- Email: [email protected]
Amiad filters protect desalination plant's UF membranes
NEWS ‘Our tried and tested Lewatit ion-exchange resins and the new Lewabrane membrane elements can provide good cost performance in, for example, the preparation of feed-water for downstream electrodeionisation (EDI) applications.’ The membrane elements provide a stable, lower-salinity permeate to minimise the load in downstream ion-exchange and EDI operations – improving the cost-performance ratio. Contact: Lanxess Deutschland GmbH, Building B 106, 51369 Leverkusen, Germany. Tel: +49 214 30 47785, www.lewabrane.com, www.lewatit.com
Compact UF module is targeted at small filtration systems
Q
ua Group Llc, a developer of membrane products for water and wastewater treatment, has introduced its compact Q-Sep Model 2008 ultrafiltration (UF) module. This module offers greater flexibility for designers of small filtration systems, particularly for commercial customers, and for applications where water demand is low, says the firm. It is most suitable for use in offices, hospitals, hotels or at the point-of-entry of a water supply for an entire house. Q-SEP 2008 is a self-encapsulated hollowfibre UF membrane module that has a membrane surface area of 20.0 m2 (about 215 ft2). The total length of the unit, including the endcap, is 1015 mm (40 inches), and it has a diameter of 225 mm (around 9 inches). It weighs 28 kg (about 62 lb). As with other Q-Sep models this unit is mounted vertically. Q-SEP modules contain UF membranes that are manufactured using what the company refers to as its ‘cloud point precipitation’ method. This process ensures that there is a high pore density along the length of the fibre and a uniform pore size distribution in the membrane. Qua claims that Q-SEP modules deliver superior performance characteristics and product water quality, which surpasses the quality of water generated by conventional UF modules – with a low silt density index (SDI), and excellent rejection of bacteria and viruses. These modules are made from a hydrophilic polyethersulfone (PES) material that provides high fibre strength and excellent, low-fouling characteristics, which improves productivity. The membranes operate under low trans-membrane pressure in an inside–out flow configuration. The fibres are held firmly in place, which reduces the stress placed on them, even at high
August 2012
flow velocities. Uniform fibre packing limits the variation in pressure drop within the module and prevents localised, high fouling conditions. According to Qua, Q-SEP UF offers a number of advantages compared with conventional media filtration. These include improved filtrate quality; an SDI that is typically less than 1; the ability to remove virus, bacteria and microbiological, and colloidal matter; improved downstream RO performance; and consistent treated water quality, irrespective of changes in feed-water quality. In addition, for most applications, the technology eliminates the need to add coagulant chemicals. Q-SEP UF modules can be used in dead-end filtration or in cross-flow mode. The membranes are available as 0.8-mm ID fibres, which are suitable for feed-water with low turbidity, and 1.2-mm ID fibres for applications involving water with a high turbidity. These modules are designed for a range of uses, including pretreatment for reverse osmosis (RO) (brackish and sea-water), the purification of surface and well water for potable applications, filtration of industrial water, and wastewater recycling and reuse. QUA was recently awarded NSF/ANSI 61 Certification by NSF International for the manufacture of its Q-SEP range of UF modules (Membrane Technology March 2012, page 5). ‘NSF/ANSI Standard 61 Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects’, is the standard that establishes minimum health effects requirements for materials, components, products, or systems that come into contact with drinking water, drinking-water treatment chemicals, or both. Contact: Qua Group Llc, 10 Guttman Boulevard, Charleroi, PA 15022, USA. Tel: +1 877 782 7558, www.quagroup.com
Amiad filters protect desalination plant’s UF membranes
I
n Israel, Amiad Water Systems Ltd, which provides water treatment and filtration systems, has signed a contract, valued at $1.67 million, to provide an Arkal Super Galaxy automatic disc filtration system that will be used to protect ultrafiltration (UF) membranes at Mekorot Group’s Ashdod Desalination Plant. The facility, which is scheduled to start operating in early 2013, will produce 100 million m3 (around 26 417 million gallons) of
In Brief Project cost for Tuaspring desalination plant revised Hyflux Ltd has announced that all approvals have been granted to Tuaspring Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, for the revised project cost for Singapore’s Tuaspring Desalination Plant. The change in cost – from S$890 million to S$1.05 billion – for the plant, which will be the country’s second and largest sea-water desalination facility, is expected to have a material financial impact on the Hyflux Group for the current financial year. H2O Innovation awarded contracts in the USA and Canada worth C$3.7 million Canada’s H2O Innovation Inc has recently been awarded new contracts worth C$3.7 million. The first will see the company supplying a nanofiltration (NF) membrane water-treatment system, rated at 5000 m3 (1.3 million gallons) per day, to the city of Saint-Tite in Quebec, Canada. Commissioning of the system is planned for summer next year. In a second contract it will build and deliver a containerised water-treatment system to the Village of Spencerville, Ohio, USA. The firm will manufacture a lowpressure reverse osmosis (RO)/NF membrane water-treatment system for producing drinking water from well water containing iron. Under other contracts H2O Innovation will manufacture and deliver smaller RO membrane water-treatment systems to industrial end-users in the USA and Canada. DuPont award aids research E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co has awarded $675 000 to nine young faculty members in its 2012 Class of DuPont Young Professors to further advance key research that is relevant to the company. This class represents eight universities in the USA and one in Germany. Christopher Ellison, University of Texas at Austin, USA, received start-up assistance for research that is investigating the production of nano-fibres and bio-mimetic fibres. Large-scale desalination plant in UAE uses ERI’s PX technology US-based Energy Recovery Inc (ERI) says that its PX Pressure Exchanger (PX) energyrecovery devices will be used in a largescale desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Ghalilah plant – to be built by Aquatech International Corp for the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA) – will be capable of producing around 68 000 m3 (about 18 million gallons) of water per day. ERI expects to ship the devices to Aquatech in the current year. The facility is scheduled to be completed in 2013.
