The new membrane, on the other hand, is biodegradable, much more environmentally friendly and also cheaper to produce. This is made possible by a clever process in which ordinary paper fibres are treated in such a way that they suddenly acquire completely new capabilities. The membrane is flexible, robust and can be used in many areas. It is particularly important for energy storage systems such as redox flow batteries, but also for electrolysers or water treatment systems. It can therefore play a central role in green energy and clean industry in the future.
An important victory at EU level
Ecolyte was honoured with the European Commission's Innovation Radar Prize 2025 for this innovative development. This is an important prize that is awarded every year to particularly promising future technologies. The fact that a young start-up from Graz won in the "Climate, Energy & Mobility" category shows just how great the impact of this idea is considered to be. The EU's decision makes it clear that sustainable technologies should be promoted and made visible. Ecolyte impressively demonstrates that innovation does not always have to be complicated or expensive, because sometimes great things are created from simple, natural raw materials.
From laboratory to large-scale production
Ecolyte was founded at Graz University of Technology in 2022. Since then, the team has been working on developing the membrane from a prototype to an industrial solution. In the coming years, production is to be massively expanded so that tens of thousands of square metres can be produced every week. This will not only create new economic opportunities, but also bring the technology into real applications worldwide. Co-operations, investments and new projects are already on the horizon.
We think it's #schongenial when a supposedly simple idea made of paper can help to change energy and environmental technology in the long term.
