US companies Millennium Cell Inc and GeckoEnergy Technologies Inc are collaborating onthe development of membrane-based fuel cells.

The firms have entered into a three-year pro-gram to collaborate on developing and commer-cializing portable fuel cells for military, medical,industrial and consumer electronics applications.

These products will pair Millennium Cell’spatented Hydrogen on Demand® technology withGecko’s thin planar proton-exchange membrane(PEM) fuel cells to create a hydrogen-fueled devicethat is lighter, smaller and less expensive than tradi-tional batteries for a variety of applications.

Gecko will develop an easy-to-manufacture fuelcell that provides portable device makers withdesign flexibility by allowing the thin power sourceto be part of the exterior surface of the device itself.

Initial activities will concentrate on developingfuel cells to support the introduction of hydrogenpower for portable electronic devices in each of thetarget markets, including the development of anappropriate fuel cell for traditional and ruggedizedlaptop computers, remote surveillance cameras,

long-run-time sensors, wireless network and datacollection devices, and other devices where thecombination of technologies can offer a less expen-sive, higher-performance power source for users.

In addition to the joint development program,Millennium Cell has acquired approximately 23%of the outstanding common stock of Gecko inexchange for $0.5m in cash and a one-year com-mitment of services and facilities valued at $0.5m.

Later this year Millennium Cell will increase itsposition to a total of 48% of Gecko’s outstandingcommon stock by investing another $1.0m.Millennium Cell also receives the right to acquire,at its sole option, up to 80% of Gecko over theremaining two years of the agreement.

Contacts:Millennium Cell Inc, One Industrial Way West,Eatontown, NJ 07724, USA. Tel: +1 732 542 4000,www.millenniumcell.comGecko Energy Technologies Inc, One Industrial WayWest, Building E, Eatontown, NJ 07724, USA,www.geckoenergy.com

US companies Pall Corporation and MilliporeCorporation are increasing their investment inpersonnel and facilities to support the growth oftheir businesses in emerging international mar-kets, such as China and India.

Demonstrating its commitment to the burgeon-ing pharmaceutical market in Asia, NY-based Pallsays that it has added leading industry experts andmore key executives to its regional team as part ofthe company’s global initiative of aligning with cus-tomers worldwide. These initiatives address evolv-ing biopharmaceutical customer needs by buildingon the firm’s strong infrastructure throughout theregion and furthering its focus on India, China andSouth-East Asia.

‘Our biopharmaceutical business in Asia grew by14% over the last fiscal year, largely because of thesolid foundation of expertise and technologicalcapabilities we have built throughout the region,’

says Roberto Perez, President of Pall Life SciencesWorldwide. Market growth in India and China,which are leading the charge in the emerging Asianpharmaceutical industry, was a major impetusbehind several of Pall’s programs.

The Indian Pharmaceutical and HealthcareMarket Annual Review (2005) reports that theIndian pharmaceutical industry is growing at therate of nearly 9% a year. According to a report fromThe Golden Triangle Organization Inc, China’spharmaceutical market – already worth more than$20 billion – will continue to experience double-digit growth rates through to 2010.

‘The acceleration of our revenue growth in 2005benefited from higher growth in emerging interna-tional markets where we are a market leader andhave differentiated product offerings,’ says MartinMadaus, Millipore’s President, Chairman andChief Executive Officer.

He continues: ‘Over the next several years,we expect to broaden our international pres-ence and sustain our momentum by expand-ing our infrastructure and hiring new leader-ship. As we execute our new strategy, we are inan excellent position to capitalize on increas-ing demand for our bioprocess and bioscienceproducts and services in rapidly growing geo-graphical areas.’

(Further details of both companies’ activities inIndia, China and South-East Asia appear on pages8–10 of this issue.)

Contacts:Pall Corporation, 2200 Northern Boulevard, East Hills,NY 11548, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com

Millipore Corporation, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, www.millipore.com

ISSN 0958-2118 May 2006www.filtsep.com

C o n t e n t s

News 1–6

In Brief 3, 5, 6

Features:Advanced membranes at theCentre for Process Integration& Membrane Technology 7–8

Pall and Millipore intensifytheir focus on Asia 8–10

New York ‘green’ high-rise usesMBR technology to recycle water 10–11

Research Trends 11–13

Patents 13–16

Events Calendar 15

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American separations giants invest in emerging international markets in Asia

Millennium Cell, Gecko sign deal to jointly developmembrane-based fuel cells