Membrane Technology
3
NEWS water per year – accounting for approximately 15% of domestic water consumption. It will be the fourth reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant to be built along Israel’s Mediterranean coast which, in addition to a further plant set to come on stream in 2013, will have a combined annual output of 540 million m3 (133 142.7 million gallons) of water. The contract was awarded by IVM Minrav Sadyt, a consortium that includes Minrav Holdings Ltd, an Israeli infrastructure company, and Sadyt, a Spanish construction business. Mekorot Development Enterprise Ltd, a subsidiary of Mekorot – Israel’s national water company – will plan, build and operate the facility. The system, based on the polymer-based Arkal Super Galaxy, has a 100-μm rating and will be required to withstand a flow rate of 40 000 m3 (about 10.6 million gallons) per hour. Amiad says that it will start supplying the components in October 2012, and they are scheduled to be installed in March 2013. Contacts: Amiad Water Systems Ltd, D.N. Galil Elyon 1 12335 Israel. Tel: +972 4 690 9500, www.amiad.com Mekorot Development Enterprise Ltd, 1st Karlibach St, Tel-Aviv 61201, Israel. Tel: +972 3 633 4500, www.mekorot.co.il
GE helps utility in Russia to increase waterrecovery capacity
W
ith water conservation remaining a key goal of efforts to modernise Russia’s water supply infrastructure, General Electric Co (GE) has announced that the Ekaterinburg Municipal Unitary Enterprise Vodokanal utility has selected its ZeeWeed 500D ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology to boost water-recovery capacity at its existing water treatment plant. Ekaterinburg, the administrative centre of the Urals region, is Russia’s fourth-largest city and has a population of 1.4 million people. GE’s UF membrane system will enable the facility to recover 55 000 m3 (14.5 million gallons) of water a day. A volume equivalent to more than 950 Olympic-sized hockey rinks, this will be used to back-wash conventional filters used at the plant. The new system will begin operating commercially in 2013. Adequate supplies of clean water are critical for Ekaterinburg, a major industrial centre that 4
Membrane Technology
is home to extensive manufacturing operations that serve the defence, instrument-making, metallurgy, printing, opto-mechanical products and food sectors. The city is also a transportation and logistics hub for the Trans-Siberian Railway. Earlier this year, a news story, published in the Russian press, underscored the importance of investing in water treatment by reporting that country’s housing sector had overtaken its agricultural, chemical and other industrial sectors as the main source of water pollution, according to the director of water at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vadim Kuznetsov, Technical Director, Ekaterinburg Municipal Unitary Enterprise Vodokanal, commented: ‘Water is a critical resource, and our strategy is to use proven and reliable technology to conserve and reuse as much of it as possible. GE has a long history in Russia as a supplier of reliable and efficient equipment, and its advanced water filtration technology will help us do that.’ Chris Jeffery, Regional Director CEE & Russia/CIS, Water & Process Technologies, GE Power & Water, added: ‘GE’s focus is to provide customers with the tools they need to address their most important challenges.’ ‘This important project will minimise the impact this treatment plant has on the environment by reducing both its dependence on freshwater supplies and the water it discharges.’ GE Energy has been active in Russia since the early 1900s, supplying equipment and services to develop the country’s energy infrastructure. Contact: GE Water & Process Technologies, 4636 Somerton Road, Trevose, PA 19053-6783, USA. Tel: +1 215 355 3300, www.gewater.com
IDA issues call for papers for World Congress
T
he International Desalination Association (IDA) has issued a call for papers for its World Congress 2013 on Desalination and Water Reuse, which is scheduled to be held on 20–25 October 2013 in Tianjin, China. The congress will focus on a variety of topics, such as desalination technology, environmental sustainability, plant operations and management, and governance and finance, but will also cover applied technologies and best practices. The over-arching theme ‘‘Desalination: a Promise for the Future’’ emphasises the vital role that desalination and water reuse play in help-
