GREEN-MEM launches to pioneer cleaner, circular membrane solutions for a sustainable future

A new EU-funded research and innovation project, GREEN-MEM (Pioneering Membrane Solutions for a Sustainable Future), has officially launched, bringing together universities, research organisations and innovative companies from Europe and Malaysia to develop a new generation of eco-designed, bio-based and recyclable membranes.

The project began on 1 July 2026 and is coordinated by Selçuk University (SU) in Türkiye. The consortium gathered at SU in Konya on 21 July for its kick-off meeting, where partners agreed the scientific programme, staff exchange strategy and first-year priorities for the four-year project.

Addressing a hidden sustainability challenge

Membranes play a vital role in water and wastewater treatment and many other separation processes. Yet the membranes themselves are commonly made from fossil-derived polymers using hazardous solvents. Some also contain fluorinated materials that can contribute to persistent chemical pollution and microplastics.

This creates an uncomfortable contradiction: technologies designed to protect water and the environment may carry significant impacts through their materials, manufacture and end-of-life disposal. GREEN-MEM is addressing that challenge across the entire membrane lifecycle.

From fossil-based materials to greener membrane systems

GREEN-MEM will develop microfiltration and nanofiltration membranes using bio-based and biodegradable polymers, natural fibres and safer renewable solvents. Green chemistry and green engineering principles will guide material selection, fabrication, use, reuse, recycling and biodegradation.

Machine learning will help the team screen material combinations, predict membrane properties, optimise fabrication and solvent recovery, and identify more efficient recycling pathways. The most promising solutions will then be characterised, tested and validated for water-treatment applications, including the removal of dyes and metals, with pilot-scale development supporting future uptake.

“GREEN-MEM is about rethinking membrane technology from the materials upwards,” said Professor Mustafa Ersöz, GREEN-MEM coordinator at Selçuk University. “By connecting membrane science, bio-based materials, machine learning, sustainability assessment and industrial scale-up, we want to develop solutions that perform well without shifting environmental burdens elsewhere.”

Scientific ambition and scope

Over its four-year duration, GREEN-MEM will:

·  Use machine learning to accelerate the design of bio-based and biodegradable membrane materials

·  Develop functional microfiltration and nanofiltration membranes with enhanced antifouling, antimicrobial and catalytic properties

·  Replace conventional toxic solvents with safer, renewable alternatives and improve solvent recovery

·  Build reuse, recycling and biodegradation into membrane design and end-of-life planning

·  Assess environmental performance and scale-up feasibility through life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis

·  Validate promising membrane systems at pilot scale for water-treatment applications and share results through open science

GREEN-MEM is an MSCA Staff Exchanges project built around international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary mobility. Researchers and innovation staff will move between academic and industrial partners to exchange practical expertise in materials science, membrane engineering, environmental chemistry, machine learning, circularity and commercialisation.

At the kick-off meeting, the consortium reviewed the project structure, scientific and technical work packages, mobility plans, communication and exploitation, open science, Safe and Sustainable by Design approaches, life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, risk management and the first-year action plan.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Staff Exchanges call under grant agreement nº 101299479. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Media contact: Lesley Tobin, Sustainable Innovation Technology Services Ltd: lesleytobin.sites@gmail.com

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GREEN-MEM Consortium

Selçuk University (SU) – Project Coordinator Coordinates Green-Mem and leads project management, ethics and financial reporting. SU contributes expertise in membrane science, bio-based materials, nanoparticle-enhanced membranes, green fabrication and pilot-scale water treatment.

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) Develops bio-based and hybrid membrane formulations, advanced fabrication and surface-functionalisation strategies, and supports characterisation, performance testing, pilot validation and circularity assessment.

Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) Contributes expertise in decarbonisation, sustainable energy systems, biodegradability, eco-efficiency and the design of energy- and resource-efficient membrane materials and processes.

Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) Develops cellulose- and chitosan-based materials, natural fibres and biodegradable polymers, including fibre modification and functional properties for antifouling and antimicrobial applications.

UCLouvain Leads advanced modelling and machine-learning approaches for material-property prediction, generative materials design, process optimisation, digital twins and recycling and upcycling control.

Glantreo Limited (GLA) Provides industrial expertise in nanomaterials, separation science, characterisation, scale-up, market alignment and commercialisation of advanced membrane materials.

Uludağ Environmental Technologies R&D Centre (UCEV) Supports pilot and industrial-scale membrane engineering, water and wastewater treatment, modelling, process control, scale-up and testing under realistic operating conditions.

Matgenix (MGX) Applies machine learning to accelerate chemistry and materials R&D, predict polymer and nanoparticle properties, optimise synthesis and recycling routes, and connect performance modelling with life cycle assessment.

Indivenire srl (INDI) Contributes surface functionalisation, bio-testing and advanced characterisation expertise to develop antifouling and biofunctional surfaces and assess membrane stability and biodegradation.

Sustainable Innovation Technology Services Ltd (SITES) Leads communication, dissemination and exploitation and embeds life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, circularity, stakeholder engagement and green innovation policy across the project.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) – Associated Partner Contributes internationally recognised membrane research expertise, including membrane optimisation, hybrid processes, reuse and recycling, scale-up and pilot testing, and extends Green-Mem networking across Asia and the wider region.