Arkema : 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.