BlueNotes

Water is entering a phase where proven innovation is aligning with credible pathways to scale. How do technologies that have demonstrated success finally translate into repeatable, system-wide adoption? The shift is from isolated lighthouse projects to coordinated execution: commercial models are strengthening, cross-sector demand is accelerating, and operational urgency is driving alignment. What once appeared fragmented is beginn...

Subsea desalination and PFAS destruction are converging toward deployment, but both expose the same constraint: scaling promising physics into reliable infrastructure. Why are energy savings and destruction rates now credible, yet still insufficient to unlock widespread adoption? The tension sits between technical validation and system trust, where offshore pilots and municipal contracts signal progress, but legacy failures, cost t...

Online microbial monitoring remains commercially stalled despite transformative performance gains. Why does a technology that compresses Legionella detection from ten days to four hours still sit at just $16–20 million annually within a $4–6 billion water quality market? The contradiction is structural: compliance frameworks still mandate culture-based methods, forcing utilities to treat rapid systems as add-ons rather ...

Bipolar membranes are finally stepping out of the lab and into commercial relevance, reframing saline waste streams as feedstocks for on-site acid and base production (see the Bipolar Membranes Report and companion Web Briefing). 

Membrane distillation also gets a reality check—moving beyond desalination and hydrogen narratives to where deployment is actually happening: high-salinity, high-strength industrial wastewater a...

The proposed EU PFAS ban is poised to reshape the membrane landscape, pulling PVDF into the regulatory crosshairs and forcing utilities, industrials and suppliers to rethink long-term planning. Rhys and Divya unpack what a universal restriction could mean for plant design, stranded-asset risk, supply-chain readiness and the accelerating push toward ceramic and other non-PFAS alternatives. 

They also explore emerging PFAS destru...

This episode spotlights three themes driving BlueTech’s current research cycle. Rhys and Divya open with the momentum behind ceramic membranes, ahead of the 11 December web briefing with Dr. Graham Pearce and the release of BlueTech’s Ceramic Membranes 2025 Update. Once a 2% niche, ceramics now claim ~10% of the market, lifted by cost reductions, flat-sheet formats, and the EU’s proposed PFAS restrictions tha...

Electrodialysis is making a comeback. Once niche, ED and EDR are being reinvented with smarter membranes, modular stack designs, and solar-powered operation. BlueTech Analyst Dr. Vishal Wagholikar joins Rhys and Divya to explore how these innovations could enable off-grid desalination, resource recovery, and low-cost acid and base generation.

The conversation then shifts to policy, with the proposed Advancing Water Reuse Act offerin...

WEFTEC is where the future of water takes shape, and in this BlueNotes special, we cut through the noise. 

From the 281 submitted abstracts, our analysts have curated the top 60 that will define industry conversations this year: PFAS, emissions control, digital adoption, and circular solutions. Download the full memo from here. 

We spotlight the Innovation Pavilion cohort, where next-gen leaders like Active Membranes, AlgaF...

Electrodialysis Reversal (EDR) is getting a second life. Once overshadowed by reverse osmosis, new designs, capacitive approaches, and ceramic membranes are opening doors in brackish desalination, food and beverage, and even lithium recovery. Costs and complexity remain hurdles, but innovation is giving EDR fresh momentum .

Another blind spot: microfibers. Over half a million metric tons entered the environment in 2023, with textile...

PFAS sensing is heating up—but still waiting for a true breakthrough. Dr. Kim Wu joins to explore a market set to hit $480M by 2026, with field-based sensors potentially swelling to $750M by 2030. Demand is surging, regulations are tightening, yet no real-time solution exists. Kim points to electrochemical sensing paired with AI as the most promising pathway, while early players like Sense and Puri are racing prototypes into ...

BlueTech's TAG expert Dr. Sebastien Tillman joins Rhys and Divya to unpack a wave of projects in places as unexpected as Belgium and the UK, challenging the “it rains here” mindset. The driver? Not just technology, but trust. Public outreach remains the decisive factor between a flagship success and a stalled proposal.

The long-standing “RO is the gold standard” stance is giving way to new thinking. Carbon-ba...

Autonomous water plants are here—and 49 of them are already running in China, serving 17 million people with no one on-site. Dr. Kim Wu unpacks this jaw-dropping stat and what it signals for digital twins, smart networks, and the new edge of AI in water. She also flags the rise of low-power IoT and how cybersecurity is shifting from afterthought to core infrastructure need. Later, we welcome Dr. Rick Woodling, the newest memb...

Did you know there are at least 16 different ways to capture carbon—and some of them actually generate water? Others, however, could increase water consumption at power plants by up to 30%. In this episode, Rhys and Divya unpack the complex relationship between water and carbon capture technologies, where scale-up is accelerating and trade-offs are becoming harder to ignore.

They also turn their focus to AI: data centers power...

Dr Vishal Wagholikar joins Rhys and Divya to break down findings from his new Horizon Scan on cooling technologies. As data centres grow more power-hungry, water use is emerging as a blind spot—and a growing concern. 

The trio unpacks liquid cooling breakthroughs, water use effectiveness metrics, and shifting industry priorities. If you’re in cooling, water, or digital infrastructure, don’t miss this. 

The...

January 2025 brought significant changes to the water industry. From extreme weather events affecting Cork, Australia, and LA, to the EPA's withdrawal of proposed PFAS limits following the new Trump administration. Bluetech will host a press briefing on the implications of these PFAS regulatory changes, particularly for biosolids management.

New research reports

Bluetech's latest research covers critical water sector challenges: ...

In this finale episode, Rhys and Divya reflect on the year's achievements, including the launch of a Market-creating Legislation and Regulation Tracker and a review of photodynamic disinfection technology. They also delve into BlueTech's Top 10 Patent Applications for 2024 and share a sneak peek at the exciting topics slated for 2025. Stay tuned for updates on Bluetech Forum Unplugged, a new event format that promises more intimate...

In this special episode of the BlueNotes Podcast, hosts Rhys Owen and Divya Inna are joined by Jacob Steele, Senior Research Analyst and author of BlueTech’s latest Horizon Scan on PFAS Destruction Technologies. This episode builds on the recent client-only web briefing, broadening the conversation to the wider water community about the persistent challenge of PFAS (“forever chemicals”) and the technologies drivin...

Green Chemistry takes center stage as Rhys and Divya dive into the world of sustainable chemical manufacturing and the importance of the 12 principles from the US EPA. Discover the challenges and potential of market adoption and the exciting developments in green alternatives like Hydrex and bio-based polyacrylamide flocculants. 

Shift focus to Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes as we explore emerging innovations in ceramic and gra...

With WEFTEC a couple of weeks from now, hosts Divya Inna and Rhys Owen dive into the highly anticipated event, which is the largest water industry event in North America, taking place in New Orleans. Join them as they highlight BlueTech Research’s top picks for the most impactful presentations and innovations, along with key events not to miss.

You’ll hear an expert breakdown of the top abstracts submitted to WEFTEC and ...