Active Membranes has been selected as a semifinalist in Tracks A and B. This global competition, launched by XPrize and sponsored by the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, aims to promote reliable, sustainable, and affordable seawater desalination systems.

Testing under real operating conditions

The company advanced through the first physical testing phase following an evaluation process that assessed technical feasibility, scalability, and innovation potential. Track A testing was conducted at the Naval Base in Port Hueneme, California. Track B evaluations used real Pacific Ocean seawater under varying conditions to assess material endurance, as well as anti-scaling and anti-fouling performance.

Electro-active membranes for desalination

Active Membranes’ patented electro-active reverse osmosis technology applies a tunable low electrical potential during operation to actively mitigate scaling and fouling at the membrane surface. According to the company, this enables higher freshwater recovery, lower chemical consumption, reduced downtime, and more stable long-term operation.

The company aims to transition desalination systems from passive consumables to adaptive, self-optimizing infrastructure. Rather than relying on increasingly complex pretreatment and chemical-intensive operations, membrane systems are intended to become more responsive and resource-efficient.

Technology already tested in pilot projects

The technology has been evaluated through pilot and field demonstration programs covering seawater and brackish water desalination, as well as industrial water reuse and produced water treatment. Recent developments include scaling up the company’s 8040 electro-active spiral-wound reverse osmosis (RO) modules and launching the first commercial desalination and reuse project in California.