BlueFabric advances membrane technology for industrial wastewater treatment

A unique Flemish value chain

If you place the location of the three project partners on a map, it becomes immediately clear how closely connected they are. Within a radius of less than 200 kilometers, you will find not only the three companies themselves, but also their suppliers, machine manufacturers, and their research partners. 

For Peter Aerts, CTO and co-founder of Blue Foot Membranes, this proximity represents an exceptional advantage.

A technology twenty years in the making

The BlueFabric story began many years ago, back in 2007, when Agfa-Gevaert approached VdS Weaving to develop a three-dimensional spacer fabric for membrane applications. Guy Van den Storme, CEO and third-generation owner of VdS Weaving, recalls: "We worked on this together with VITO for four years until Agfa informed us that the project no longer fit within its strategic portfolio. They discontinued the project. We were allowed to keep our patents, but at that point we had neither a market nor a product."

Although Agfa-Gevaert abandoned the project idea, it continued to live on within the family company VdS Weaving. The latter retained the textile patent while VITO continued developing the membrane technology. This research eventually led to the creation of the spin-off Blue Foot Membranes in 2017. 

"When Blue Foot Membranes was founded, our textile solution came back into the picture," says Guy. "We had been involved with this project for so long that we had become emotionally invested in it."

Around the same time, the consortium also realised that an important link in the value chain was still missing. To produce membranes faster, thinner, and at lower cost, it would be necessary not only to optimise the textile structure, but also the yarns from which it is woven. Luxilon Industries was invited by Catalisti and Centexbel to join the consortium. Justin Van Malderen, responsible for Luxilon's industrial division and also representing the third generation of the family business explains: "Luxilon is best know for its tennis strings, but that is only one of our three business units. We also produce monofilaments for medical applications and industrial markets. We want to grow again in that industrial segment, and this project fits neatly within that ambition."

The ambitions of BlueFabric

The three partners share one common challenge with very concrete economic implications. "We currently sell our membranes in nineteen countries," says Peter. "We compete in a global market with Japanese, Chinese and European players. Our cost base is crucial. It is determined by labour costs and raw material costs. We control labour costs through automation and raw material costs by using less material."

In practical terms, this means developing a thinner three-dimensional textile structure with optimised yarns that remains dimensionally stable and sufficiently rigid to serve as a support for the membrane layer. The thinner the textile structure, the greater the membrane surface area per cubic metre of installation volume, and the lower the production cost per square metre of membrane. The economic impact can be measured throughout the entire value chain.

For Luxilon Industries, the challenge starts at yarn level. "We begin with fundamental research and work our way to a final product," says Justin. "How do you modify the material inside a yarn so that it behaves differently within both the textile structure and the membrane? That journey involves many stages, from laboratory development to commercial production."

At VdS Weaving, the focus lies on developing spacer fabrics that are thinner than currently possible. "Not only do we want to grow together with Blue Foot," says Guy. "We also want to apply the technology we develop here in other markets, without competing with our partner. Construction, agriculture and geotextiles are just a few examples of potential applications."

For Blue Foot Membranes, the benefits of the project are equally clear. "A thinner membrane means more membrane surface area within the same module," confirms Peter. "This could increase filtration capacity by up to fifty percent while lowering production costs. In a market where projects continue to grow in scale, that is a decisive advantage."

Third-generation family businesses

Two partners in the consortium share a distinctive characteristic: both are family businesses led by the third generation. VdS Weaving was founded in 1935, while Luxilon Industries started operations in 1959. For Peter Aerts, who runs a spin-off supported by institutional shareholders, this makes a difference.

Peter explains: "We benefit from the long-term perspective of our partners. Without them, our risk profile would have been significantly higher. A family business that has been working on a project for twenty years and continues to persevere, you don't find that in every supplier. We have shareholders who expect a fast return on a machine. Family businesses have a bit more patience, and that is precisely what innovations like this need."

Guy agrees: "Our shareholders? That's us. We do not experience external pressure. That gives us the freedom to stay committed to a project over a longer period. For us, the project with Blue Foot has been running since 2007. In a large listed company, it would have been discontinued years ago."

Justin, part of the younger third generation, recognises this as well: "We think in terms of the long term. The projects we launch today do not deliver immediate results. We are building something that will create value over years."

Peter offers yet another explanation: "In a family business, the stories of the previous generations are passed down. What challenges did their father experience? What did their grandfather have to endure? That becomes part of the company's DNA, like some kind of muscle memory. In other organisations, those experiences vanish. Survival knowledge like this is simply not discussed because there are no family dinners." In times of raw material price shocks, which remain a pressing issue today, this proves to be far more than an academic observation. Guy: "Fortunately, we have a playbook for such scenarios. Not explicitly written down, perhaps, but deeply ingrained in our fibres."

Catalisti acts as a lubricant, Centexbel as knowledge hub

A twenty-year innovation journey

A catalyst for future growth

For the three partners, BlueFabric is not an endpoint but a catalyst for future growth. Luxilon Industries aims to further expand its industrial division and explore new opportunities in technical textiles and composites. VdS Weaving is developing thinner spacer fabrics with applications beyond water treatment, including agriculture, construction and geotextiles. Blue Foot Membranes is preparing for international scale-up, where thinner membranes could increase packing density within membrane modules by 20 to 50 percent

Guy also hints that the collaboration may continue long after the Catalisti project ends: "If Blue Foot decides to start manufacturing on another continent because the business grows so rapidly, we would be prepared to follow. Whether by looking for local partners or setting up our own production activities. It is a conversation that occasionally comes up, even if nothing is formalised yet."

Source: VLAIO