Potential breakthroughs in sustainable energy and their commercialisation, have a new home at the new Monash Centre for Membrane Innovation (MCMI) in the New Horizons Building at Melbourne-headquartered Monash University (MU).
A joint venture with Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the membrane pilot facility will play a role in future-focused industries, enabling clean hydrogen production, energy storage and low-waste chemical processing.
It is equipped with leading-edge instruments – including roll-to-roll membrane coating and casting systems, testing platforms for various membrane types, and high-precision electrochemical analysis tools – the facility supports both short-term testing and long-term research and development (R&D) partnerships.
Image: Monash University
MCMI Director Professor Matthew Hill said the facility is already being used by academic and industry researchers to refine scalable membrane designs and validate them under real-world operating conditions.
“This isn’t just a facility – it’s a national capability that will accelerate the development of next-generation membrane technologies in areas like water purification, green hydrogen and resource recovery,” Hill said.
“By embedding research excellence into infrastructure that can test, validate and scale emerging membrane technologies, we’re creating a launchpad for sovereign innovation and international collaboration.”
Image: Monash University
CSIRO Materials for Energy, Environment and Health Group Leader Dr Zongli Xie said the facility underpins Australia’s global leadership in next-generation separation technologies for water, energy, critical minerals and circular economy applications.
“This facility gives Australian science and industry a shared foundation to rapidly co-develop solutions for the most pressing resource and environmental challenges,” Xie said.
“The pilot facility is the latest chapter in a growing ecosystem that positions Australia as a global player in membrane innovation.”
Image: Monash University
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