GWI sponsors international membrane conference

UNSW-GWI was a proud sponsor of the 10th International Membrane Science and Technology Conference (IMSTEC), held at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) from 2-6 February 2020.  Attended by 225 industry and academic leaders, the conference explored many advances in all areas of membrane science and technology.

The first IMSTEC conference was held in 1983 at the University of New South Wales, when membrane technology was still at its infancy. Membranes have since grown to be one of the separation processes of choice for a wide variety of areas, including water and wastewater, mining, dairy and food processing, gas separation, biomaterial and environmental applications.

During the February event, 162 oral presentations were given including eight plenaries and 25 keynotes, with an additional 40 papers presented during poster sessions. The most popular topic discussed throughout the presentations was Novel Membrane Development, with Water and Wastewater Treatment a close second.

A highlight of the event saw the Membrane Society of Australasia (MSA) recognise the contribution of Prof Huanting Wang to the field of membrane technology by presenting him with the Tony Fane Award. Prof Wang is the Director of Monash Membrane Innovation, and the Associate Dean International of Engineering at Monash University.

Bruce Biltoft, Sales Director at DuPont Water Solutions, was also recognised during the conference dinner by being presented with the first MSA Industry Award. With more than 30 years continuous experience in Memcor business from start-up to global business enterprise, Bruce  is the inventor or co-inventor of multiple Memcor products including M1, M2, M10, S10, L20 and L40 membrane modules, across 25 patent families representing 250 patent filings in more than 30 jurisdictions.