Active Membranes, a developer of electrically-conducting membranes used in desalination, has secured its initial round of seed funding.
This investment will support Active’s corporate growth, technology scale-up, and commercialization, as well as the execution of several extended field pilot tests, which are co-funded by various US federal and state government agencies.
The funding round includes investments from Natural Ventures, Echo River Capital, and Pacifica Water Solutions, one of Active Membranes’ co-founders.
“Active Membranes is innovating the future of fresh water by redefining the technology used in reverse osmosis (RO) membrane desalination for both seawater and brackish water applications,” said Arian Edalat, co-founder and CEO.
Dr Benjamin Tam, operating partner, Natural Ventures, added that the need to reduce both the economic and environmental costs of desalination becomes increasingly urgent as the global demand for fresh water continues to rise.
“Active Membranes takes a novel approach to desalination, augmenting membrane technology with unique characteristics that allow for efficient scaling. This investment underscores Natural Ventures’ commitment to supporting innovative solutions that address critical challenges in water resource management and sustainability,” he said.
Peter Yolles, managing partner of Echo River Capital, stated that Active Membranes’ electrically conducting coating will reduce the costs of water desalination among the existing installed base of RO plants around the world. He added that this investment aligns with Echo River’s mission of innovating decentralized water treatment and contributing towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 – providing fresh drinking water for all.
Active Membranes’ membranes reportedly utilize the company’s technology that incorporates tunable electrical potential into a spiral wound desalination membrane module, making them actively resistant to scaling and fouling during the desalination process.
These membranes require minimal pre-treatment and minimal usage of chemicals and consumables, operate at a higher recovery rate, and simplify operation, resulting in a much lower footprint, lower capital costs, and reduced operating costs.
“Not only can our membranes be used in large scale desalination projects and in commercial plants; they can also be used in point-of-use/ point-of-entry systems in the household or office to produce clean potable water,” added Edalat.
Active Membranes, based in California, US, has received various awards, including the ‘Technology idol award’, the ‘Global prize for innovation in desalination’ hosted by Saudi Arabia, and the ‘More water less concentrate prize’ presented by the US Bureau of Reclamation, and is a finalist for the 2024 Earthshot prize.
Source :Active Membranes
