The company has drawn on the hollow fiber membrane technology it has cultivated for water treatment to expand its lineup of hollow fiber membrane modules for food, beverage, and biorelated applications (note 2). These products feature a unique outside-in module (see Figure 1), with the following advantages over inside-out module counterparts used for these applications:

1. Wide flow channels for feed liquid enable the concentration and purification of even highly turbid and viscous liquids that are difficult to filter
2. A proprietary composite hollow fiber membrane structure ensures high permeability and low fouling (note 3)
3. High resistance against steam and hot water up to 125°C to match the demands of these applications

As a result, to concentrate liquids that are highly turbid or viscous, this setup makes it possible to shift from conventional thermal concentration methods to membrane-based concentration (Figure 2), thus helping to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

In recent years, customer demand has grown for technologies, including those for functional foods, that concentrate proteins and polysaccharides to lower production costs and create new products. Many substances subject to filtration have relatively small molecular weights, necessitating membranes with smaller pore sizes (molecular weight cut-offs). However, it has been particularly challenging, however, to develop membranes that combine small pore sizes and high permeability while maintaining the high heat resistance that is a key feature of Toray’s products.

Toray overcame that challenge by developing a high-precision hollow fiber membrane module that combines proprietary composite separation membrane and nano-pore structural control technology (note 4) with a new manufacturing process retaining the high heat resistance of the membranes. The pore size is thus around one-quarter that of Toray’s existing counterparts while maintaining high heat resistance and permeability (Figure 3).

The new product has a molecular weight cut-off of 10,000 to 20,000 daltons, enabling enhanced recovery rates and higher concentration ratios for proteins and polysaccharides with a broader range of molecular weights. As with existing Toray products, it can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and manufacturing costs by replacing thermal concentration. Additionally, it is also possible to make products with higher concentration ratios without the need for heat, further supporting customers’ new product development.

Toray has started shipping samples to customers, several of whom are conducting assessments. In the future, customers will be able to select hollow fiber membrane modules that are best for their applications and manufacturing processes by using Toray’s new offering to concentrate and purify low-molecular-weight target substances and its conventional products to concentrate and purify high-molecular-weight target substances.

Toray will continue to develop advanced materials with superior performance and high added value to contribute to economic progress and reduce environmental footprints, in keeping with its corporate philosophy of contributing to society by creating new value with innovative ideas, technologies, and products.

Notes
1. Molecular weight cut-off indicates a membrane’s ability to capture substances of a certain molecular weight.
2. See Toray press release on November 24, 2021: Toray Develops Hollow Fiber Membrane Module that Can Slash CO₂ Emissions in Food and Beverage and Biotechnology Processes. https://www.toray.com/global/news/article.html?contentId=drf215b9
3. With fouling, contaminants accumulate and clog the surfaces or internal pores of membranes, reducing their separation performance. Low fouling refers to membranes that better resist such problems.
4. See Toray press release on February 20, 2025: Toray Develops High-Efficiency Ultrafiltration Membrane that Can Cut Carbon Dioxide Emissions by More than 30% https://www.toray.com/global/news/article.html?contentId=dujs7fhd