UF and NF development target for Mann & Hummel

German membrane filtration specialist Mann & Hummel is setting up a second research laboratory in Singapore, where its water division is based, to support production and sales on-site.

This will include further development of current ultrafiltration membranes for decentralised sewage treatment plants and development of nanofiltration membranes. The corresponding modules, for example for drinking water applications, will also be developed along with further development of current systems into highly modular units to which pre- and post-treatment units can be connected easily, for example for chlorination.

One task for both development divisions – advanced development in Ludwigsburg and application development in Singapore – will be to open up further fields of application for membrane technology. The teams will look into automotive and non-automotive applications and benefit from the plastics-processing know-how built up over the decades.

Mann & Hummel entered the water filtration market in 2009 and took over Singapore membrane specialists Ultra-Flo Pte Ltd in 2010. As a result, the company expanded its technology base and product portfolio and used reference products to pave the way towards accelerated market penetration.

“One of the many advantages with our systems is their very straightforward operation,” says Ulrich Winter, managing director of Mann & Hummel Singapore. “Well-trained specialist personnel are few and far between in many parts of Asia, but these are also unnecessary for operation of our systems. After Southeast Asia, we are targeting the NAFTA region and Europe as markets for our water filtration systems.”

Examples of customer groups purchasing Mann & Hummel water filtration systems include local authorities, the oil and gas industry, electric power plants, the food industry, the construction industry, the mining industry and many more besides.

The company also supplies products suitable for use in disaster zones. The Royal Thai Army and the Thai Navy received robust and solid filters with handpumps for people in remote flood-affected areas. These filters are easily transportable and treat water without the need for electricity. Mann & Hummel Singapore donated these water treatment systems.