Circular solutions for membrane management in the water industry (2026)

Membrane-based treatment technologies, including reverse osmosis (RO) and ultrafiltration (UF) are now critical to Australia’s drinking water, wastewater, and industrial treatment systems. However, their growth has created a rapidly expanding end-of-life waste stream.

RO membranes are typically constructed from polyamide thin-film composites, PET non-woven backing layers, polypropylene (PP) housings, and ABS/PVC structural components, materials with high embodied energy and significant manufacturing impacts. When these modules are landfilled, not only are valuable polymers lost, but the opportunity to reduce the extraction of virgin resources is forfeited. This represents a substantial missed circular economy opportunity for South Australia.

Currently, no large-scale material recovery, polymer recycling, or component separation processes are commercially operating in Australia. While international projects have demonstrated partial recovery of membrane components (e.g., spacer plastics, membrane sheets), these remain mostly at pilot or early commercial stages.

This project examined the technical, organisational, and policy conditions required to transition membrane management from a linear “use–dispose” model toward circular strategies aligned with Accelerating SA’s transition to a circular economy: South Australia’s Waste Strategy 2025–2030, which emphasises designing out waste, keeping materials in circulation at their highest value, and reducing reliance on virgin resources.

The study combined literature review, stakeholder interviews, case study analysis, and examination of global innovation pathways to assess circularity options for RO and UF membranes in the South Australian context.

This project was undertaken as part of the Women in Circular Economy Leadership Scholarship, supported by Green Industries SA.