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Nanofiber Technology for a more Sustainable Filtration Process

Director, R&D
Hollingsworth & Vose, USA

Modern liquid separation techniques heavily utilize immersion cast membrane-based technology which relies on a tortuous path of pores through a solid structure to accomplish an ideal separation outcome. These membranes often have a broad pore-size distribution and require greater depth to achieve the desired filtration efficiency. Nanofibers which are distributed in a nonwoven structure can achieve comparable target retention to a cast immersion membrane with a tighter pore size distribution over a much thinner profile lending to higher selectivity, higher flux and lower pressure drop. Further, nanofibers can be controlled to certain pore cutoffs and customized with different polymers making them a versatile choice for hard to separate applications and those with specific chemical resistance. This type of technology is ideal for supporting a more sustainable process where minimizing energy, waste and time is critical. This talk will explore the benefits of a nanofiber composite, demonstrate performance data and explain its flexibility in a variety of liquid filtration applications.

Speaker Bio

Ms. Peterson is currently the Director of R&D for Trupor Technology at Hollingsworth and Vose Company where she has been leading development activity for their nanofiber-based liquid separation technology over the past year. She holds a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Prior to H&V she worked at Getinge for three years as a Business Development Manager in their Life Science Division supporting their Ultrafiltration systems and single-use technologies. Before that she spent over 20 years at MilliporeSigma where she spent equal time working in R&D, Ultrafiltration Membrane Casting and BioPharm Application Support. During her time there she has published and presented on numerous downstream BioProcessing topics including Continuous Processing and Process Intensification and has led training classes and seminars on advanced techniques in Tangential Flow Filtration.

Presentation time

December 9, 2026
9:25 am - 10:55am EST

Abstract

Modern liquid separation techniques heavily utilize immersion cast membrane-based technology which relies on a tortuous path of pores through a solid structure to accomplish an ideal separation outcome. These membranes often have a broad pore-size distribution and require greater depth to achieve the desired filtration efficiency. Nanofibers which are distributed in a nonwoven structure can achieve comparable target retention to a cast immersion membrane with a tighter pore size distribution over a much thinner profile lending to higher selectivity, higher flux and lower pressure drop. Further, nanofibers can be controlled to certain pore cutoffs and customized with different polymers making them a versatile choice for hard to separate applications and those with specific chemical resistance. This type of technology is ideal for supporting a more sustainable process where minimizing energy, waste and time is critical. This talk will explore the benefits of a nanofiber composite, demonstrate performance data and explain its flexibility in a variety of liquid filtration applications.

Ms. Emily Peterson

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