Industrial Membrane Technology for Food and Biotechnology

Messinger Engineering develops membrane processes, pilot plants and industrial membrane systems for food processing, dairy, biotechnology, process water, ceramic membranes, automation and industrial scale-up.

Industrial membrane systems for food, dairy and biotechnology
01 / Industrial Membrane Systems

Membrane Systems for Industrial Production

Custom membrane systems for food processing, dairy production, biotechnology and chemical manufacturing. From pilot-scale units to full industrial production systems for microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.

  • Processes: MF / UF / NF / RO / diafiltration
  • Scale: Pilot plant to industrial production
  • Focus: Process design, system layout and implementation
→ Industrial Membrane Systems
Membrane process engineering and process development
02 / Process Development

Membrane Process Engineering

Development and optimization of membrane-based separation processes. Laboratory trials, pilot testing, process scaling, operating parameters, flux, retention, fouling behaviour and cleaning strategy are connected into a practical engineering concept.

  • Application: Food, Dairy, Biotechnology and Process Industry
  • Focus: Process understanding and scale-up
  • Output: Design basis for pilot and production systems
→Membrane Process Engineering
Ceramic membranes for demanding industrial filtration applications
03 / Ceramic Membranes

Ceramic Membranes for Demanding Applications

Robust ceramic membrane solutions for feed streams with suspended solids, high temperatures, aggressive cleaning conditions and demanding industrial operating environments.

  • Processes: Ceramic microfiltration and ultrafiltration
  • Use: Difficult feed streams and robust cleaning
  • Focus: Durability, cleanability and long operating life
→ Ceramic Membrane Technology
Membrane cleaning and CIP for industrial membrane systems
04 / Cleaning and Operation

Membrane Cleaning and CIP

Cleaning-in-place strategies for industrial membrane systems. The goal is to restore membrane performance, extend membrane service life, stabilize flux and reduce production downtime.

  • Application: Membrane fouling, cleaning and recovery
  • Use: Industrial filtration systems and pilot plants
  • Focus: Flux recovery, operating stability and system availability
→ Membrane Cleaning and CIP
Process water recovery and reuse with membrane technology
05 / Process Water

Process Water Recovery and Reuse

Membrane-based recovery and reuse concepts for process water. Waste streams can become valuable resources when separation, concentration, cleaning and reuse are considered as part of the process design.

  • Application: Food industry, process water and wastewater
  • Processes: Filtration, concentration and reuse
  • Focus: Water recovery, resource efficiency and operating cost reduction
→ Process Water Recovery with Membrane Technology
Automation and data acquisition for membrane systems
06 / Automation

Automation for Membrane Systems

Automated process control, data acquisition and system integration for reproducible membrane trials, reliable industrial operation and reduced operator workload.

  • Functions: Pressure, flow, temperature, valves, pumps and data logging
  • Use: Laboratory systems, pilot plants and production systems
  • Focus: Reproducible operation and transparent process data
→ Automation for Membrane Systems
07 / From Laboratory to Industry

Membrane Technology from Laboratory Development to Industrial Production

Membrane technology is used to separate, concentrate, purify and recover valuable components in food processing, dairy production, biotechnology, fermentation, process water treatment and chemical manufacturing. Industrial membrane systems require careful process development because flux, retention, fouling, cleaning, pressure, temperature and flow conditions determine the final performance.

Messinger Engineering supports membrane projects from the first technical question to laboratory trials, pilot plants, industrial process design, automation and implementation. The work combines process engineering, mechanical design, instrumentation, software, data acquisition and practical experience with membrane systems.

Membrane Processes & Industries

  • Microfiltration
  • Ultrafiltration
  • Nanofiltration
  • Reverse Osmosis
  • Diafiltration
  • Ceramic membrane filtration
  • Food processing
  • Dairy and protein fractionation
  • Biotechnology and fermentation
  • Process water treatment
  • Chemical process industry

Engineering Tasks

  • Process development
  • Laboratory testing
  • Pilot plant design
  • Scale-up and scale-down
  • CIP and membrane cleaning
  • Automation and data acquisition
  • Process optimization
  • Industrial implementation
08 / Engineering

Process Scaling Engineering

A membrane process can only be scaled reliably when the laboratory and pilot systems generate the right engineering information. This includes membrane selection, transmembrane pressure, crossflow velocity, temperature, feed concentration, permeate flux, retention, concentration factor, cleaning behaviour and product quality.

Messinger Engineering connects laboratory experiments with industrial design. The objective is to create experimental systems that answer practical engineering questions and provide the basis for pilot plants, industrial membrane systems and turnkey production equipment.

09 / Personal

A Personal Engineering Journey

Messinger Engineering began with a simple motivation: as a graduate food engineer from ETH Zurich, Alain Messinger wanted to develop membrane processes and systems with a high degree of technical clarity, flexibility, robustness and practical usability.

Over more than three decades, this developed into engineering work across membrane technology, process engineering, mechanical design, automation, programming and electronics. The experience includes modular turnkey systems with large industrial membrane areas as well as highly specialized small-scale systems for demanding separation tasks.

Today, new systems, pilot plants and process concepts are developed for customers across Europe. Many projects are confidential, so only a small part of the work can be shown publicly. The core idea remains unchanged: thoughtful, technically sound systems that help people understand, develop and improve membrane-based processes.

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