ing our planet meet its water needs, faced with increased challenges posed by urbanisation, climate change and economic uncertainties. The congress aims to examine these challenges and problems, and their potential solutions, by providing a platform for water and desalination experts from around the world to exchange knowledge, network and share their expertise and experiences. Potential authors are encourage to submit an extended abstract for consideration. Specific programme track descriptions and topics for the conference are outlined below. U Track 1 – The Governance and Finance of Desalination UÊ /À>VÊÓÊqÊ-ÕÃÌ>>LiÊ iÃ>>Ì\Ê Environmental Responsibility and Adapting to Climate Change UÊ /À>VÊÎÊqÊ vviVÌÛiÊ>`Ê vvViÌÊ"«iÀ>ÌÃ UÊ /À>VÊ{ÊqÊÛ>ÌÛiÊ iÃ>>ÌÊ Technologies UÊ /À>VÊxÊqÊ iÃ>>ÌÊ ÕÌÕÀiÊ>`ÊiÀÌ>}i Submissions will be evaluated on the basis of contribution and impact, originality, accuracy, quality of presentation, and appropriate comparison to related works, says the IDA. It warns that previously published or presented material will not be accepted. The extended abstract must be submitted online – using the template provided on the IDA Web-site – by no later than 1 October 2012. English is the official language of the congress. Contact: Darlene Seta, World Congress Technical Program Manager, International Desalination Association, PO Box 387, 94 Central Street, Suite 200, Topsfield, MA 01983, USA. Tel: +1 978 887 0410, Email: [email protected], www.idadesal.org
Mann+Hummel Singapore expands its business platform
G
erman filtration specialist Mann+Hummel GmbH reports that it is increasing production capacity, and expanding the research and development facilities at the worldwide headquarters of its water business division, which is based in Singapore. Mann+Hummel Singapore has opened a well-equipped R&D centre and a production line for ultrafiltration (UF) cartridges. As a first step the production capacity will be doubled. This will enable manufacturing to expand and provide sufficient capacity for a
August 2012
Compact UF module is targeted at small filtration systems
Q
ua Group Llc, a developer of membrane products for water and wastewater treatment, has introduced its compact Q-Sep Model 2008 ultrafiltration (UF) module. This module offers greater flexibility for designers of small filtration systems, particularly for commercial customers, and for applications where water demand is low, says the firm. It is most suitable for use in offices, hospitals, hotels or at the point-of-entry of a water supply for an entire house. Q-SEP 2008 is a self-encapsulated hollowfibre UF membrane module that has a membrane surface area of 20.0 m2 (about 215 ft2). The total length of the unit, including the endcap, is 1015 mm (40 inches), and it has a diameter of 225 mm (around 9 inches). It weighs 28 kg (about 62 lb). As with other Q-Sep models this unit is mounted vertically. Q-SEP modules contain UF membranes that are manufactured using what the company refers to as its ‘cloud point precipitation’ method. This process ensures that there is a high pore density along the length of the fibre and a uniform pore size distribution in the membrane. Qua claims that Q-SEP modules deliver superior performance characteristics and product water quality, which surpasses the quality of water generated by conventional UF modules – with a low silt density index (SDI), and excellent rejection of bacteria and viruses. These modules are made from a hydrophilic polyethersulfone (PES) material that provides high fibre strength and excellent, low-fouling characteristics, which improves productivity. The membranes operate under low trans-membrane pressure in an inside–out flow configuration. The fibres are held firmly in place, which reduces the stress placed on them, even at high
August 2012
