- Email: [email protected]
PUB issues request for proposal to build fifth desalination plant
NEWS role that rural America plays in efficiently producing low-carbon renewable fuels. Contact: Whitefox Technologies Ltd, Coppergate House, 16 Brune Street, London E1 7NJ, UK. Tel: +44 20 7953 8446, www.whitefox.com
Evoqua supplies Memcor and Dystor systems for upgrade projects
E
voqua Water Technologies Llc has been selected to supply Memcor membrane bioreactor (MBR) membranes to upgrade a water purification plant in Australia, and a Dystor Dual Membrane Gas Holder System to enhance the operation of a US wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The company, which specialises in water and wastewater treatment products, systems and services for industrial and municipal customers, says that following a competitive tender process, the council of Townsville City in Queensland, Australia, has selected its technology to replace the membrane system used at the water purification plant at Cleveland. The original MBR plant, which is based on a different supplier’s membranes, has been in operation for eight years. Evoqua says that its Memcor MBR line features a proven immersed hollow-fibre membrane system that performs a critical role within the upgraded plant and increases the facility’s hydraulic performance. It is claimed that the upgraded plant will be the largest MBR facility in Australia. In other news, Evoqua has been selected to provide a Dystor Dual Membrane Gas Holder System to the city of Mansfield, Ohio, as part of its WWTP upgrade project. It has worked closely with its sales partner BissNuss Inc on the project. The Mansfield WWTP was looking to replace one of its anaerobic digester covers – an old steel cover that had stopped functioning and was no longer storing gas. Evoqua says that the Dystor Dual Membrane Gas Holder System was selected because of its ability to maximise storage of methane gas and as a result of a recent successful installation by consulting engineer, Jones & Henry. Evoqua’s Municipal Products and Services division is replacing the 23.6-m (77.5-ft) secondary digester steel gas holder cover with the Dystor Dual Membrane Gas Holder System. The Dystor system consists of an outer mem4
Membrane Technology
brane that remains inflated in a fixed position, whilst the inner membrane moves freely as it stores or releases biogas. It can hold up to six times as much gas as conventional steel digester covers – maximising the energy benefits of the anaerobic digestion process and providing significant cost-savings, says the firm. Contact: Evoqua Water Technologies Llc, 4800 North Point Parkway, Suite 250, Alpharetta, GA 30022, USA. Tel: +1 978 614 7111, www.evoqua.com/en/brands/ Memcor, www.evoqua.com/en/brands/Envirex
Wuxi provides key reference site in China for Emefcy MABR technology
E
mefcy Group Ltd, which develops, manufactures and markets energy-efficient wastewater treatment systems, based on membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) technology, reports that its demonstration packaged plant is now in operation for the first time in China at one of the country’s top institutes – an ideal location for customers to visit. Wuxi Municipal Design Institute is a subsidiary of the Wuxi Guolian Environmental & Energy Group Co Ltd, a major state-owned enterprise and provider of environmental protection services throughout Jiangsu, mainland China, and international markets. Wuxi was the first of several Chinese sales distribution partnerships announced by Emefcy Group. The demonstration plant has a capacity of 24 000 litres (6340 gallons) per day and continuously treats wastewater to a high standard, says Emefcy. Plant data are being collected to support Wuxi in obtaining provincial certification for Emefcy’s MABR product throughout Jiangsu Province in the months ahead. According to the Chinese Government’s Five-Year Plan, announced in 2016, new rural wastewater treatment plants supporting an estimated population of some 22 million people in Jiangsu Province are expected to be built over the next five years. The total revenue potential for Emefcy’s MABR product, accessible in Jiangsu Province alone, is estimated to be approximately A$1 billion. Importantly, Wuxi Guolian has its own financial arm to help finance plant deployment. Richard Irving, Executive Chairman, Emefcy, commented: ‘We look forward to obtaining
provincial certification for our MABR as well as welcoming many potential Chinese customers to this demonstration site over the coming weeks.’ Ilan Wilf, Vice President, Sales, Emefcy, added: ‘Because of its substantial energy savings and resulting significantly lower operating costs, interest in our MABR product is widespread within the market in China, as evidenced by the fact that we have already signed four Chinese partners.’ ‘We anticipate that welcoming potential customers to this site and sharing its excellent performance data will accelerate adoption of our MABR product for rural wastewater treatment throughout China.’ Contacts: Emefcy Group Ltd, 7 Ha’eshel st, Caesarea Industrial Park, PO Box 3171, 30889, Israel. Tel: +972 4 627 7555, www.emefcy.com Emefcy Group Ltd (Australia), Suite 1, 1233 High Street, Armadale, Victoria 3143, Australia. Tel: +61 3 9824 5254 Wuxi Guolian Environmental Energy Group Co Ltd, No. 8 Finance Street, Wuxi, 214131 China. Tel: +86 828 33786, www.glhbjt.com/en
PUB issues request for proposal to build fifth desalination plant
S
ingapore’s national water agency Public Utilities Board (PUB) has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the development of the island citystate’s fifth desalination plant. To be built by 2020 on Jurong Island, under a design, build, own and operate arrangement, the facility will add a further 137 000 m3 (or approximately 30 million imperial gallons) of desalinated water a day to Singapore’s water supply – enhancing water supply resilience. PUB reports that four applicants were shortlisted from an earlier pre-qualification exercise to submit their proposals for the desalination plant. They are Keppel Infrastructure Holdings Pte Ltd, Sembcorp Utilities Pte Ltd, Tuas Power Ltd and YTL Power International Berhad. The facility will be co-located within the successful applicant’s existing facility on Jurong Island – for example, a power plant or steamgenerating plant. This will take advantage of potential synergies in resources, such as sea-water intake and outfall structures or energy supplies.
April 2017
NEWS/IN BRIEF ‘Desalinated water is a key pillar of Singapore’s water supply strategy. As a source of water that is independent of rainfall, it bolsters the reliability of our water supply against prolonged periods of dry spells and droughts,’ said Young Joo Chye, Director of Engineering Development and Procurement, PUB. There are currently two desalination plants in Singapore with a combined capacity of 454 609 m3 (100 million gallons) a day, which can meet up to 25% of current water demand. The third desalination plant is expected to be completed in Tuas by 2017, and the fourth in Marina East by 2020. Desalinated water is expected to meet up to 30% of Singapore’s future water needs by 2060. The successful applicant will enter into a 25-year water purchase agreement to supply desalinated water to PUB. This agreement will set out the tariff structure, terms and conditions for the supply and purchase of desalinated water. Contact: Public Utilities Board, 40 Scotts Road, 22–01, Environment Building, Singapore 228231. Tel: +65 6235 8888, www.pub.gov.sg
Crossflow device efficiently filters low-volume aqueous protein solutions
S
artorius Stedim Biotech Sa (SSB), a provider of equipment and services for the development, quality assurance and production processes of the biopharmaceuticals industry, recently extended its product line of small-scale Sartocon Slice 50 crossflow devices with the addition of the Slice 50 ECO. This latest crossflow filter has been specially designed for water-based protein solutions with viscosities below 3 cp. The crossflow cassette typically can be used in biotechnology applications, such as filtration of immunoglobulin G (IgG), blood factors and peptides – especially in applications involving membrane screening and small-volume process development. The device’s reduced flow channel geometry lowers the recirculation pump requirements by as much as 50% compared with a standard design, says the firm. Only half of the pump’s energy is needed, which considerably reduces the sheer stress on all protein solutions. Like the standard Slice 50 cassette, the Slice 50 ECO is offered as an encapsulated and ready-to-use crossflow module. Offered in a
April 2017
wide selection of molecular weight cutoffs, it has a filter area of 50 cm2. The cGMP-validated self-contained filtration unit eliminates the need for a compression holder and is available in a choice of two polymers, the details of which are summarised below. • The first polymer, a stable polyethersulfone membrane (PESU), which is well established in the biopharmaceuticals industry, is ideal for a broad pH and temperature range. • The second polymer – the Hydrosart membrane – is a stable, cross-linked regenerated “cellulosic” polymer. It is also suitable for a broad pH range and can be cleaned and depyrogenated using up to 1 N NaOH, at elevated temperatures. This membrane is extremely hydrophilic, making it nonprotein-binding and virtually non-fouling. It is easy to clean and delivers an exceptionally high product flux and yield, says SSB.
In Brief ItN Nanovation, Safbon inaugurate building in China for membrane production Germany’s ItN Nanovation Ag and its major shareholder Shanghai Safbon Investment Co Ltd, have inaugurated a building in Nantong, China, that will be equipped to produce ceramic flat-sheet membranes. The companies say that production machinery is currently being installed. The first phase of production, with a capacity of 60 000 m² a year, will start in August 2017. Phase two, with a production capacity of 140 000 m² a year will be initiated at the beginning of 2018. Over the next 12 months Safbon will invest approximately E60 million in the new production plant, which will be a subsidiary of Safbon Water Services called Jiangsu ItN Membrane Technology Co Ltd.
‘With this product, we are offering the industry a high-performance device for especially efficient filtration of low-volume aqueous protein solutions. Its features, such as low feed flow and low adsorption, mean that Sartocon 50 ECO is a cost-effective system,’ commented Frank Meyeroltmanns, an expert in crossflow filtration at SSB. Major benefits of the Sartocon Slice 50 cassette are its scalability and identical materials of construction. These properties ease transfer of process development results to the next scale-up level. In addition, the filter device can be readily interfaced with SSB’s bench-top crossflow system Sartoflow Smart, and with many other laboratory-scale filtration systems.
Severn Trent renews O&M contract Severn Trent – North America has announced that it has successfully renewed a multi-year contract with Inima for the full-scale operations and maintenance (O&M) of the reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plant (WTP) based in Hialeah, a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. The contract, which is worth in excess of $3 million, includes responsibility for a 37 854-m3 (10-million gallons) per day brackish water, RO plant, with further expansion capacity. In 2012, Severn Trent supported Inima-AECOM’s start-up and commissioning of the plant, which is based on a design, build and operate model. Severn Trent has been providing operation services to the city since 2013, delivering water to approximately 4.5 million residents.
Contacts: Sartorius Stedim Biotech Sa, Zone Industrielle Les Paluds, Avenue de Jouques – CS 91051, Aubagne 13781, France. Tel: +33 4 4284 5600, www.sartorius-france.fr
Singapore’s fifth NEWater plant opens Singapore’s national water agency Public Utilities Board (PUB), BEWG International Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Beijing Enterprises Water Group Ltd (BEWG) and UES Holdings Pte Ltd (UESH), recently opened the BEWGUESH NEWater Plant – the island city-state’s fifth NEWater plant and second one to be based in Changi.
Sartorius Ag, Weender Landstrasse 94–108, 37075 Goettingen, Germany. Tel: +49 551 3080, www.sartorius.com
Tests confirm ClearFlo MBCx system’s ability to treat FGD wastewater
O
asys Water Inc, a US desalination systems and water treatment company that specialises in forward osmosis (FO), recently completed what it says is a highly successful demonstration of
Pentair acquires Union Engineering Pentair Plc has completed the acquisition of Union Engineering A/s, a Danish firm that specialises in sustainable technologies for capturing, recovering and purifying carbon dioxide. Pentair says that as an established leader in carbon dioxide management and recovery, with its Haffmans brand, the addition of Union Engineering’s technologies and service capabilities reinforces and expands its product portfolio within the industrial gas, food and beverage, and biogas upgrading sectors.
Membrane Technology
5
Evoqua supplies Memcor and Dystor systems for upgrade projects
E
voqua Water Technologies Llc has been selected to supply Memcor membrane bioreactor (MBR) membranes to upgrade a water purification plant in Australia, and a Dystor Dual Membrane Gas Holder System to enhance the operation of a US wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The company, which specialises in water and wastewater treatment products, systems and services for industrial and municipal customers, says that following a competitive tender process, the council of Townsville City in Queensland, Australia, has selected its technology to replace the membrane system used at the water purification plant at Cleveland. The original MBR plant, which is based on a different supplier’s membranes, has been in operation for eight years. Evoqua says that its Memcor MBR line features a proven immersed hollow-fibre membrane system that performs a critical role within the upgraded plant and increases the facility’s hydraulic performance. It is claimed that the upgraded plant will be the largest MBR facility in Australia. In other news, Evoqua has been selected to provide a Dystor Dual Membrane Gas Holder System to the city of Mansfield, Ohio, as part of its WWTP upgrade project. It has worked closely with its sales partner BissNuss Inc on the project. The Mansfield WWTP was looking to replace one of its anaerobic digester covers – an old steel cover that had stopped functioning and was no longer storing gas. Evoqua says that the Dystor Dual Membrane Gas Holder System was selected because of its ability to maximise storage of methane gas and as a result of a recent successful installation by consulting engineer, Jones & Henry. Evoqua’s Municipal Products and Services division is replacing the 23.6-m (77.5-ft) secondary digester steel gas holder cover with the Dystor Dual Membrane Gas Holder System. The Dystor system consists of an outer mem4
Membrane Technology
brane that remains inflated in a fixed position, whilst the inner membrane moves freely as it stores or releases biogas. It can hold up to six times as much gas as conventional steel digester covers – maximising the energy benefits of the anaerobic digestion process and providing significant cost-savings, says the firm. Contact: Evoqua Water Technologies Llc, 4800 North Point Parkway, Suite 250, Alpharetta, GA 30022, USA. Tel: +1 978 614 7111, www.evoqua.com/en/brands/ Memcor, www.evoqua.com/en/brands/Envirex
Wuxi provides key reference site in China for Emefcy MABR technology
E
mefcy Group Ltd, which develops, manufactures and markets energy-efficient wastewater treatment systems, based on membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) technology, reports that its demonstration packaged plant is now in operation for the first time in China at one of the country’s top institutes – an ideal location for customers to visit. Wuxi Municipal Design Institute is a subsidiary of the Wuxi Guolian Environmental & Energy Group Co Ltd, a major state-owned enterprise and provider of environmental protection services throughout Jiangsu, mainland China, and international markets. Wuxi was the first of several Chinese sales distribution partnerships announced by Emefcy Group. The demonstration plant has a capacity of 24 000 litres (6340 gallons) per day and continuously treats wastewater to a high standard, says Emefcy. Plant data are being collected to support Wuxi in obtaining provincial certification for Emefcy’s MABR product throughout Jiangsu Province in the months ahead. According to the Chinese Government’s Five-Year Plan, announced in 2016, new rural wastewater treatment plants supporting an estimated population of some 22 million people in Jiangsu Province are expected to be built over the next five years. The total revenue potential for Emefcy’s MABR product, accessible in Jiangsu Province alone, is estimated to be approximately A$1 billion. Importantly, Wuxi Guolian has its own financial arm to help finance plant deployment. Richard Irving, Executive Chairman, Emefcy, commented: ‘We look forward to obtaining
provincial certification for our MABR as well as welcoming many potential Chinese customers to this demonstration site over the coming weeks.’ Ilan Wilf, Vice President, Sales, Emefcy, added: ‘Because of its substantial energy savings and resulting significantly lower operating costs, interest in our MABR product is widespread within the market in China, as evidenced by the fact that we have already signed four Chinese partners.’ ‘We anticipate that welcoming potential customers to this site and sharing its excellent performance data will accelerate adoption of our MABR product for rural wastewater treatment throughout China.’ Contacts: Emefcy Group Ltd, 7 Ha’eshel st, Caesarea Industrial Park, PO Box 3171, 30889, Israel. Tel: +972 4 627 7555, www.emefcy.com Emefcy Group Ltd (Australia), Suite 1, 1233 High Street, Armadale, Victoria 3143, Australia. Tel: +61 3 9824 5254 Wuxi Guolian Environmental Energy Group Co Ltd, No. 8 Finance Street, Wuxi, 214131 China. Tel: +86 828 33786, www.glhbjt.com/en
PUB issues request for proposal to build fifth desalination plant
S
ingapore’s national water agency Public Utilities Board (PUB) has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the development of the island citystate’s fifth desalination plant. To be built by 2020 on Jurong Island, under a design, build, own and operate arrangement, the facility will add a further 137 000 m3 (or approximately 30 million imperial gallons) of desalinated water a day to Singapore’s water supply – enhancing water supply resilience. PUB reports that four applicants were shortlisted from an earlier pre-qualification exercise to submit their proposals for the desalination plant. They are Keppel Infrastructure Holdings Pte Ltd, Sembcorp Utilities Pte Ltd, Tuas Power Ltd and YTL Power International Berhad. The facility will be co-located within the successful applicant’s existing facility on Jurong Island – for example, a power plant or steamgenerating plant. This will take advantage of potential synergies in resources, such as sea-water intake and outfall structures or energy supplies.
April 2017
NEWS/IN BRIEF ‘Desalinated water is a key pillar of Singapore’s water supply strategy. As a source of water that is independent of rainfall, it bolsters the reliability of our water supply against prolonged periods of dry spells and droughts,’ said Young Joo Chye, Director of Engineering Development and Procurement, PUB. There are currently two desalination plants in Singapore with a combined capacity of 454 609 m3 (100 million gallons) a day, which can meet up to 25% of current water demand. The third desalination plant is expected to be completed in Tuas by 2017, and the fourth in Marina East by 2020. Desalinated water is expected to meet up to 30% of Singapore’s future water needs by 2060. The successful applicant will enter into a 25-year water purchase agreement to supply desalinated water to PUB. This agreement will set out the tariff structure, terms and conditions for the supply and purchase of desalinated water. Contact: Public Utilities Board, 40 Scotts Road, 22–01, Environment Building, Singapore 228231. Tel: +65 6235 8888, www.pub.gov.sg
Crossflow device efficiently filters low-volume aqueous protein solutions
S
artorius Stedim Biotech Sa (SSB), a provider of equipment and services for the development, quality assurance and production processes of the biopharmaceuticals industry, recently extended its product line of small-scale Sartocon Slice 50 crossflow devices with the addition of the Slice 50 ECO. This latest crossflow filter has been specially designed for water-based protein solutions with viscosities below 3 cp. The crossflow cassette typically can be used in biotechnology applications, such as filtration of immunoglobulin G (IgG), blood factors and peptides – especially in applications involving membrane screening and small-volume process development. The device’s reduced flow channel geometry lowers the recirculation pump requirements by as much as 50% compared with a standard design, says the firm. Only half of the pump’s energy is needed, which considerably reduces the sheer stress on all protein solutions. Like the standard Slice 50 cassette, the Slice 50 ECO is offered as an encapsulated and ready-to-use crossflow module. Offered in a
April 2017
wide selection of molecular weight cutoffs, it has a filter area of 50 cm2. The cGMP-validated self-contained filtration unit eliminates the need for a compression holder and is available in a choice of two polymers, the details of which are summarised below. • The first polymer, a stable polyethersulfone membrane (PESU), which is well established in the biopharmaceuticals industry, is ideal for a broad pH and temperature range. • The second polymer – the Hydrosart membrane – is a stable, cross-linked regenerated “cellulosic” polymer. It is also suitable for a broad pH range and can be cleaned and depyrogenated using up to 1 N NaOH, at elevated temperatures. This membrane is extremely hydrophilic, making it nonprotein-binding and virtually non-fouling. It is easy to clean and delivers an exceptionally high product flux and yield, says SSB.
In Brief ItN Nanovation, Safbon inaugurate building in China for membrane production Germany’s ItN Nanovation Ag and its major shareholder Shanghai Safbon Investment Co Ltd, have inaugurated a building in Nantong, China, that will be equipped to produce ceramic flat-sheet membranes. The companies say that production machinery is currently being installed. The first phase of production, with a capacity of 60 000 m² a year, will start in August 2017. Phase two, with a production capacity of 140 000 m² a year will be initiated at the beginning of 2018. Over the next 12 months Safbon will invest approximately E60 million in the new production plant, which will be a subsidiary of Safbon Water Services called Jiangsu ItN Membrane Technology Co Ltd.
‘With this product, we are offering the industry a high-performance device for especially efficient filtration of low-volume aqueous protein solutions. Its features, such as low feed flow and low adsorption, mean that Sartocon 50 ECO is a cost-effective system,’ commented Frank Meyeroltmanns, an expert in crossflow filtration at SSB. Major benefits of the Sartocon Slice 50 cassette are its scalability and identical materials of construction. These properties ease transfer of process development results to the next scale-up level. In addition, the filter device can be readily interfaced with SSB’s bench-top crossflow system Sartoflow Smart, and with many other laboratory-scale filtration systems.
Severn Trent renews O&M contract Severn Trent – North America has announced that it has successfully renewed a multi-year contract with Inima for the full-scale operations and maintenance (O&M) of the reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plant (WTP) based in Hialeah, a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. The contract, which is worth in excess of $3 million, includes responsibility for a 37 854-m3 (10-million gallons) per day brackish water, RO plant, with further expansion capacity. In 2012, Severn Trent supported Inima-AECOM’s start-up and commissioning of the plant, which is based on a design, build and operate model. Severn Trent has been providing operation services to the city since 2013, delivering water to approximately 4.5 million residents.
Contacts: Sartorius Stedim Biotech Sa, Zone Industrielle Les Paluds, Avenue de Jouques – CS 91051, Aubagne 13781, France. Tel: +33 4 4284 5600, www.sartorius-france.fr
Singapore’s fifth NEWater plant opens Singapore’s national water agency Public Utilities Board (PUB), BEWG International Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Beijing Enterprises Water Group Ltd (BEWG) and UES Holdings Pte Ltd (UESH), recently opened the BEWGUESH NEWater Plant – the island city-state’s fifth NEWater plant and second one to be based in Changi.
Sartorius Ag, Weender Landstrasse 94–108, 37075 Goettingen, Germany. Tel: +49 551 3080, www.sartorius.com
Tests confirm ClearFlo MBCx system’s ability to treat FGD wastewater
O
asys Water Inc, a US desalination systems and water treatment company that specialises in forward osmosis (FO), recently completed what it says is a highly successful demonstration of
Pentair acquires Union Engineering Pentair Plc has completed the acquisition of Union Engineering A/s, a Danish firm that specialises in sustainable technologies for capturing, recovering and purifying carbon dioxide. Pentair says that as an established leader in carbon dioxide management and recovery, with its Haffmans brand, the addition of Union Engineering’s technologies and service capabilities reinforces and expands its product portfolio within the industrial gas, food and beverage, and biogas upgrading sectors.
Membrane Technology
5