Autore: Vanessa 21 aprile 2025 Categoria: Applicazioni

1. Definition and characteristics of polyethersulfone (PES)

Polyethersulfone (PES) is an aromatic polymer that was first commercially produced by ICI in the UK in 1972. The sulfone group (—SO₂—) and ether bond (—O—) in its molecular structure give it unique properties:

High temperature resistance: long-term use temperature reaches 180℃ (short-term resistance to 200℃), suitable for steam sterilization (such as the sterilization cabinet verification of Steelco in Italy).

Chemical inertness: Tolerant to acidic and alkaline environments with a pH of 1-13, and compatible with organic solvents such as alcohols and aliphatic hydrocarbons (application case of chromatographic columns of Novasep, Switzerland).

Mechanical strength: Tensile strength ≥ 70MPa, much higher than ordinary polysulfone (PSU), suitable for high-pressure filtration systems (such as cross-flow filtration equipment of GEA, Germany).

2. Application scenarios of PES in industrial fields in five European regions

(1) Germany: Biopharmaceuticals and precision manufacturing

In the biopharmaceutical cluster in Bavaria, PES membranes have become the core material for the production of monoclonal antibodies. Merck Group (Darmstadt)’s tangential flow filtration system uses 0.1μm PES hollow fibers to increase vaccine concentration efficiency by 40%. The automotive electronics factory in Stuttgart relies on PES filters to purify compressed air in the paint shop, meeting the ISO 8573-1 Class 0 standard.

(2) France: Food, Beverage and Sustainable Water Treatment

Lactalis, a dairy giant in Normandy, uses PES micro filtration membranes (0.45μm) for pasteurization, replacing traditional heat treatment processes, retaining milk nutrients while reducing energy consumption by 25%. Veolia Water Treatment Center in Lyon uses PES ultra filtration membranes to purify tributaries of the Seine River, with an average daily processing capacity of 100,000 tons and a COD removal rate of over 98%.

(3) Switzerland/Belgium: Life Science Highland

Roche Pharmaceuticals in Basel uses PES depth filters to purify mRNA vaccines, combined with Trenntech’s intelligent monitoring system to track membrane integrity in real time (in compliance with EU GMP Annex 1). UCB Pharma in Brussels uses PES ultra filtration columns (10kDa cutoff) to concentrate arthritis drugs, increasing production efficiency by 30%.

(4) Northern Europe: Clean Technology and Energy

Novo Nordisk in Copenhagen, Denmark, uses PES sterilizing filters in insulin production to ensure a sterile filling environment. IVL Environmental Research Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, uses PES membranes for monitoring microplastics in the Baltic Sea, with a detection limit of 0.02 μm.

(5) Southern Europe: Industrial upgrading and circular economy

Parmesan cheese producers in Parma, Italy, use PES membranes to recycle whey protein, increasing annual profits by 2 million euros. Carburos Metálicos in Barcelona, ​​Spain, uses PES-based filters in hydrogen purification, with a pressure resistance of over 100 bar.

3. Deep correlation between PES and filtration technology

(1) Core materials for membrane filtration

  • Precise pore size control: PES membrane prepared by phase inversion method has a narrow pore size distribution (±0.05μm), suitable for:
  • Ultrafiltration (UF): retain proteins and viruses (such as Pall’s Viresolve series in the UK)
  • Microfiltration (MF): remove bacteria and particulate matter (such as 3M’s Emphaze™ AEX purification column in France)
  • Advantages compared with traditional materials
CharacteristicsPES membrane Cellulose membrane PVDF membrane
Chemical resistance Excellent (strong acid and alkali resistance） Poor (pH 2-9)Good (halogenated hydrocarbon resistance)
Thermal stability180℃80℃140℃
Protein adsorption rate <5μg/cm² (low non-specificity)  >20μg/cm²  10-15μg/cm²

(3) European innovation cases

  • Intelligent monitoring of PES filter element: The iSOLUTIONS system of Denmark’s Grundfos integrates PES membrane and IoT sensor to monitor membrane flux attenuation in real time.
  • Sustainable production: Italy’s Solvay’s PES resin uses green solvent process, reducing carbon footprint by 40% (in line with EU Green Deal).

4. Future trends: The development of PES in the field of filtration in Europe

  • Nanofiber composite: The PES/nanocellulose composite membrane developed by Freudenberg in Germany has a flux increase of 50%.
  • 3D printed filter element: TNO in the Netherlands uses SLS technology to manufacture customized PES filter structure, shortening the delivery cycle by 70%.
  • Circular economy: France’s Veolia’s PES membrane chemical recycling technology achieves a material recycling rate of >85%.

Polyethersulfone (PES) has become a pillar material for high-end industrial filtration in Europe due to its excellent temperature resistance, chemical stability and filtration accuracy. From the ultrapure water system of Swiss pharmaceutical factories to the wastewater reuse project in Spain, PES continues to promote the green and intelligent innovation of filtration technology. In the future, with the EU CE certification (such as IVDR 2017/746), the application boundaries of PES in life science and environmental protection will be further expanded. Follow Trenntech to bring you the latest PES news.

Vanessa

My name is Vanessa, and I am a content writer specializing in corporate content creation. With more than 10 years of writing experience, I am committed to providing companies with high-quality, impactful content to help them stand out in a competitive market. My background covers multiple industries, including technology, finance, marketing, etc. In the process, I have accumulated rich knowledge and skills, and can deeply understand the needs of audiences in different fields, so as to create more targeted articles and content. I am good at writing blog posts, white papers, case studies, product descriptions, etc., and I am familiar with SEO optimization strategies to ensure that the content gets good exposure in search engines. At the same time, I also have good project management skills and can complete high-quality works within a tight time frame. I believe that high-quality content can not only convey information, but also build customer trust and brand image.