- Email: [email protected]
Rochem shows loss
additional systems for installation throughout China. According to Osmonics, this custom engineered turnkey system is producing purified bottling water at a rate of nearly 2,000 gpm to meet the demand of the Chinese marketplace.
March 31, 1998, up 28% compared to the $598,961 reported for the same period in 1997. For further information contact: Rochem Environmental Inc., 610 N. Milby St, Houston, TX 77003, USA.Tel: +1 713 224 7626; Fax: +I 713 224 7627
For further information
Osmonics,
contact:
Osmonics
5951 Clearwater Drive, Minnetonka, MN USA.
55343-8995,
Tel: +I 612 933 2277;
Fax:
+I 612 933-0141.
Rochem shows loss Manufacturers
of
the
osmosis system, Rochem of Texas has reported M, for the quarter
Disc
Osmonics HQ obtains IS0 9001
reverse
Environmental,
Inc.
a net loss of US$O.183 ended March
31, 1998,
compared
with an almost
identical
US$O.182
M for the first
quarter
loss of of fiscal
1997.
Rochem however, reported that revenues for the first quarter 1998 rose 4% to US$O.37 M compared to US$O.35 M for the same period a year ago. In addition, the company’s revenues grew to $765,544 for the six months ended
announced
that
its
received
ISO
Millipore buys Anatel equipment
headquarters
and
Millipore Corporation
manufacturing
facility for filters, membrane
to Colorado-based
Tube
has
Minnetonka,
organic technology
for
laboratory-scale
(TOC) use
in
total
monitoring
conjunction
water purification
Certification.
operation
has acquired the rights
Anatel Corporation’s
carbon
9001
operation
with
systems.
Under the terms of the agreement, M&pore has exclusive, world-wide rights to manufacture and sell the TOC monitoring products when they are used to measure the level of organic contaminants in highly purified laboratory water.
is
The
has
Minnesota
Osmonics’ primary
elements, pumps and machines purification
based
world-wide design
and
used in fluid
and separation.
The Certificate of Registration issued by SGS International Certification Services, Inc., Rutherford, New Jersey, certifies that the Osmonics Quality Management System followed by the facility’s employees conforms to ANSI-ASCQ9001/ISO 9001. For further information contact: Osmonics Inc.,
For further information contact: Millipore
5951 Clearwater Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55343-8995,
Corporation, 80 Ashby Road, Bedford, MA 01730-2271,
USA. Tel: +l 612 933 2277; Fax: +I 612 933 0141.
USA. Tel: +l 781 533 6000; Fax: +I 781 533 3110.
PROBLEM SOLVER Australian correspondent Warren Johnson from USF Memcor takes a look at combination membrane processes for economical wastewater reuse. How apphed omics
are to
membranes
being
improve
econ-
of wastewater
non-potable
the
reuse
for
applications?
