Aachen-based wastewater recycling company Membion receives €5m investment to accelerate growth

Membion GmbH, the Aachen-based developer and producer of membrane bioreactor (MBR) modules for wastewater treatment, has received an investment of €5 million led by TechVision Fonds (TVF) and DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF).

With the multi-patented technology, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant operators can meet the growing demands on water quality and significantly reduce operating costs. Membion will use the capital to achieve broad market entry, set up further production lines and develop additional product features.

Klaus Vossenkaul, CEO, Membion: "Our customers want and need to achieve higher water quality, but often don't have enough space to expand their wastewater treatment plant. If they convert these to our Membion MBR modules, the bacterial load of the wastewater can be reduced by a factor of 1,000 compared to a conventional plant. Compared to conventional MBR plate modules, 75 percent less space is required. In addition, our MBR modules are aerated in a revolutionary way, reducing the energy required to flush the filters by more than 90 percent compared to MBR plate modules. Climate  change, water scarcity and the increasing intensity of agriculture mean that more and more water must be available in good quality. In future, operators will have to pay fines under German and European legislation if they do not meet these quality standards.''

Over many years of research and development, the experienced Membion founding team, consisting of Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul and Dirk Volmering, has developed unique membrane filters, so-called hollow fiber MBR modules, which achieve significant energy and thus operating cost savings – and with significantly reduced space requirements compared to competing systems. There is no need for secondary clarification as in conventional systems. Both are decisive factors for the future, as ever-increasing demands on water quality will soon require a so-called "fourth purification stage". In addition to the separation of sewage sludge and water that has been implemented to date, this will also have to filter microplastics, antibiotic-resistant germs, pathogens and trace substances such as drug residues from the water.

To meet these future requirements, sewage treatment plants will need additional space for retrofitting a purification stage. Additionally, the growth of urban areas requires extra capacity for water purification. Membion's self-developed production plant has a scalable, highly automated production unit. Target customers are operators of municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial water treatment plants.

Elisabeth Schrey, Managing Director, DTCF: "Both established wastewater systems and new industrial water applications need innovations in order to use the valuable resource of water responsibly. I am delighted that we are able to support such an experienced entrepreneur in Klaus Vossenkaul, and we share his vision of energy-saving water recycling."

www.membion.com