Toray to launch TSW-K/M/V series reverse osmosis membranes
GFRP-wrapped membrane elements offer enhanced salt rejection capabilities to achieve more effective seawater desalination.
TSW-K/M/V series RO membrane elements. Source (All Images) | Toray Industries Inc.
Toray Industries Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) is launching the TSW-K/M/V series of advanced reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements, featuring an outer glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite wrapping, for seawater desalination in October 2026. Toray contends that this offering combines a salt rejection rate unmatched by competitors (as of May 2026), with benefits like boron rejection and high chemical resistance.
The new series delivers better salt and water permeability than current Toray models.
Evaluations show salt permeability up to 55% lower than that of current Toray models (TM820M/TSW-M). New seawater desalination projects can thus switch from regular two-pass RO membrane treatment to a single-pass process. For existing two-pass facilities, the series is able to save energy and improve water quality by alleviating operational loads on second-pass equipment and optimizing operating conditions.
This should help streamline overall water treatment and cut total operating costs, Toray says. The series also delivers high-performance boron rejection to meet stringent quality requirements for drinking water and industrial applications. Because its chemical resistance exceeds that of current models, the series should limit membrane performance degradation during chemical cleaning; this will stabilize long-term operations and extend RO membrane service lives.
The TSW-K/M/V series embodies further advances in precision nanopore control technology and membrane and element formation technologies that Toray has cultivated over many years. By combining quantitative analysis of polyamide pore size distribution, analysis of interactions between membranes and water molecules using digital transformation, and analysis of water molecule flow within pores, the company created a novel membrane structure that minimizez the permeation of small-molecule substances such as salt and boron.
Toray has long supplied RO membranes to seawater desalination projects around the globe and plans to step up these efforts in the Middle East and elsewhere to enhance access to safe, affordable water.
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