Call for Partners | Brine2Value: Circular Product Recovery from Agri-Food Brines
Wageningen Food & Biobased Research (WFBR) is looking for industrial partners for the Brine2Value project. This initiative develops integrated, non-thermal processes for dewatering and selective product recovery from brines and concentrates in the agri-food sector. In collaboration with industry, we aim to valorize valuable components like salts and organics that are currently lost due to technical or economic limitations of conventional treatment technologies.
Partner up for impact
Information
- Jan 1, 2026 - Jan 1, 2028
- In-kind contributions and financial co-funding
- Industry partners
- Development of two integrated non-thermal technology
About the project
The agri-food industry generates large volumes of residual brines containing valuable compounds like salts, sugars, organic acids, flavors, and proteins. Due to the high osmotic pressure of these streams, they can no longer be treated with reverse osmosis (RO). Thermal alternatives such as evaporation or spray drying are energy-intensive, carbon-heavy, and often too harsh for delicate components.
Brine2Value offers a scalable and sustainable alternative: an integrated, non-thermal solution for both dewatering and selective recovery using membrane-based and mild separation technologies. This circular approach helps industries reduce waste, minimize energy costs, and retain value from their process waters.
More about the project
Brine2Value consists of two integrated non-thermal technology steps:
- Dewatering using hybrid membrane combinations (by cascading reverse osmosis RO, nanofiltration NF, electrodialysis ED) to concentrate brines while avoiding energy-intensive evaporators.
- Product recovery using selective separation technologies (e.g. adsorption, precipitation, ED with selective membranes, electrocoagulation) of target compounds, reducing dependency on conventional spray drying and enabling mild separation.
The project includes:
- Assessment of valuable compounds in food-grade brine and concentrate streams
- Screening and selection of hybrid membrane technologies for integration
- Lab-scale validation and optimisation
- Demonstration of the most promising process at partner sites
- Economic and environmental impact assessments
Industrial partners gain early access to tailored separation solutions, opportunities for cost reduction in brine handling, and the potential to unlock value from previously discarded process streams.
We are looking for industry partners to co-develop and demonstrate the Brine2Value concept. Ideal partners include:
- Agri-food companies generating concentrate or brine waste streams
- Technology providers in membrane and electrochemical separation
- Solution integrators and end-users looking to valorise residual process water
We invite both in-kind contributions (e.g. expertise, materials, test locations) and financial co-funding. Participation requires a cost-sharing contribution.
Partners benefit from early access to an innovative, energy-efficient brine recovery platform with potential applications in food, water, chemical, and environmental sectors.
For more information about the project or to collaborate, please contact our experts.
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