- Aquaporin's solution produces clean water using much less energy than other existing water filtration technologies

LONDON, Sept. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent research on biomimetic membranes for the water filtration market, Frost & Sullivan presents Aquaporin A/S with the 2012 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation. Aquaporin's one-of-a-kind biomimetic water filtration membrane, trademarked Aquaporin Inside™, filters water from a multitude of sources including surface, ground, waste, sea, and brackish water to produce the required quality of product water for a range of diverse applications.

The Aquaporin Inside™ membrane contains 'Aquaporin', a robust biological protein, which is incorporated into the pores of a specially engineered bilayer membrane. The protein has the distinct ability to restrict the passage of contaminants including bacteria, viruses, minerals, proteins, DNA, dissolved gases, salts, detergents, and even protons, without encumbering the passage of water.

Importantly, Aquaporin Inside™ membranes require 70 percent less energy than competing membrane filtration technologies to filter the same amount of water. Aquaporin Inside™ membranes also function at considerably diminished pressures, making it ideal for seawater desalination applications.

"Aquaporin Inside™ membranes produce a flow rate much higher than similar existing technologies," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Abhisek Ghosh. "For more niche applications, this membrane shows great potential for water extraction from oil and gas fields."

Along with water filtration, Aquaporin Inside™ membranes can be used to collect specific chemicals, in precise concentrations, from water. This technology can be a huge help in meeting the ever-increasing industrial demands for ultra pure water.

The company is planning to set up a production unit to manufacture the membranes in a roll-to-roll industrial process. To date, Aquaporin is the only company that has been successful in producing commercially viable biomimetic membranes for water filtration. The cost of the membranes will be as low as $1USD per square meter, when produced on a large scale, which translates to considerable value for money.

Moreover, Aquaporin A/S has a strong patent portfolio that includes more than 28 granted patents and several patent applications. It has also developed and patented a generic membrane technology allowing a broader commercial use for alternative applications such as phosphate recovery etc. Aquaporin's expert technical knowledge and ability to produce biomimetic membranes help it to meet the requirements of exacting customers.

Aquaporin A/S is presently collaborating with key partners from various industry sectors to understand and analyze their specific needs and develop customised solutions.

"Overall, high filtration effectiveness, better water flux and energy efficiency have made Aquaporin Inside™ membranes superior to existing similar reverse and forward osmosis membranes," notes Ghosh. "It offers unrivalled performance as well as a 10 percent cost savings on operation and maintenance, making it the future filtration membrane of choice among industrial users."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated uniqueness in developing a technology, which significantly impacts both the functionality and the customer value of new products and applications. The award lauds the relevance of the innovation to the industry.

Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About Aquaporin A/S

Aquaporin is a Danish cleantech company dedicated to revolutionising water purification by means of industrial biotech techniques and thinking. The company has developed the unique and proprietary Aquaporin Inside™ membrane technology for purification of water, by use of nature's own method. The target is to develop, produce and commercialise Aquaporin Inside™ membranes for industrial water treatment purposes and desalination of seawater.

Aquaporin is a company in the M. Goldschmidt Holding group.

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan