MELPRO started in 2012 in Český Krumlov, originally under the name Elmempro, with a clear focus on electromembrane processes and a strong international turnout from day one. Since then, the conference has expanded its scope, partnered with PERMEA in 2016, and grown into a respected meeting point for the wider membrane community. It successfully navigated the online edition in 2020, returned to an in-person format in 2022, and in 2024 became part of EuroMembrane in Prague. Explore the key milestones that shaped MELPRO and see why we are already looking forward to MELPRO 2026 in Prague, October 4–7, 2026.
Elmempro 2012 Český Krumlov August 26–29, 2012
The first MELPRO conference, which was still known as Elmempro at the time, took place in Český Krumlov in 2012, establishing a tradition of meetings for experts in this field. The conference’s professional program focused exclusively on electromembrane processes, one of the important areas of membrane technologies. Attended by 118 participants from 20 countries worldwide, the conference featured 62 lectures and 27 poster presentations on specific topics. The conference included a presentation of the results of the EU project DEMMEA, as well as an introduction to the Czech project Membrane Innovation Centre (MIC MemBrain).
Plenary speaker:
Gilbert Rios (FR) – What added value of electric fields and charge effects for membrane
MELPRO 2014 Prague May 18–21, 20214
Held under a new name and at a new venue in Prague in 2014, the event was attended by 120 participants from 16 countries worldwide. There were 40 lectures and 53 posters. Several topics were addressed in two parallel sessions. Three half-day sessions were dedicated to the issues of material research and development of membranes for electromembrane processes, as well as new findings in the field of electromembrane separations and syntheses. Other sections presented and discussed the principles of using membrane processes in energy, the possibilities of implementing hybrid membrane technologies, and ways of optimising membrane operations through mathematical modelling.
Plenary speakers:
Bart Van der Bruggen (BEL) – Electrodialysis with bipolar membranes: Potential and pitfalls
Enrico Drioli (ITA) – Integrated membrane operations for water reuse and energy production
Viktor Nikonenko (RUS) – Mathematical modeling and understanding of electromembrane processes
Bernie Mack (USA) – Towards sustainability
MELPRO & PERMEA 2016 Prague May 16–19, 2016
In 2016, the MELPRO conference joined the PERMEA membrane conference of the Visegrad countries, held every three years. We took over from Poland, where the event was held in 2013. The conference was attended by over 250 participants, including scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs from 33 countries worldwide, who shared their knowledge and experience during the event. A total of 243 contributions were presented, including 94 lectures and 149 poster presentations. The accompanying program included an excursion to the production facilities of MEGA, which became a regular feature of the MELPRO conference program and proved very popular in subsequent years.
Plenary speakers:
Wojciech Kujawski (POL) – Thermally and concentration-driven membrane processes
Young Moo Lee (S. KOREA) – Novel membranes for energy and environments
Wanqin Jin (CHINA) – Organic – inorganic composite membranes: Fundamental study and engineering applications
Enrico Drioli (ITA) – Realizations and future developments of membrane engineering
Bart Van der Bruggen (BEL) – Integrated membrane-based processes for resource recycling
MELPRO 2018 Prague May 13–16, 2018
The fourth annual conference, which moved from the Pyramida Hotel to the International Hotel in Prague, focused not only on electromembranes, but also on membrane processes. It attracted a large number of participants from 40 countries worldwide, with 73 posters and 84 lectures presented (total number of participants: 232). The social evening at the Kaiserštejn Palace was enlivened by a spectacular fireworks display launched from the Vltava River to celebrate the NAVALIS Midsummer Festival.
Plenary speakers:
Yong Wang (CHINA) – Advanced membranes by selective swelling of block copolymers
Lidietta Giorno (ITA) – From biological to bio-artificial systems membranes: Perspectives for industrial production and life science application
Kang Li (UK) – New engineered membranes for separation and reaction
Benny D. Freeman (USA) – Ion transport in charged polymer membranes
Kew Ho Lee (S. KOREA) – Carbon utilization initiatives and membrane research in Korea
MELPRO 2020 online November 8–11, 2020
The fifth annual conference was affected by the ongoing measures introduced due to the pandemic. First postponed from its original spring date, it took place online from 8 to 11 November 2020. A total of 43 posters, five plenary lectures, 13 keynote lectures and 59 short lectures were presented at the conference. Despite this being the first time we had organised such a large event online, an evaluation of 132 participants from 27 countries showed that it was a resounding success.
Plenary speakers:
Ingo Pinau (SA) – Functionalized ultramicroporous polymers for industrial gas separation applications
Yong Mo Lee (S. KOREA) – Polymer membranes for separation of small molecules and ions
Karel Friess – Ultrapermeable composite membranes based on carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide: The effect of metal ion content on H2/CO2 separation performance
Andrey B. Yaroslavtsev (RUS) – Selectivity of transport processes in ion – exchange membranes
MELPRO 2022 Prague September 18–21, 2022
After four years, we were looking forward to the traditional in-person meeting. However, this year was also marked by world events, namely the absence of Russian scientists due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The European Membrane Society supports the MELPRO conference with EMS Awards each year, and this year three PhD Student Awards and one Young Academics Award were presented. In cooperation with the scientific committee, we, the organisers, also present Student Awards, which are usually three prizes for the most successful student presentations. Announcing the winners is one of the items on the closing ceremony agenda.
Plenary speakers:
Marie G. Elshof (NED) – Membrane-based strategies for water food print reduction in the food and beverage industry
Ho Bum Park (S. Korea) – Tailoring nanomaterials to improve membrane performance in gas separations
Joao Crespo (PT) – Membrane contactors: A brave new world or the same old story?
Jun Ma (China) – Development and application of multifunctional nanocomposite membrane in water treatment
EuroMembrane 2024 Prague September 8-12, 2024
The EUROMEMBRANE 2024 conference, which included the MELPRO conference, was launched by a decision of the European Membrane Society (EMS) in 2022 to award the hosting of the next edition of this conference in 2024 to Prague, with the Czech Membrane Platform (CZEMP) being selected from three candidates in the tender. Over 900 participants from around the world registered for the conference. The program featured numerous technical lectures (three plenary, 21 keynote and over 500 short), two panel discussions and over 300 poster presentations, covering topics ranging from the use of membranes in agro-food processing to their applications in energy and water management.
Plenary speakers:
Wanqin Jin (CHINA) – Advanced membranes with subnanosized channels for molecular separation
Andrew Livingston (UK) – Membranes for energy-efficient organic processes
Bart Van der Bruggen (BEL) – Membranes: a solution for water availability on a global scale
We look forward to MELPRO 2026 in Prague, October 4-7, 2026 😊