Clean drinking water is not available in sufficient quantities in all countries on earth. Membrane filtration helps to extract drinking water from salt or brackish water through reverse osmosis processes. Semi-permeable ceramic or polymer membranes are used for this where water is pushed through them in order to separate dissolved salt from water. A number of membranes are stacked on top of each other in the reverse osmosis modules, as the modules for the production of fresh water are called, and between them are membrane spacers (nettings). However, there is often a problem in practice: the membrane spacers are prone to soluble suspended particles, salt crystals and bio-organism deposits – so-called bio fouling. As a result the reverse osmosis modules become clogged-up and filtration performance is reduced until the module fails.

At Fraunhofer IMWS, Dr Ulrike Hirsch and her team are researching a system in collaboration with IAB Ionenaustauscher GmbH Bitterfeld, which would stop the bio fouling process. Membrane spacers are chemically conditioned for this, so that neither suspended particles nor bacteria are able to adhere to the surface of the spacer. »Our technology ensures fewer maintenance cycles, and less material damage and deterioration of the module and thus allows many people in the world a better quality of life. I am therefore even more pleased to have been awarded the top prize and that the judging panel honoured the scientific and practical benefit of our research project«, says Dr Ulrike Hirsch.

»The award proves the quality of the scientific work we carry out at Fraunhofer IMWS. I am particularly pleased that we were honoured in the »Innovativste Allianz« (Most Innovative Alliance) category, as it shows that we are working on current issues, which are important to regional companies and which increase their competitiveness«, says Professor Dr Ralf B. Wehrspohn, Director of Fraunhofer IMWS in Halle.

Fraunhofer IMWS was also successful in the category »Innovativste Projekte der angewandten Forschung« (Most innovative projects in applied research). Professor Dr Jens Schneider and his team achieved third place. In a subproject of the research endeavour »C³ – Carbon Concrete Composite« he is working on the combination of innovative concrete with carbon fibres and the production of solar power. Carbon fibres can replace steel in steel-concrete buildings, as they are more efficient and do not rust. This allows new architectural forms, which can be fitted to photovoltaic modules amongst others. Professor Schneider and his team in collaboration with the Architectural Institute Leipzig (ai:L) of the HTWK Leipzig, the Institute for Building Materials (IfB) of the TU Dresden, SGB Steuerungstechnik GmbH and Solar Valley GmbH succeeded to combine solar modules with concrete and to use these for building façades. They are not only visual eye-catchers but also make a significant contribution to climate protection.