flow velocities. Uniform fibre packing limits the variation in pressure drop within the module and prevents localised, high fouling conditions. According to Qua, Q-SEP UF offers a number of advantages compared with conventional media filtration. These include improved filtrate quality; an SDI that is typically less than 1; the ability to remove virus, bacteria and microbiological, and colloidal matter; improved downstream RO performance; and consistent treated water quality, irrespective of changes in feed-water quality. In addition, for most applications, the technology eliminates the need to add coagulant chemicals. Q-SEP UF modules can be used in dead-end filtration or in cross-flow mode. The membranes are available as 0.8-mm ID fibres, which are suitable for feed-water with low turbidity, and 1.2-mm ID fibres for applications involving water with a high turbidity. These modules are designed for a range of uses, including pretreatment for reverse osmosis (RO) (brackish and sea-water), the purification of surface and well water for potable applications, filtration of industrial water, and wastewater recycling and reuse. QUA was recently awarded NSF/ANSI 61 Certification by NSF International for the manufacture of its Q-SEP range of UF modules (Membrane Technology March 2012, page 5). ‘NSF/ANSI Standard 61 Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects’, is the standard that establishes minimum health effects requirements for materials, components, products, or systems that come into contact with drinking water, drinking-water treatment chemicals, or both. Contact: Qua Group Llc, 10 Guttman Boulevard, Charleroi, PA 15022, USA. Tel: +1 877 782 7558, www.quagroup.com
Amiad filters protect desalination plant’s UF membranes
I
n Israel, Amiad Water Systems Ltd, which provides water treatment and filtration systems, has signed a contract, valued at $1.67 million, to provide an Arkal Super Galaxy automatic disc filtration system that will be used to protect ultrafiltration (UF) membranes at Mekorot Group’s Ashdod Desalination Plant. The facility, which is scheduled to start operating in early 2013, will produce 100 million m3 (around 26 417 million gallons) of
In Brief Project cost for Tuaspring desalination plant revised Hyflux Ltd has announced that all approvals have been granted to Tuaspring Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, for the revised project cost for Singapore’s Tuaspring Desalination Plant. The change in cost – from S$890 million to S$1.05 billion – for the plant, which will be the country’s second and largest sea-water desalination facility, is expected to have a material financial impact on the Hyflux Group for the current financial year. H2O Innovation awarded contracts in the USA and Canada worth C$3.7 million Canada’s H2O Innovation Inc has recently been awarded new contracts worth C$3.7 million. The first will see the company supplying a nanofiltration (NF) membrane water-treatment system, rated at 5000 m3 (1.3 million gallons) per day, to the city of Saint-Tite in Quebec, Canada. Commissioning of the system is planned for summer next year. In a second contract it will build and deliver a containerised water-treatment system to the Village of Spencerville, Ohio, USA. The firm will manufacture a lowpressure reverse osmosis (RO)/NF membrane water-treatment system for producing drinking water from well water containing iron. Under other contracts H2O Innovation will manufacture and deliver smaller RO membrane water-treatment systems to industrial end-users in the USA and Canada. DuPont award aids research E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co has awarded $675 000 to nine young faculty members in its 2012 Class of DuPont Young Professors to further advance key research that is relevant to the company. This class represents eight universities in the USA and one in Germany. Christopher Ellison, University of Texas at Austin, USA, received start-up assistance for research that is investigating the production of nano-fibres and bio-mimetic fibres. Large-scale desalination plant in UAE uses ERI’s PX technology US-based Energy Recovery Inc (ERI) says that its PX Pressure Exchanger (PX) energyrecovery devices will be used in a largescale desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Ghalilah plant – to be built by Aquatech International Corp for the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA) – will be capable of producing around 68 000 m3 (about 18 million gallons) of water per day. ERI expects to ship the devices to Aquatech in the current year. The facility is scheduled to be completed in 2013.
