Addressing adsorbent materials commercialization challenges for water treatment in European markets through productization

The development of novel adsorbents for water treatment has become a significant branch of materials science and environmental engineering, with annual research output growing exponentially. New adsorbents, however, are typically not developed beyond the laboratory scale, creating a discrepancy between research volume and commercial adoption. This study analyzes the development of adsorbents using a productization framework. Three types of companies (adsorbent manufacturers/dealers, consultants/process designers, and treatment plant operators) were interviewed to understand the challenges for up-scaling and ultimately commercializing new adsorbents, and the requirements for treatment processes and the expectations of customers (adsorbent users), adsorbent producers, and service providers were determined. A framework for developing optimal business models, strategies, and approaches for productizing adsorbents was also created. The main challenges for commercializing adsorbents include their properties (such as quality, availability, lifespan, and adaptability), profitability issues (regeneration, disposal, and logistics cost), and activities related to environmental legislation, testing, and verification.