Efficient and cost-effective PLASMA surface treatment method Efficient and cost-effective PLASMA surface treatment method for flexible FILtration materials used in the separation of immiscible liquids

Project Information

PLASMAFIL

Grant agreement ID: 816954

DOI

10.3030/816954

Project closed

EC signature date 7 May 2018

Start date 1 May 2018

End date 31 August 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

PLUME SRL
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PLASMAFIL (Efficient and cost-effective PLASMA surface treatment method Efficient and cost-effective PLASMA surface treatment method for flexible FILtration materials used in the separation of immiscible liquids)

Reporting period: 2018-05-01 to 2018-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Filter membranes used in several industries e.g. food and drinks, oil, chemicals, wastewater management, are prone to fouling and to an associated thwarted performance (reduced flux, inefficient separation). A decrease in filtering performance and maintenance costs can be translated into economic losses for each sector. Indeed, commercial filter have low permeate flux (10-100l/m2/h), less than 95% of rejection efficiency and life-span limited to 2-3 years. Our revolutionary plasma treating process will make any filter membrane oleophobic and hydrophilic without adding chemicals, enabling superior performances, increased permeate flux (20-55%), greater life-span (+50%) and adequate features for filtering, clarification, concentration and separation of diverse mixtures. We will select and test the membrane that perform best on targeted sectors counting with relevant companies to conduct tests on industrial environments. PLASMAFIL duration is estimated in 24 months to be ready for industrialization, commercialization and market launch by 2021.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Technical Plan – Work Plan Definition, including: customer pain; SoA assessment; technology description; product application, testing and validation; objectives for TRL9; work plan definition; analysis of risks.
Stakeholders: identification of the stakeholders to be involved during and after project execution.
Commercial and exploitation plan: including market overview; value and trends; PESTEL, market barriers and mitigation measures; legal and regulatory requirements; IPR strategy and FtO; strategy for knowledge protection; commercialization plan; exploitation, dissemination and communication strategies.
Financial feasibility, including: project financial viability; business projections and 3 possible scenarios.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

PLASMAFIL is a plasma treatment for multipurpose filter membranes that etches the surface of the membrane giving oleophobic and hydrophilic properties. Clarification, concentration and separation will be conducted cost-effectively thanks to our solution in the food and drink industry (milk, beer, wine, juices) and in the Oil, Chemical and Wastewater sectors. With an investment of €1.1M the expected impact for PLASMAFIL in 2025 is to generate 11 new job positions, expecting a cumulative 5-Yr revenue of €32.7M and a return of investment by year 2. By 2025 we expect to reach >0.5% of the market share for filtering membranes.

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