Selected Aspects of Circular Economy and Filtration
Dr. Thomas Peters
Sr. Director
Dr.-Ing. Peters Consulting, DE
Speaker Bio
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Peters is an internationally renowned expert in membrane technology and environmental engineering. He has over 40 years of experience in the field of pressure-driven membrane processes for the treatment of water, process fluids, and wastewater. Related pioneering work was focused between others on the use of reverse osmosis for desalination of seawater, for the purification of landfill leachate and water reuse in different areas. He earned his Ph.D. in 1980 at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg on the subject "Production of drinking water from seawater with reverse osmosis“.
After leading management functions in a middle-sized and multinational company, he has been a high-level independent technology consultant since 1986, authored more than 100 publications and more than 50 oral presentations. He is co-editor of a landfill compendium. He received the Stanley Gray Award - Marine Technology 2000/2001 of the IMarEST, London, and the ATCP Award 2007, Concepción, Chile..
Presentation time
December 3, 2025
8:25 am - 8:40am EST
Abstract
Beginning with the proposal of a “mission statement” for the filtration & separation community – that the essential treatment and purification of water requires more, better, and smarter technical solutions – and a methodology to identify such solutions, a filtration-oriented technological triangle is introduced.
Following this, the procedure of the commonly applied linear economy is compared with the requirements of a circular economy, and potential solutions for water management are outlined.
As a practical example, the development of a reusable, back-washable metal wire mesh filter system is presented, offering an alternative to conventional disposable filter cartridges. Possible future applications include integration into promising submarine reverse osmosis desalination technology. Another forward-looking approach in filtration is a bifunctional system that combines “separation” with the “destruction/elimination” of contaminants – here, microorganisms – using a nanofiber-based filter.
These examples highlight how innovative filtration technologies can support sustainable water management today and contribute to a circular economy, shaping smarter, more resilient solutions for the future.