Original Date: 11/03/1996
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Oak Ridge has fifty years of experience in reverse osmosis (RO) inorganic membranes research, development and manufacture. RO inorganic membranes can be manufactured from metal or ceramic materials that make them ideal for use in applications where high temperature or harsh corrosive environment are prevalent, and the high degree of reproducibility make them effective in providing precise separations. The economy with which they are now produced makes wide application available.

Oak Ridge has the capability to produce large quantities of these inexpensive, high quality, inorganic membranes in a modern, high technology facility and can develop, tailor, optimize and fabricate these membranes to produce pure water while concentrating oil and other hydrocarbons for easy disposal. They can be used to produce potable water from sea water at an affordable price. Pure water from the waste water process will dilute the concentrated salt from the potable water process for return to the sea, thereby creating no new waste products. Other applications of inorganic membrane uses include the remediation of other liquid wastes such as the removal of poly chlorinated biphenols (PCBs) and other hazardous components from water.

While the process to produce these RO inorganic membranes is currently classified, Oak Ridge has a continued interest to go forward with deployment on a classified basis while also striving to have it declassified.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.