Fruitful Task Meeting on Membrane Technologies in Biorefineries

Task XVII – Membranes in Biorefineries, took the opportunity to gather for a meeting meeting alongside the Nordic Filtration Symposium in Copenhagen, Denmark, on December 4th, 2024. The event gathered experts and participants to discuss the latest progress in using membrane technologies in biorefineries, focusing on their applications, challenges, and future possibilities. The session was held in a hybrid format, with around 40 participants attending in person and 20 more joining online.

The meeting began with a keynote talk by Behnaz Parjikolaei from Arla Food Ingredients, who shared insights on “The way we look at the membrane for protein fractionation.” Her presentation set the stage for discussions on how membranes are used to separate and process proteins.

Frank Lipnizki, the Task Manager from Lund University, Sweden, led the meeting and gave an overview of Task XVII’s progress since it started in 2014. The meeting featured updates from subtask managers on recent developments in their areas of focus. Subtask A, led by Lidietta Giorno from ITM-CNR, Italy, covered the integration and optimization of membrane processes in biorefineries. Subtask B, managed by Maria Norbert de Pinho from IST, Portugal, focused on fouling and cleaning of membranes. Subtask C, led by Mihail Barboiu from Institut Européen des Membranes, France, discussed new membranes and module concepts. Subtask D, under Christoph Höfer from AEE, Austria, looked at emerging membrane processes, and Subtask E, led by Morten Lykkegaard Christensen from Aalborg University, Denmark, focused on water and resource recovery.

The meeting provided important updates on membrane technologies in biorefineries and promoted discussions on future research and collaboration.