A significant development in new technology could more than halve current production costs for clean water, according to Finnish researchers.

Scientists at Arcada University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki have made a major breakthrough in technology that can clean water at a much reduced cost. The Arcada track etch membrane research group has been the first in the world to succeed in producing nano-sized pores using a method considered previously to be scientifically impossible.

The new technology permits production of membranes that can filter substances from water based on their size or chemical properties. The best known solution for producing membranes with this capability is the track etch method. Arcada's newly developed technology is based partly on the same principle, but minor modification has transformed production economics to make it cost-effective.

According to Arcada, current cleaning methods are either too expensive or unreasonably energy intensive. Of various alternative water treatment methods, those based on nanoporous membranes are technically the most promising but also cost the most.

The new production technology enables significant reductions in membrane prices and subsequently broadening future applications of membrane technologies, Arcada said. The largest volumes will most likely be seen in clean water production and in industrial process water treatment where, for example, the aim is to separate out valuable or hazardous substances.

Dr Mikael Paronen, leader of the research, said:

‟Our starting point in the development of new manufacturing technology for nanoporous membranes has been to significantly reduce production costs. Our research group has been exceptionally open to exploring alternative manufacturing methods, and in this context we have benefited from combining our experiences and the scientific literature.”

It took five years of intensive research for the group to make the significant breakthrough.