Membrane Technology
3
NEWS water per year – accounting for approximately 15% of domestic water consumption. It will be the fourth reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant to be built along Israel’s Mediterranean coast which, in addition to a further plant set to come on stream in 2013, will have a combined annual output of 540 million m3 (133 142.7 million gallons) of water. The contract was awarded by IVM Minrav Sadyt, a consortium that includes Minrav Holdings Ltd, an Israeli infrastructure company, and Sadyt, a Spanish construction business. Mekorot Development Enterprise Ltd, a subsidiary of Mekorot – Israel’s national water company – will plan, build and operate the facility. The system, based on the polymer-based Arkal Super Galaxy, has a 100-μm rating and will be required to withstand a flow rate of 40 000 m3 (about 10.6 million gallons) per hour. Amiad says that it will start supplying the components in October 2012, and they are scheduled to be installed in March 2013. Contacts: Amiad Water Systems Ltd, D.N. Galil Elyon 1 12335 Israel. Tel: +972 4 690 9500, www.amiad.com Mekorot Development Enterprise Ltd, 1st Karlibach St, Tel-Aviv 61201, Israel. Tel: +972 3 633 4500, www.mekorot.co.il
GE helps utility in Russia to increase waterrecovery capacity
W
ith water conservation remaining a key goal of efforts to modernise Russia’s water supply infrastructure, General Electric Co (GE) has announced that the Ekaterinburg Municipal Unitary Enterprise Vodokanal utility has selected its ZeeWeed 500D ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology to boost water-recovery capacity at its existing water treatment plant. Ekaterinburg, the administrative centre of the Urals region, is Russia’s fourth-largest city and has a population of 1.4 million people. GE’s UF membrane system will enable the facility to recover 55 000 m3 (14.5 million gallons) of water a day. A volume equivalent to more than 950 Olympic-sized hockey rinks, this will be used to back-wash conventional filters used at the plant. The new system will begin operating commercially in 2013. Adequate supplies of clean water are critical for Ekaterinburg, a major industrial centre that 4
Membrane Technology
is home to extensive manufacturing operations that serve the defence, instrument-making, metallurgy, printing, opto-mechanical products and food sectors. The city is also a transportation and logistics hub for the Trans-Siberian Railway. Earlier this year, a news story, published in the Russian press, underscored the importance of investing in water treatment by reporting that country’s housing sector had overtaken its agricultural, chemical and other industrial sectors as the main source of water pollution, according to the director of water at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vadim Kuznetsov, Technical Director, Ekaterinburg Municipal Unitary Enterprise Vodokanal, commented: ‘Water is a critical resource, and our strategy is to use proven and reliable technology to conserve and reuse as much of it as possible. GE has a long history in Russia as a supplier of reliable and efficient equipment, and its advanced water filtration technology will help us do that.’ Chris Jeffery, Regional Director CEE & Russia/CIS, Water & Process Technologies, GE Power & Water, added: ‘GE’s focus is to provide customers with the tools they need to address their most important challenges.’ ‘This important project will minimise the impact this treatment plant has on the environment by reducing both its dependence on freshwater supplies and the water it discharges.’ GE Energy has been active in Russia since the early 1900s, supplying equipment and services to develop the country’s energy infrastructure. Contact: GE Water & Process Technologies, 4636 Somerton Road, Trevose, PA 19053-6783, USA. Tel: +1 215 355 3300, www.gewater.com
IDA issues call for papers for World Congress
T
he International Desalination Association (IDA) has issued a call for papers for its World Congress 2013 on Desalination and Water Reuse, which is scheduled to be held on 20–25 October 2013 in Tianjin, China. The congress will focus on a variety of topics, such as desalination technology, environmental sustainability, plant operations and management, and governance and finance, but will also cover applied technologies and best practices. The over-arching theme ‘‘Desalination: a Promise for the Future’’ emphasises the vital role that desalination and water reuse play in help-
ing our planet meet its water needs, faced with increased challenges posed by urbanisation, climate change and economic uncertainties. The congress aims to examine these challenges and problems, and their potential solutions, by providing a platform for water and desalination experts from around the world to exchange knowledge, network and share their expertise and experiences. Potential authors are encourage to submit an extended abstract for consideration. Specific programme track descriptions and topics for the conference are outlined below. U Track 1 – The Governance and Finance of Desalination UÊ /À>VÊÓÊqÊ-ÕÃÌ>>LiÊ iÃ>>Ì\Ê Environmental Responsibility and Adapting to Climate Change UÊ /À>VÊÎÊqÊ vviVÌÛiÊ>`Ê vvViÌÊ"«iÀ>ÌÃ UÊ /À>VÊ{ÊqÊÛ>ÌÛiÊ iÃ>>ÌÊ Technologies UÊ /À>VÊxÊqÊ iÃ>>ÌÊ ÕÌÕÀiÊ>`ÊiÀÌ>}i Submissions will be evaluated on the basis of contribution and impact, originality, accuracy, quality of presentation, and appropriate comparison to related works, says the IDA. It warns that previously published or presented material will not be accepted. The extended abstract must be submitted online – using the template provided on the IDA Web-site – by no later than 1 October 2012. English is the official language of the congress. Contact: Darlene Seta, World Congress Technical Program Manager, International Desalination Association, PO Box 387, 94 Central Street, Suite 200, Topsfield, MA 01983, USA. Tel: +1 978 887 0410, Email: [email protected], www.idadesal.org
Mann+Hummel Singapore expands its business platform
G
erman filtration specialist Mann+Hummel GmbH reports that it is increasing production capacity, and expanding the research and development facilities at the worldwide headquarters of its water business division, which is based in Singapore. Mann+Hummel Singapore has opened a well-equipped R&D centre and a production line for ultrafiltration (UF) cartridges. As a first step the production capacity will be doubled. This will enable manufacturing to expand and provide sufficient capacity for a
August 2012