In a recently completed project, with a total value of around £230,000, Mantec Technical Ceramics demonstrated the proficiency and versatility it can offer when complex industrial processes are involved. Together with its Xtract Filtration subsidiary, Mantec worked closely with the Abu-Dhabi based Technology Innovation Institute (TII) to design and deliver custom equipment and materials to be used in research efforts in the field of sea water desalination.
TII is a leading global research centre, with teams of scientists, researchers and engineers working in an open, flexible and agile environment to deliver discovery science and transformative technologies. It collaborates with technology hubs all around the world, and in this case delivery was to an internationally recognised facility in the UK.
Mantec was contracted to design and construct both a coating deposition system and also a filtration rig – where the decades of experience gained in crossflow filtration by Xtract proved invaluable – as well as providing the advanced ceramic membranes at the heart of the innovative techniques being trialled. Mantec has manufactured ceramic membrane discs and tubes, all with a pore size of 0.2 microns. A follow-up order for further membranes has already been received.
The main process uses reverse osmosis (RO) to exert sufficient pressure to force water through the ceramic membranes’ tiny pores, in opposition to natural osmotic pressure. In this way, the water is separated from dissolved salts, minerals, and pyrogens, resulting in highly purified, potable water. As TII has emphasised, “with ongoing innovation, careful management, and investment in renewable energy, desalination could be the key to a secure, water-resilient future for the billions of people around the globe”.
A major advantage for the customer was the knowledge and assurance that all aspects of the programme were led by a dedicated project team at Mantec’s UK headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent, with the rig engineers and ceramic technologists working hand in hand to optimise all aspects of the TII contract. Mantec also designed and supplied the feed tanks and filter housings.
Since the successful installation and commissioning of these research systems, the highly effective performance of Mantec’s ceramic components has been further demonstrated by an order from TII for ceramic membranes with gaskets and seals, this time for delivery direct to its main facility in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Mantec Technical Ceramics will exhibit in Hall 8, Stand E54 at FILTECH (30 June-2 July 2026) in Cologne, Germany and on Stand 330 at the Advanced Materials Show (8-9 July 2026) at the NEC, Birmingham, UK.
Manufacturing & Engineering Magazine | The Home of Manufacturing Industry News
