BlueNotes

PFAS pressure points and the membrane shake-up

The proposed EU PFAS ban is poised to reshape the membrane landscape, pulling PVDF into the regulatory crosshairs and forcing utilities, industrials and suppliers to rethink long-term planning. Rhys and Divya unpack what a universal restriction could mean for plant design, stranded-asset risk, supply-chain readiness and the accelerating push toward ceramic and other non-PFAS alternatives.  They also explore emerging PFAS destruction pathways, near-realtime sensing and the market signals defining this inflection point.  Dive deeper with BlueTech's PFAS Watch [https://www.bluetechresearch.com/our-services/pfas-watch/] service, and register for the Water Innovation Town Hall [https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xWJckjOxSsuO3Z--Pj4DRw] on 4 December and the Ceramic Membranes [https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WfVDVLJpQyCICV-PvnSt-g] briefing on 11 December. -- Presented by BlueTech Research [https://www.bluetechresearch.com/]®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey [https://youtu.be/DP6ueBOv5hc?si=ITy_SZbJAOECojZH]. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world [https://www.braveblue.world]

Ceramic cembranes, VBact innovation, and Xylem’s reset

This episode spotlights three themes driving BlueTech’s current research cycle. Rhys and Divya open with the momentum behind ceramic membranes, ahead of the 11 December web briefing with Dr. Graham Pearce [https://www.bluetechresearch.com/web-briefings/] and the release of BlueTech’s Ceramic Membranes 2025 Update. Once a 2% niche, ceramics now claim ~10% of the market, lifted by cost reductions, flat-sheet formats, and the EU’s proposed PFAS restrictions that could phase out PVDF. With players like MetaWater, Sōbra, Stech, and Filtech expanding into wastewater and desalination, ceramics are shifting from premium to increasingly mainstream. The episode then moves to BlueTech's Innovation Tracker [https://platform.bluetechresearch.com/tools/innovation-tracker/], highlighting VBact [https://platform.bluetechresearch.com/tools/innovation-tracker/vbact-2/], a 4.5/5 BlueTruffle-rated bacterial scanner offering real-time, AI-driven microbial monitoring at low operating cost. Already deployed in food and beverage, it stands out for continuous phenotypic fingerprinting—though regulatory acceptance remains the key barrier. A full report on bacterial monitoring systems lands next month. Finally, the hosts examine Aurelius’ acquisition of Xylem’s international metering business [https://platform.bluetechresearch.com/?s=aurelius], a move TAG experts describe as strategic refocusing. The divestment allows Xylem to double down on software, analytics, and digital twin partnerships, while Aurelius takes on a complex, hardware-heavy portfolio. Together, these threads capture the technology, regulation, and market shifts framing BlueTech’s year-end research priorities -- Presented by BlueTech Research [https://www.bluetechresearch.com/]®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey [https://youtu.be/DP6ueBOv5hc?si=ITy_SZbJAOECojZH]. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world [https://www.braveblue.world]

The quiet revolution in electrodialysis and lithium recovery

Electrodialysis is making a comeback. Once niche, ED and EDR are being reinvented with smarter membranes, modular stack designs, and solar-powered operation. BlueTech Analyst Dr. Vishal Wagholikar joins Rhys and Divya to explore how these innovations could enable off-grid desalination, resource recovery, and low-cost acid and base generation. The conversation then shifts to policy, with the proposed Advancing Water Reuse Act offering a 30% U.S. tax credit that could transform industrial reuse economics—boosting uptake among data centers, semiconductor plants, and utilities. They close on lithium, spotlighting the UK’s first commercial DLE project and a Veolia patent targeting zero-liquid discharge and circular lithium recovery. Together, these stories reveal where technology, regulation, and resource security now intersect in water innovation. Join us for the upcoming web briefings in November: * 20 November: Transforming Nitrogen Management: From Cost to Opportunity [https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r3SMAffuS0Syq2YLp5NK9A#/registration] * 27th November: Ceramic Membranes: Market & Technology Update 2025 [https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WfVDVLJpQyCICV-PvnSt-g#/registration] -- Presented by BlueTech Research [https://www.bluetechresearch.com/]®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey [https://youtu.be/DP6ueBOv5hc?si=ITy_SZbJAOECojZH]. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world [https://www.braveblue.world]

