LANXESS: innovative solutions for water treatment at Aquatech 2025

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS will be presenting its innovative products and developments for a more efficient and sustainable water treatment in various industrial sectors at Aquatech 2025. At the international trade fair for process, drinking and waste water, LANXESS will showcase, among other things, solutions for PFAS removal, ultrapure water treatment and metal ore purification for the production of battery electrodes. In addition to its conventional ion exchange resins, the company will be showcasing its sustainably produced Scopeblue and Eco products, which have a significantly reduced CO₂ footprint in comparison. Another focus will be products for biofouling control in industrial membrane filtration systems.

Effective PFAS removal

The newly developed fine-grain Lewatit MDS TP 108 is an ion exchange resin that removes short-chain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from water. Such PFAS molecules with three or fewer carbon atoms are the smallest representatives of this substance class and are often the most difficult to remove in water treatment. Compared to ion exchange resins with standard bead sizes, Lewatit MDS TP 108 lasts twice as long in some cases, which can lead to significant cost savings.

LewaPlus goes online

LANXESS is introducing a cloud-based version of the LewaPlus design software for planning and dimensioning ion exchange systems. The tool complements the existing desktop solution. This preliminary version is initially to be used for the calculation of water demineralization. Further modules will follow. As before, LANXESS offers the software free of charge.

Ultrapure water for microelectronics

Highly purified water, known as ultrapure water (UPW), is indispensable for the production of wafers or the complex, wet-chemical process steps of photolithography in the production of micro- and nanoelectronics. Semiconductor components such as processors, memory chips, LEDs, LCD and LED displays and photovoltaic modules are manufactured using these processes. Ultrapure water is also used in microsystems technology, for example in the production and processing of miniaturized mechanical components for micropumps, micromotors and microvalves. For these applications, LANXESS offers the mixed-bed resins Lewatit UltraPure 1295 MD, Lewatit UltraPure 1296 MD Plus and Lewatit UltraPure 1297 MD, which are specially tailored to the respective application field.

Processing of metal concentrates for battery materials

With the Lewatit MK 51 ion exchange resin, users can remove boron from metal concentrates and thus obtain high-purity materials for battery production. Unlike solvent extraction, ion exchange technology does not use any environmentally harmful, flammable solvents. This can save investment costs, as ion exchanger plants do not need to be equipped with explosion protection. They can also be built more compactly.

Biofouling control for RO and NF membranes

Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes are essential for the resilient water supply in many different industries. However, the function of such membranes can be severely affected by biofouling, causing an increase in energy consumption and the need to shut down water production. These effects of biofouling are not only costly. Biofouling and frequent cleanings can also result in a shorter membrane lifespan and significantly affect both the quality and quantity of the water supply. LANXESS’s non-oxidizing biocides Aqucar DB 20, Kathon WTE and Aqucar GA 50 for biofouling control provide efficient protection of industrial membrane systems against microbiological fouling, ensuring a reliable supply.

Presentations by LANXESS experts on water treatment

On the second and third day of the trade fair, LANXESS experts will be providing detailed insights into the latest developments in water treatment on the AquaStage in Hall 10:

Wednesday, March 12

12:45 – 1:30 p.m.: “Trends in RO/NF membranes biofouling control”, Dr. Markus Busch

2:15 – 3:00 p.m.: “Ready to use Lewatit UltraPure ion exchange mixed beds”, Hans-Juergen Wedemeyer

Thursday, March 13

1:30 – 2:15 p.m.: “New Challenges & Solutions in PFAS removal with LANXESS Lewatit resins”, Bjoern Dinges

3:00 – 3:45 p.m.: “Selective Lewatit ion exchange resins for contaminant removal: from heavy metal and NOM to micropollutants and actives”, Dr. Dirk Steinhilber

Detailed information about the LANXESS industrial water treatment offering is available at https://lanxess.com/en/products-and-brands/industries/water-treatment-and-detergents and https://lanxess.com/en/products-and-brands/industries/microbial-control/industries-overview/water-treatment.