Reverseosmosis
has
been
a
key
part
of most major wastewater reuse projects for many years. But it is the combination of this process with membrane pretreatment, such as MF or UF, that is rapidly becoming the process of choice for the economic recovery of wastewater for reuse. The two main reasons for this are performance and cost. The performance benefits achievable using microfdtration pre-treatment to RO were first demonstrated at Water Factory 21, in California. This plant has been recycling secondary effluent for groundwater injection using reverse osmosis technology for over 20 years. The existing pretreatment process incorporates lime clarification, recarbonation, and multimedia filtration. However the water quality following pre-treatment has proved difficult to control and SDI’s >6 are not uncommon. The result is that downstream RO’s are prone to fouling and require frequent cleaning to control fouling. They have been investigating the use of microfiltration as an alternative pre-treatment since the early 80’s and tracking the development of MF and UF technologies since
Membrane Technology No. 99
that time. A 500 gpm MF trial unit was installed in I994 to better assess the performance and cost of MF pre-treatment. A key outcome of this research has been the finding that cellulose acetate (CA) membranes operating on MF treated effluent can achieve fluxes 20% higher and run time three times longer than CA membranes operating on conventional high pHlime treated effluent. TFC membranes have also been successfully used with much lower cleaning frequencies than the traditional CA membranes. The major benefits to RO performance results from a stable effluent quality after MF or UF pre-treatment and a very low SD1 (typically ~2). Based on this success, the first fully commercial microflltrationlR0 plant to treat sewage was installed in Australia at Pacific Power’s Eraring power station in 1995. This plant handles up to 5 ML/day of secondary effluent for reuse in the high pressure boilers. The RO treated wastewater has a lower TDS than town water reducing the cost of deionisation and fresh water makeup . Although this plant currently uses CA membranes, it is operating successfully at a design flux some 40% higher than typical waterwater RO’s and with much lower fouling rates - a direct result of the membrane pretreatment. In another example, MF is replacing lime based pre-treatment at West Basin, California, in a 9 ML/day MF/RO process to recover wastewater for injection into the aquifer. A
further 12 ML/day facility is proposed at the nearby Mobil site and will recover wastewater for cooling tower makeup in the refinery. Similar projects are installed elsewhere in the USA and in Japan and Korea. The increasing interest in the combined membrane process has been largely based on the falling cost of membrane processes. Membranes are in their infancy when compared to more traditional processes such as lime treatment. As with computers and telecommunications, costs decline rapidly in the early stages of a technology’s life. For example, the installed cost of microfiltration plants (based on USF/Memcor figures) has decreased by over 30 fold in the last 10 years and continues to decrease. Reverse Osmosis membrane costs have dropped by more than 60% in the last 20 years and at the same time fluxes have doubled and operating pressures more than halved. The enhanced RO performance achievable using membrane pre-treatment has made a significant impact on the viability of many wastewater reuse projects. When taken together with rising water costs, advances in membrane technology, and declining membrane costs, the economic applications will continue to expand. For further information contact: USF Memcor, 1 Memtec Parkway, South Windsor, NSW 2756, Australia. Tel: +61 45 776800: Fax: +61 45 776804
QJ
March 31, 1998, up 28% compared to the $598,961 reported for the same period in 1997. For further information contact: Rochem Environmental Inc., 610 N. Milby St, Houston, TX 77003, USA.Tel: +1 713 224 7626; Fax: +I 713 224 7627
For further information
Osmonics,
contact:
Osmonics
5951 Clearwater Drive, Minnetonka, MN USA.
55343-8995,
Tel: +I 612 933 2277;
Fax:
+I 612 933-0141.
Rochem shows loss Manufacturers
of
the
osmosis system, Rochem of Texas has reported M, for the quarter
Disc
Osmonics HQ obtains IS0 9001
reverse
Environmental,
Inc.
a net loss of US$O.183 ended March
31, 1998,
compared
with an almost
identical
US$O.182
M for the first
quarter
loss of of fiscal
1997.
Rochem however, reported that revenues for the first quarter 1998 rose 4% to US$O.37 M compared to US$O.35 M for the same period a year ago. In addition, the company’s revenues grew to $765,544 for the six months ended
announced
that
its
received
ISO
Millipore buys Anatel equipment
headquarters
and
Millipore Corporation
manufacturing
facility for filters, membrane
to Colorado-based
Tube
has
Minnetonka,
organic technology
for
laboratory-scale
(TOC) use
in
total
monitoring
conjunction
water purification
Certification.
operation
has acquired the rights
Anatel Corporation’s
carbon
9001
operation
with
systems.
Under the terms of the agreement, M&pore has exclusive, world-wide rights to manufacture and sell the TOC monitoring products when they are used to measure the level of organic contaminants in highly purified laboratory water.
is
The
has
Minnesota
Osmonics’ primary
elements, pumps and machines purification
based
world-wide design
and
used in fluid
and separation.
