membrane.
6. Implementation complexity/simplicity
We also came across some interesting examples of implementation, from the simple to the complex. At the SINAP stand, there were photos of their membrane modules installed at the edges of circular aeration tanks. Although you might think that this uncomplicated approach might produce unfavourable hydrodynamics, these plants appear to operate without undue problems. At an egg factory plant in Spain, an n-1 gross flux of ~16 LMH has been maintained at the average flow rate using this simple arrangement. The plant was implemented by the Navarra-based environmental engineering company PROSIMED, which specialises in containerised ‘plug-and-play’ plant and which has a number of industrial effluent treatment sites based on the SINAP technology.
This compares to the more elaborate, but nonetheless ingenious, product of the Korean company HifilM, which has recently teamed up with the German wastewater process engineering company BIOWORKS. Their WAVEWORKS MBR system uses a ‘reciprocating’ (i.e. laterally oscillating) immersed membrane module to maintain membrane cleanliness, in place of the usual membrane air scour, reducing energy consumption to ~0.05 kWh/m³ at the largest sites — and lower still with optimised motor sizing. It also permits an MLSS of 15 g/L and above and stable operation under oil loads of ~100 mg/L, beyond conventional immersed-membrane limits. The technology, first commercialised at Kolon Industries and acquired by HifilM, remains the only such reciprocating MBR on the market.
7. Warrantees, guarantees and membrane life
It’s rare for the subject of warrantees not to be mentioned at some point during a trade show visit. The length of the warranty obviously depends on the effluent quality, with shorter-duration warrantees for industrial effluents than municipal wastewaters, as well as on the membrane material. However, it is recognised that the actual recorded membrane life varies significantly across different sites.
Membranes at some sites have been proven exceptionally robust. The Litree PVDF HF membranes at the refinery/biorefinery site at Porto Marghera apparently lasted 13 years – unusual for MBR membranes challenged with industrial effluent.
But perhaps the most effective means of reassuring potential buyers was demonstrated by SPERTA. This company put prospective clients, in this instance seeking solutions for laundry effluent treatment, in touch with existing clients with similar references with installed membranes aged more than seven years. SPERTA, like many companies, has successfully targeted the membrane replacement market, particularly at small-to-medium sized sites and where a rapid turnaround is required. The company cited one example where the order was filled in less than a week.
Some of the guarantees being stipulated in agreements are quite challenging. The staff on the WTA UNISOL stand mentioned a 10-year guarantee on energy consumption. Like most other suppliers, the company is working on measures to reduce air scour energy.
Our conversation naturally led on to ‘Bizarre Things Found In Inlet Screens Of Sewage Treatment Works’. Topping the list was Winnie the Pooh − quite evidently A Bear Of Very Little Brain. Unbelievably, it's been reported that this incarnation of 'Pooh' has materialised in the screens of two different works in the UK – in Scotland and in the Midlands. It just shows the wide range of influent contaminants that screens have to deal with, and that may contribute to subsequent membrane module ragging. Come to think of it, that could be a good subject for another blog, so tell us your stories and, if we get enough contributions, we'll write it up. Might be an interesting read.
8. Resource recovery
MBRs offer the opportunity to recover bioavailable phosphorus when configured as an enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process. In fact, bioavailable P recovery may be possible from a chemical phosphorus removal (CPR) process, if magnetic separation of ferrous phosphate compound vivianite is proven to be viable at full scale. This process technology (ViviMag, recently acquired by Haskoning but apparently yet to be implemented at full scale) also featured at IFAT.
A more unusual example of sludge resource recovery was mentioned by the Membion stand-holders. At one of their sites, a galvanic wastewater treatment application, a solids retention time of 3 years was being employed − in effect, zero solids discharge. The sludge solids were considered to provide a valuable resource and were thickened to 4.5% using one of the two MBR lines prior to solids recovery by dewatering.
9. and finally ...
While staying in Munich, we couldn’t possibly pass on the opportunity of visiting the iconic castle of Neuschwanstein (famously purloined by Disney) and the surrounding region, as well as taking in the city of Salzburg – the latter being just a 90-minute Westbahn train journey away.
Both these wonderful locations are thoroughly recommended for their breath-taking architecture, scenic beauty and fridge magnet purchasing opportunities. Salzburg, in particular, offers an array of cultural locations to suit all tastes, such as Mozart's birthplace or, for the more discerning, film locations of the 1965 film The Sound Of Music.
Alas, neither Neuschwanstein nor Salzburg feature MBR membrane technology as far as I'm aware, so this is just a gratuitous mention in case you manage to tag on a few days' leave around IFAT 2028.