WEFTEC Special

WEFTEC is where the future of water takes shape, and in this BlueNotes special, we cut through the noise.  From the 281 submitted abstracts, our analysts have curated the top 60 that will define industry conversations this year: PFAS, emissions control, digital adoption, and circular solutions. Download the full memo from here [https://platform.bluetechresearch.com/tools/reports/weftec-2025-the-top-60-abstracts/].  We spotlight the Innovation Pavilion cohort, where next-gen leaders like Active Membranes [https://www.activemembrane.com/], AlgaFilm [https://algafilm.com/], Chromafora [https://chromafora.com/], Delta Bravo [https://deltabravo.ai/], Solidec [https://solidec.com/] and Weaver Labs [https://www.weaver-labs.com/] showcase their breakthrough technologies. Also happening at the Innovation Pavilion are sessions like Dynamics of Water Innovation, Innovating for Today, and Lighthouses & Tipping Points. Visit the full list of Innovation Pavilion sessions here [https://weftec25.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/#/searchtype/sessiontype/search/Innovation%20Pavilion%20Session/show/all]. And as has become tradition, BlueTech's Breakfast Briefing [https://www.bluetechresearch.com/events-media/upcoming-events/] will be held on Tuesday, September 30th at 7.30 AM. Over coffee and a croissant, we’ll deliver hard-earned insight from the frontlines of innovation — offering new research and real-world investment signals. This year’s edition is sponsored by Grundfos, whose keynote will set the tone for a session that spans unicorn technologies, PFAS dynamics, data centres, M&A trends, and the shifting priorities of utilities and regulators. If you believe you should be in the room, request an invite on our website [https://www.bluetechresearch.com/events-media/upcoming-events/]. -- Presented by BlueTech Research [https://www.bluetechresearch.com/]®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey [https://youtu.be/DP6ueBOv5hc?si=ITy_SZbJAOECojZH]. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world [https://www.braveblue.world]

EDR, microfibers, and PFAS: signals to watch

Electrodialysis Reversal (EDR) is getting a second life. Once overshadowed by reverse osmosis, new designs, capacitive approaches, and ceramic membranes are opening doors in brackish desalination, food and beverage, and even lithium recovery. Costs and complexity remain hurdles, but innovation is giving EDR fresh momentum . Another blind spot: microfibers. Over half a million metric tons entered the environment in 2023, with textile effluents averaging 37 mg/L. BlueTech’s new report maps the problem and highlights solutions from ultrafiltration to simple strainers, stressing that no single fix exists — integration and shared data are key. This month’s Analyst Alert highlights Norit’s PFAS breakthrough: NSF-certified thermal reactivation destroying 99.98% of PFAS in spent carbon. More than reuse, it signals hybrid pathways where removal, regeneration, and destruction combine to outcompete standalone solutions. Patent Watch adds a sustainability twist. Kemira’s bio-based flocculants from cellulose and starch cut dewatering times nearly in half, showing that performance and green chemistry can align. Looking ahead: BlueTech partners with Apple at New York Climate Week, then heads to WEFTEC with Imagine H2O for the Innovation Pavilion, breakfast briefings, and this year’s top abstracts. A packed fall, set against signals of reinvention across the sector. Join us for the following briefings: * 30th September: Breakfast Briefing at WEFTEC in Chicago. Register here [https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/bluetech-breakfast-briefing-weftec-2025-tickets-1543993178159] * 7th October: The Commercial Future of Water: Microplastics, PFAS & Consumer Trust (in collaboration with Lux Research Inc). Register here [ https://luxresearchinc.com/events-and-webinars/webinars/the-commercial-future-of-water-microplastics-pfas-consumer-trust/] -- Presented by BlueTech Research [https://www.bluetechresearch.com/]®, Actionable Water Technology Market Intelligence. Watch the trailer of Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey [https://youtu.be/DP6ueBOv5hc?si=ITy_SZbJAOECojZH]. Get involved, and learn more on the website: braveblue.world [https://www.braveblue.world]