Development and manufacture of IPC® ultrafiltration membranes and modular MBR systems for wastewater treatment
Blue Foot Membranes NV
Lommel (BE) · Almelo (NL) · Saerbeck (DE) · Singapore (SG) · Naucalpan (MX, Agency Rema Water Solutions)New on Amplifa
About Blue Foot Membranes
Blue Foot Membranes NV is a Belgian company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Lommel that develops and produces ultrafiltration membranes for submerged membrane bioreactors (MBR). The core product is the patented IPC® membrane (Integrated Permeate Channel): a PVDF membrane layer is embedded directly into a non-compressible 3D textile carrier, creating an integrated composite without any glued or welded joints that withstands backwash pressures up to 2 bar. The membranes are assembled into standardized modules (IPC Flex, 73 membrane sheets, 97 m² filtration area) and further into stacks and multistacks; the module components are made of PVC, PU and stainless steel SS316L. The company also offers engineering, piloting and validation, commissioning, membrane replacement, upgrades, technical support and works exclusively with OEM integrators. Applications lie in industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, the food & beverage industry and decentralized systems; a reference project is the water treatment plant of Carlsberg in Fredericia (Denmark) with 90 % process water recycling.
- Site
- Lommel
- Processes
- Ultrafiltration (MBR membrane bioreactor, IPC® flat-sheet membranes, pore size 0.04 μm), Membrane filtration with backwash (backwash up to 2 bar, IPC® Integrated Permeate Channel), Membrane cleaning (CEB: NaOCl 500–2000 ppm, citric acid 0.5–2.0%), MBR system design and engineering (application assessment, system design, piloting, commissioning,, Piloting & validation of membrane performance, Membrane replacement & upgrades of existing MBR plants, Manufacture of IPC® membranes (coating of the PVDF membrane layer directly into the 3D textile, Assembly of modular membrane modules and stacks (mechanical assembly, multistacks as lifting unit
- Materials
- PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), 3D woven textile carrier (non-compressible weave structure), PVC (module/permeate connection DN65), PU (polyurethane, module material), Stainless steel SS316L (holding plates, lifting devices, air connection DN40), Glycerol + preservation additive (preservation agent), Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl, cleaning), Citric acid (cleaning)
- Founded
- 2017
- Industries
- Industrial wastewater treatment, Municipal wastewater treatment, Food & Beverage, Decentralized wastewater treatment
- 01
Membrane production (PVDF coating in 3D textile carrier)
- 02
Module manufacturing (assembly of membrane sheets incl. aeration system)
- 03
Stack/multistack assembly (PVC, PU, SS316L)
- 04
System design & engineering
- 05
Piloting & validation
- 06
Commissioning & technical support
- 07
Membrane replacement & upgrades
Materials & Processes
Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)
Membrane material of the ultrafiltration layer (0.04 μm) for submerged MBR applications.
3D woven textile carrier
Non-compressible carrier with integrated permeate channels as the mechanical backbone of the membrane.
PVC
Module and permeate connections (DN65) of the IPC Flex modules.
Polyurethane (PU)
Module material of the IPC Flex Series.
Stainless steel SS316L (1.4404)
Holding plates, lifting devices and air connections (DN40) of the stacks.
Sites
Lommel
BEHeadquarters
Almelo
NLSite
Saerbeck
DESite
Singapore
SGSite
Naucalpan
MXAgency (Rema Water Solutions)
Components & Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultrafiltration (MBR membrane bioreactor, IPC® flat-sheet membranes, pore size 0.04 μm)Testing | – | 3950 mm (Stack Flex 3) × 746 mm (stack width) × 4250 mm (incl. min. water depth stack | – | – | PVDF, PVC, PU, SS316L |
| Membrane filtration with backwash (backwash up to 2 bar, IPC® Integrated Permeate Channel)Surface | – | – | – | – | PVDF |
| Membrane cleaning (CEB: NaOCl 500–2000 ppm, citric acid 0.5–2.0%)Surface | – | – | – | – | PVDF |
| MBR system design and engineering (application assessment, system design, piloting, commissioning,Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Piloting & validation of membrane performanceEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Membrane replacement & upgrades of existing MBR plantsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of IPC® membranes (coating of the PVDF membrane layer directly into the 3D textilePlastics | – | – | – | – | PVDF |
| Assembly of modular membrane modules and stacks (mechanical assembly, multistacks as lifting unitAssembly | – | – | – | – | PVC, PU, SS316L |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPC® Flex membrane module (73 membrane sheets, 97 m² filtration area) | Blue Foot Membranes IPC Flex | – | – | – | – |
| IPC® Flex stack (1–3 modules, configurations Flex 1 to Flex 3, footprint 0.61 m²) | Blue Foot Membranes IPC Flex Stack | – | 746 x 716 mm footprint | – | – |
| Multistack (4/6/9 modules: Flex R, Flex 6, Flex 9, pre-assembled lifting unit) | Blue Foot Membranes Multistack | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 2017
Founding of Blue Foot Membranes with the goal of developing the most reliable, unbreakable membrane for MBR applications.
- 2021
Carlsberg opens water treatment plant in Fredericia (Denmark) with Blue Foot membranes; 90 % process water recycling.