The Certificate of Registration issued by SGS International Certification Services, Inc., Rutherford, New Jersey, certifies that the Osmonics Quality Management System followed by the facility’s employees conforms to ANSI-ASCQ9001/ISO 9001. For further information contact: Osmonics Inc.,
For further information contact: Millipore
5951 Clearwater Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55343-8995,
Corporation, 80 Ashby Road, Bedford, MA 01730-2271,
USA. Tel: +l 612 933 2277; Fax: +I 612 933 0141.
USA. Tel: +l 781 533 6000; Fax: +I 781 533 3110.
PROBLEM SOLVER Australian correspondent Warren Johnson from USF Memcor takes a look at combination membrane processes for economical wastewater reuse. How apphed omics
are to
membranes
being
improve
econ-
of wastewater
non-potable
the
reuse
for
applications?
Reverseosmosis
has
been
a
key
part
of most major wastewater reuse projects for many years. But it is the combination of this process with membrane pretreatment, such as MF or UF, that is rapidly becoming the process of choice for the economic recovery of wastewater for reuse. The two main reasons for this are performance and cost. The performance benefits achievable using microfdtration pre-treatment to RO were first demonstrated at Water Factory 21, in California. This plant has been recycling secondary effluent for groundwater injection using reverse osmosis technology for over 20 years. The existing pretreatment process incorporates lime clarification, recarbonation, and multimedia filtration. However the water quality following pre-treatment has proved difficult to control and SDI’s >6 are not uncommon. The result is that downstream RO’s are prone to fouling and require frequent cleaning to control fouling. They have been investigating the use of microfiltration as an alternative pre-treatment since the early 80’s and tracking the development of MF and UF technologies since
Membrane Technology No. 99
that time. A 500 gpm MF trial unit was installed in I994 to better assess the performance and cost of MF pre-treatment. A key outcome of this research has been the finding that cellulose acetate (CA) membranes operating on MF treated effluent can achieve fluxes 20% higher and run time three times longer than CA membranes operating on conventional high pHlime treated effluent. TFC membranes have also been successfully used with much lower cleaning frequencies than the traditional CA membranes. The major benefits to RO performance results from a stable effluent quality after MF or UF pre-treatment and a very low SD1 (typically ~2). Based on this success, the first fully commercial microflltrationlR0 plant to treat sewage was installed in Australia at Pacific Power’s Eraring power station in 1995. This plant handles up to 5 ML/day of secondary effluent for reuse in the high pressure boilers. The RO treated wastewater has a lower TDS than town water reducing the cost of deionisation and fresh water makeup . Although this plant currently uses CA membranes, it is operating successfully at a design flux some 40% higher than typical waterwater RO’s and with much lower fouling rates - a direct result of the membrane pretreatment. In another example, MF is replacing lime based pre-treatment at West Basin, California, in a 9 ML/day MF/RO process to recover wastewater for injection into the aquifer. A
further 12 ML/day facility is proposed at the nearby Mobil site and will recover wastewater for cooling tower makeup in the refinery. Similar projects are installed elsewhere in the USA and in Japan and Korea. The increasing interest in the combined membrane process has been largely based on the falling cost of membrane processes. Membranes are in their infancy when compared to more traditional processes such as lime treatment. As with computers and telecommunications, costs decline rapidly in the early stages of a technology’s life. For example, the installed cost of microfiltration plants (based on USF/Memcor figures) has decreased by over 30 fold in the last 10 years and continues to decrease. Reverse Osmosis membrane costs have dropped by more than 60% in the last 20 years and at the same time fluxes have doubled and operating pressures more than halved. The enhanced RO performance achievable using membrane pre-treatment has made a significant impact on the viability of many wastewater reuse projects. When taken together with rising water costs, advances in membrane technology, and declining membrane costs, the economic applications will continue to expand. For further information contact: USF Memcor, 1 Memtec Parkway, South Windsor, NSW 2756, Australia. Tel: +61 45 776800: Fax: +61 45 776804
QJ