Durable hydrophilic water filtration membranes granted a new certification

After several years of research, Arkema has developed an innovative Kynar^® fluorinated polymer grade which combines durable hydrophilic properties with the outstanding mechanical strength and chemical stability of PVDF.

Using this unique material from Arkema, Polymem, a manufacturer of membranes for water filtration, has developed ultrafiltration modules using Neophil™ PVDF hollow fibers which have now passed certification tests under standard 61 of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and NSF International (NSF) for drinking water quality.

The NSF/ANSI 61 certification now allows the Arkema/Polymem non-exclusive partnership to position itself immediately on the North American market and build the first facilities using Polymem Neophil™ PVDF hollow fibers for the production of drinking water.

Benefits of this durable hydrophilic technology compared to conventional systems include much finer filtration (suspended solids, bacteria and viruses), higher (+ 20%) volume of water filtered for constant energy consumption, and extended lifetime of filtration systems from 5 to 10 years.

This latest Kynar^® fluorinated polymer grade, developed thanks to Arkema’s research and expertise in controlled radical polymerization*, points the way to solve problems resulting from gradual loss of permeability and clogging of pores that membrane manufacturers encounter. This Kynar^® PVDF grade is available from Arkema for all membrane manufacturers eager to explore this new technology.

*Controlled radical polymerization: unique technology, called BlocBuilder^®, developed by Arkema’s R&D which allows a perfectly controlled architecture of the polymer’s various molecules on a nanometric scale.