Next-generation reverse osmosis membranes for more efficient and cost-effective seawater desalination

Toray Industries announces that it will launch its next-generation TSW-K/M/V Series reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements for seawater desalination in October 2026. The advanced membrane series combines industry-leading salt rejection performance, enhanced boron removal capability, and greater chemical resistance to improve desalination efficiency while lowering operating costs.

Advanced reverse osmosis membranes designed to reduce desalination costs

The TSW-K/M/V Series represents a major advancement in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) technology, delivering significantly higher salt rejection and water permeability compared with existing Toray membrane products.

The new membranes reduce salt permeability by up to 55% versus current Toray models, enabling newly built seawater desalination facilities to shift from traditional two-pass reverse osmosis systems to single-pass treatment processes.

For existing two-pass desalination plants, the technology helps:

• Reduce energy consumption
• Improve permeate water quality
• Lower operational load on second-pass systems
• Optimise plant operating conditions
• Decrease total operating costs

These improvements support more streamlined water treatment operations and greater long-term cost efficiency.

Industry-leading boron rejection for drinking water and industrial applications

In addition to salt removal performance, the TSW-K/M/V Series delivers industry-leading boron rejection, helping operators meet increasingly strict water quality standards for both municipal drinking water and industrial use.

Boron removal remains one of the most difficult challenges in seawater desalination because boron molecules are small and difficult to separate using conventional membranes. Toray’s new membrane technology addresses this challenge without sacrificing water flow performance.

Enhanced chemical resistance also minimises membrane degradation during cleaning cycles, helping extend membrane service life and maintain stable long-term operations.

Key specifications: Toray TSW-K/M/V reverse osmosis membranes (440 ft²)

Test Conditions: Feedwater pressure: 5.52 MPa; temperature: 25°C; salinity: 32,000 mg/L NaCl; boron concentration: 5 mg/L; recovery rate: 8%; pH 7 (salt rejection) and pH 8 (boron rejection).

Addressing global water scarcity through membrane innovation

As water shortages continue to intensify worldwide—particularly across water-stressed regions such as the Middle East—demand for efficient seawater desalination solutions is expected to accelerate.

Modern desalination facilities face growing pressure to:

• Lower energy requirements
• Increase freshwater production capacity
• Maintain high water quality standards
• Reduce operating and maintenance costs

Toray developed the TSW-K/M/V Series to directly address these challenges.

Precision nanopore technology powers higher performance

The new membrane platform combines Toray’s latest advances in:

• Precision nanopore control technology
• Polyamide membrane engineering
• Digital analysis of membrane–water interactions
• Water flow simulation inside membrane pores

By optimising pore structure at the molecular level, Toray created a new membrane architecture that reduces the passage of small molecules—including salt and boron—while maintaining high water permeability.

Supporting sustainable and affordable water access

Toray has supplied reverse osmosis membranes to seawater desalination projects worldwide and continues to expand innovation in water treatment technologies.

With the launch of the TSW-K/M/V Series, Toray aims to advance seawater desalination performance, improve cost-effectiveness, and support broader access to safe and affordable water globally.