GE’s Advanced Membrane technologies, including spiral-wound reverse osmosis, nano-, ultra-, and micro-filtration membranes, are used in a wide range of applications, including industrial water reuse, recovering acid streams for reuse, and removing heavy metals from wastewater. As a world leader in Advanced Membranes, GE’s technologies allow customers to recover valuable materials from process water and reduce wastewater disposal.
Environmental Benefits
GE's Advanced Membrane technologies enable customers worldwide to reduce their industrial wastewater disposal. GE's Advanced Membranes sold in 2009 enabled customers to reduce annual wastewater disposal by more than 22 billion gallons, decreasing the burden on treatment plants and the demand on water supply.
Operating Benefits
GE's Advanced Membrane technologies enable industrial customers such as those in the mining industry to reduce wastewater and recover valuable minerals and metals from their wastewater streams. For example, at one copper mine, a customer using GE's Advanced Membrane technologies was able to recover approximately 80% of the copper from their wastewater stream, equivalent to 37,000 lbs of copper per day, which translates to an annual savings of nearly $34 million USD at a price of $2.50 per pound.
