ZwitterCo

ZwitterCo developed an award-winning, entirely new class of membrane technologies that solve the number one problem with membranes: fouling. Our zwitterionic technology is the foundation for fouling-resistant membranes that clean the most challenging wastewaters and surface waters – faster and easier than any membrane in history. ZwitterCo membranes can operate for years in environments that would ruin traditional membranes in days or weeks. ZwitterCo superfiltration (SF) membranes can replace DAF entirely or improve operations by converting your DAF to air only, which would lower overall costs of ownership by eliminating the need for DAF polymer and coagulants and reducing cleaning frequency. ZwitterCo membranes support automated operations, reducing the need for human intervention and minimizing frustrations that come with other wastewater systems such as air flotation, lagoons, etc. ZwitterCo SF membranes are immune to irreversible fouling, reducing the frequency and duration of downtime associated with traditional system maintenance and plant upsets. By decreasing the dependency on manual in-line chemical dosing processes, ZwitterCo membranes lead to fewer operational disruptions, resulting in smoother and more efficient plant operations.  ​ ZwitterCo membranes are extremely resilient to sudden changes in feed quality, ensuring stable performance and fewer plant upsets. They also do not require any operator involvement in making the necessary changes.  ​ ZwitterCo SF membranes can remove greater than 99% of the oil, grease, and TSS within that water stream, which minimizes nozzle clogging and decreases TOC and BOD up to 90%. ZwitterCo’s fouling-immune SF membrane technology enables over 95% recovery of process water streams such as screen wash water and other washdown areas for reuse. You can achieve all this while removing color, FOG, TSS, BOD, TOC, and TKN.​ SF also allows chemicals such as PAA to pass while capturing FOG. ​This allows over 90% of intervention chemistries, such as PAA, to be reused. Wastewater from process streams contributes to the load on total plant wastewater. With ZwitterCo membranes, you’re able to reduce the volume of wastewater that needs to be treated. ZwitterCo membranes allow for water reuse and recycling in places that may not have been able to be reused before, which leads to less wastewater going to total plant WW treatment.​ ​ Many plants use polyacrylamides, aluminum and iron-based chemicals in their DAFs, which can poison aquafers.​ Our filtration provides concentrate similar to DAF skimmings but without the chemicals. The reduction in chemicals using ZwitterCo membranes means that plants can use treated water without worrying about increasingly strict regulations​. In many places around the United States, new strict rules have made land application difficult or impossible. With ZwitterCo, land application and composting are possible – even as regulations change. This opens the door to valorization opportunities as well. ​ With ZwitterCo membranes, plants can capture all the oils, grease, and proteins, boosting yields and production at the rendering plant. ZwitterCo membranes also provide safer byproducts for animal food, without polyacrylamide – a chemical harmful to humans and animals. ZwitterCo is now implementing our fouling-immune technology and designing sanitary products specific for food, dairy, and beverage processes that enable a daily 1-step clean plus sanitization. ZwitterCo RO is perfect for existing RO systems treating MBR effluent that are struggling with frequent high pH cleaning. Built using fouling-immune technology, ZwitterCo RO reduces cleaning frequency by up to 90%, offering 2x membrane lifespan, and lowering overall costs.​