Molymem

What Molymem does

Molymem Ltd is a UK-based, University of Manchester spin-out that develops and commercialises next-generation ceramic ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes coated with a proprietary two-dimensional molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) layer. The coated membranes are produced in a single step at room temperature using existing filtration equipment, which the company positions as a manufacturing simplification relative to competing ceramic membranes that require multi-step high-temperature sintering. Core products are MoS₂ ceramic UF membranes, MoS₂ ceramic NF membranes, a dedicated NOM-removal SKU branded Molymem-NOM, and PFAS-removal solutions targeting semiconductor and industrial effluents.

The company sells through two revenue streams: direct hardware sales of coated membranes and licensing of its coating technology to membrane manufacturers and OEMs, working alongside the existing filtration supply chain. Customers and use cases span municipal water utilities (e.g., Scottish Water NOM pilot), wastewater treatment, and industrial waters across semiconductor (PFAS), pharmaceutical, and mining segments. Distribution is enterprise-direct and consortium-led, including its role as a key partner in the €55M EU GENESIS Horizon Europe project for greener semiconductor manufacturing.

Founded in 2020 and headquartered at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) in Manchester, Molymem operates with a 7-person team of materials scientists and commercial operators. The company has raised over £1 million across two seed rounds (Cambridge Angels/Manchester Angels/NorthInvest in Dec 2022 and GC Angels/Green Angel Syndicate in May 2023), won consecutive WFI awards (Emerging Technology 2021, Product of the Year 2023), and scaled its coating to the world's largest 2D-ceramic membrane geometry for NOM removal.

Name

Molymem

Legal name

Molymem Ltd

Website

https://molymem.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Molymem is a UK-based deep-tech company that develops MoS₂ 2D-coated ceramic ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes. It serves municipal water utilities and industrial customers in semiconductor, pharmaceutical, and mining sectors via pilots, direct sales, and EU project work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Filtration Membranes

NAICS

Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing (325180), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Membrane Treatment (UF/NF/RO for Potable) (EUANABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Effluent Polishing & Filtration (MBR/UF/RO/GAC) (EUANADAL), Membranes, Consumables & Chemicals (Elements, Antiscalants, Cleaning) (EUANAFAJ), Membrane Treatment Chemicals (RO/NF/UF) (IMAEAJAF)

Keywords

• Ceramic membrane filtration
• 2D material coating
• Nanofiltration membranes
• Ultrafiltration membranes
• Water treatment membranes

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membrane Product Sales: Sale of MoS₂-coated ceramic ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes. The company sells coated membranes to water treatment companies, utilities, and industrial customers for water and wastewater treatment applications.
2. Licensing/Technology Transfer: Licensing of proprietary coating technology to membrane manufacturers and OEMs. The company works with existing supply chains to bring retrofittable membrane coating solutions to market, enabling manufacturers to apply the coating to their existing membrane products.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Molymem develops and sells MoS2-coated ceramic ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes for water treatment and molecular separation. The company applies a proprietary 2D molybdenum disulphide coating at room temperature to standard ceramic membranes, converting them into high-performance UF/NF modules that deliver 4–5× higher permeation, 10+ year lifetimes, and targeted removal of contaminants including PFAS, NOM, and salts. The membranes are sold as drop-in modules to water utilities, OEMs, and industrial customers in semiconductor, pharmaceutical, and mining sectors.

Product overview

Molymem is a UK-based membrane technology company that develops and commercializes next-generation ceramic ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes powered by a proprietary two-dimensional molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) coating technology. The company's product portfolio centers on its patented MoS₂-based coating platform, which can be applied as a single room-temperature step to convert existing ceramic membranes into high-performance UF or NF membranes. Key products include Molymem-NOM (for Natural Organic Matter removal), MoS₂ Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membranes, and MoS₂ Ceramic Nanofiltration Membranes. The technology serves multiple industry sectors including municipal water treatment, wastewater treatment, industrial waters (semiconductor, pharmaceutical, mining), healthcare/pharma, food & beverage, and semiconductor manufacturing. The company operates from The Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at the University of Manchester and has participated in the €55M EU GENESIS project for PFAS remediation in semiconductor wastewater.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Molymem-NOM: Two-dimensional Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2)-enhanced membrane targeting the removal of Natural Organic Matter (NOM) from water.

