Flathead Forge Fund 1 announced that it has invested in NALA Membranes, a North Carolina developer of chlorine-stable membranes for industrial water purification and reuse. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.
NALA Membranes is commercializing sulfonated polysulfone membranes for reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. The company’s technology is designed to address a long-standing constraint in reverse osmosis systems: the degradation of conventional polyamide membranes when exposed to chlorine.
Chlorine is widely used as a cost-effective way to control biofouling, which can increase operating costs in water-treatment systems. NALA said its membranes can tolerate chlorine exposure, enabling operators to clean more aggressively, run longer between replacements, and treat industrial wastewaters that can be difficult for conventional membranes.
According to the company’s testing, NALA’s membranes can withstand more than 1,000 times the chlorine exposure that degrades a standard polyamide reverse osmosis membrane. This capability could support more reliable industrial water reuse across water-intensive sectors.
The technology is built on polymers invented by NALA co-founder and CTO Judy Riffle. The company said the technology is protected by issued patents across nine countries.
NALA won the Grand Prize at the 2024 Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination. The company was also selected as one of 50 semifinalists from 674 teams across 86 countries in the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition, a $119 million prize focused on addressing global water scarcity.
NALA Membranes was founded in 2018 by Judy Riffle and Sue Mecham. The company is focused on reducing the biofouling and chemical degradation that drive cost and complexity in conventional water treatment.
Flathead Forge is a Houston-based opportunity builder focused on hard-tech companies in water and critical minerals. The firm backs founders and forms companies that turn industrial waste streams, including produced water, brines, and waste gas, into purified water, critical minerals, and other valuable products.
Flathead Forge said the investment fits its focus on companies addressing major industrial water and critical minerals challenges. The firm’s principals have experience building, operating, and selling industrial water and energy companies.
KEY QUOTES:
“Flathead Forge backs innovators solving the biggest problems in industrial water and critical minerals. NALA took on one of the toughest challenges in membrane filtration and solved it with technology that scales. The results are impressive and the timing is right for the operators who run the world’s water systems.”
Doug Lee, Managing Director of Flathead Forge
“Chlorine-tolerant membranes are the holy grail the industry has chased for forty years. NALA solved it. Our membranes take aggressive cleaning, keep removing oil and salt, and make industrial water reuse work at scale.”
Sue Mecham, CEO and Co-Founder of NALA Membranes
