Toray Industries, Inc. announced today that it has been honored with the 2024 National Commendation for Invention Award’s WIPO Award by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation. This recognition is for the creation of a robust reverse osmosis (RO) membrane that excels in water permeability, removal efficiency, and chemical resistance. The patented membrane, numbered 6032011, was developed by Toray Group inventors Kiyohiko Takaya, Masahiro Kimura, Takao Sasaki, Koji Nakatsuji, and Harutoki Shimura.
The award-winning RO membrane is designed to recycle industrial waste and sewage water effectively. Toray’s innovation addresses the common issue of membrane degradation caused by chemical cleaning with acids and alkalis, which typically reduces water quality.
To overcome this challenge, Toray identified two key improvements: enhancing the membrane’s structural stability against acids and alkalis, and controlling pore sizes for selective water permeability. By precisely managing the membrane formation process, Toray successfully developed an RO membrane that offers outstanding water permeability, removal efficiency, and chemical resistance.
This advanced RO membrane technology is now utilized in plants across more than 100 countries, producing water for industrial, agricultural, and drinking purposes. These membranes play a crucial role in providing safe and reliable water supplies, thereby helping to mitigate global water shortages.
The five inventors from Toray received the WIPO Award at a ceremony on Thursday, June 11, attended by Her Imperial Highness Princess Hitachi.
Award Overview
- Invention Title: Durable reverse osmosis membrane combining exceptional water permeability, removal efficiency, and chemical resistance.
- Patent Number: No. 6032011
- Award Recipients:
- Kiyohiko Takaya, Senior Research Chemist, Global Environment Research Laboratories, Toray Industries, Inc.
- Masahiro Kimura, Senior Director, Toray Industries, Inc.
- Takao Sasaki, General Manager on Special Assignment, Membrane Technical Department, Toray Industries, Inc.
- Koji Nakatsuji, Assistant General Manager, Water Treatment Technical Department, Toray Industries, Inc.
- Harutoki Shimura, Senior Membrane Engineer, Water Treatment Technical Department, Toray Industries, Inc.
- Features of the Award-Winning Technology: Toray’s RO membranes are designed to selectively filter dissolved salts and other substances from water, enabling the desalination of seawater and brine, as well as the reuse of industrial and sewage wastewater. A significant challenge in wastewater and sewage reuse is the need for frequent acid and alkali cleaning to remove dirt, which can degrade membrane structures and water quality.Toray hypothesized that controlling membrane charge repulsion is crucial to stabilize pore structures for selective water permeability. By precisely controlling the membrane formation process, Toray created pore structures smaller than a nanometer, enhancing the membrane’s chemical resistance. The result is a high-performance, long-lasting RO membrane that ensures stable, high-quality water supplies for industrial wastewater reuse and agricultural and drinking water production in areas with poor water quality.