Products and services

• MoS2 Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membranes Ceramic ultrafiltration membranes coated with proprietary MoS2 2D material, delivering 4–5× higher permeation and 10+ year lifetimes for water treatment customers including municipal utilities and industrial users.
• MoS2 Ceramic Nanofiltration Membranes Ceramic nanofiltration membranes coated with proprietary MoS2 2D material for selective molecular separation, including removal of salts, divalent ions, and small organic molecules in water treatment and industrial process applications.
• PFAS Removal Membrane Solution Application-specific MoS2-coated ceramic membrane offering targeted at PFAS removal in water treatment, leveraging the nanofiltration performance of the MoS2 coating to selectively separate PFAS compounds from water streams.
• Molymem NOM (Natural Organic Matter) Removal Membranes Ceramic membrane product designed for removal of natural organic matter in water treatment applications, based on the company's MoS2 ultrafiltration/nanofiltration coating technology.
• MoS2 Membrane Coating Technology Licensing Licensing and technology transfer of Molymem's proprietary MoS2 ceramic membrane coating process to third-party membrane manufacturers and OEMs, enabling licensees to produce differentiated, higher-flux UF/NF membrane products.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4-5x higher water permeation rates compared to commercial 2000Da MWCO polymer membranes while maintaining high DOC rejection
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• GENESIS Consortium (Horizon Europe)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2025Molymem is a key partner in GENESIS, a €55 million European project coordinated by CEA-Leti, involving 58 partners including SMEs, research organizations, and semiconductor industry players. Funded under Horizon Europe, Chips Joint Undertaking, SERI (Switzerland), and Innovate UK. Project aims to reduce environmental footprint of semiconductor manufacturing including PFAS remediation.
• The University of ManchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMolymem originated from research at The University of Manchester by Prof. Rob Dryfe and Dr. Mark Bissett. The company is located within The Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC).
• Cranfield UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with Prof. Ewan McAdam, Professor of Membrane Science and Technology at Cranfield Water Science Institute, for benchmarking Molymem ceramic membranes against industry standard polymer membranes for NOM removal and DBP formation assessment. Supported through Innovate UK Smart Grant.
• CEA-LetimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEA-Leti, a world-renowned French research institute in microelectronics and nanotechnology, coordinates the GENESIS project in which Molymem is a key partner.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: Major global water treatment and membrane solutions provider, competing across the same municipal and industrial UF/NF membrane categories with strong incumbent specification positions at utilities.
• Metawater: Japanese environmental engineering company with a broad ceramic membrane portfolio (including the 'Ceraflux' line) used in municipal water and wastewater — a much larger incumbent competitor in the same ceramic UF market.
• Veolia Water Technologies: One of the largest global water technology and services providers, offering a broad membrane and treatment portfolio to municipal and industrial customers alongside established OEM and EPC relationships.
• Pall Corporation (Danaher): Global industrial filtration and separation business within Danaher, supplying membranes and systems to semiconductor, pharmaceutical, and water customers — a key established supplier in Molymem's target industrial water verticals.

Direct peers

• Nanostone Water: Manufacturer of ceramic ultrafiltration membranes for water and wastewater treatment, with a comparable focus on replacing polymeric membranes with higher-performing ceramic alternatives.
• Cerahelix: US-based developer of ceramic nanofiltration membranes for water treatment, targeting industrial and municipal customers with a similar high-flux, durable ceramic membrane value proposition to Molymem.
• LiqTech International: Public company producing silicon carbide ceramic UF membranes for industrial water and emissions applications, offering an established ceramic-membrane alternative to Molymem's MoS₂-coated products.

Emerging players

• Atoco: Early-stage company developing 2D-material-based membranes for water separation, using a closely related advanced-materials approach and competing for similar carbon nanotube/2D membrane mindshare.
• Directa Plus: Italy-based graphene and 2D-materials company with a vertical focus on textiles and environmental applications, sharing Molymem's upstream 2D-materials technology base and Italian/UK European ecosystem.
• Membrion: Developer of low-cost ceramic ion-exchange and adsorbent membranes for heavy-metal and contaminant removal, addressing adjacent industrial water use cases with a similar early-stage, deep-tech profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MolymemLtd?s=20
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/molymem

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Molymem