International Market Survey on Membrane-Based Products for Decentralised Water Supply (POU and SSS Units)

Membrane processes stand as a promising technology to ensure a safe water supply at the community and the household levels. As the price of membranes has notably decreased over the last years, the market of membrane-based systems for decentralised applications has developed and diversified. In order to have a view of what the current market offers, 204 water companies were contacted and asked to characterise their Point-of-use (POU) or small-scale membrane systems, with a focus set on operation and maintenance, costs and energy requirements. Such study was not performed previously. With a 15% reply rate, the survey enables to identify the different market niches. That includes ceramic POU, organic POU, organic point-of-entries (POE), modular treatment units and emergency systems, whose technical characterization is further detailed in the Annex. Besides, the review of the marketed membrane modules reveals that ultrafiltration is the most available process. The survey also shows that the pre-treatment is a key parameter when considering options for decentralised water supply. As needs for sustainable solutions for small water supply are established, the membrane market is expected to grow and more standardised products to appear. The market evaluation can be summarized in Figure 1. Depending on the product niche, the membrane material and the filtration type, different degrees toward the market maturity are then highlighted. Such systems would be broadly applied in developed countries, but they represent also great potential for transition and developing countries. However, few systems designed for long-term operation with low-energy and low-chemical requirements exist yet. Therefore, the R&D identified within Techneau matches a non-fulfilled yet requirement.

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