- Email: [email protected]
Aquaporin forms joint venture in China
membrane
TECHNOLOGY
ISSN 0958-2118 December 2014
www.membrane-technology.com
GLV sells its Pulp & Paper Division and changes its name to Ovivo Inc
C
anada’s GLV Inc reports that it has sold its Pulp & Paper Division to a corporation referred to as 9027173 Canada Inc, owned by Richard Verreault, President and CEO, GLV, and Laurent Verreault, Executive Chairman of the Board, GLV. The total consideration received by GLV for the sale amounts to C$67 million and remains subject to certain post-closing adjustments. As per the terms of the share sale agreement, Richard Verreault has resigned as an employee of GLV. To replace him as head, the corporation’s board of directors has unanimously agreed to appoint Marc Barbeau as president and CEO. Prior to this appointment Barbeau held the position of Executive Vice President, GLV, and President, Ovivo. In addition, GLV has announced that François Roy has been appointed as a director of the corporation. Roy has a distinguished track record as a corporate director and executive in both the private and public sectors, and at non-profit organisations and in academia. The corporation has also announced that a previously disclosed new revolving credit facility has been put in place, and is now available to GLV. This facility consists of a line of credit
of C$60 million available for general corporate purposes and C$80 million available for letters of credit guaranteed by Export Development Canada. This financing was arranged through a bank syndicate led by National Bank Financial in its capacity as lead arranger and bookrunner. The other syndicate participants are Royal Bank of Canada, Comerica Bank and HSBC Bank Canada. GLV is changing its name to Ovivo Inc to reflect the corporation’s focus on water treatment products and technology. It will also seek approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange for new ticker designations. ‘With the sale of the Pulp & Paper Division completed we are pleased to move forward to the next chapter of the future of our corporation,’ commented Barbeau. ‘With a strong balance sheet and a dedicated management focus, Ovivo is well positioned to capitalise on the compelling opportunities available in the fast growing water treatment industry.’ Contact: Ovivo Inc, 2001 McGill College, Suite 2100, Montréal, Québec H3A 1G1, Canada. Tel: +1 514 284 2224, http://ovivowater.com, www.glv.com
Aquaporin forms joint venture in China
D
anish high-tech water technology company Aquaporin A/s has signed binding agreements to form a water treatment joint venture in China with partners Heilongjiang Interchina Water Treatment Co Ltd and Poten Environment Group Co Ltd. Also involved is a major equity investment in Aquaporin by the firms, resulting in a 20.1% ownership stake. The joint venture will have total equity of US$10 million. Poten Environment, a privately owned environmental protection company, is investing US$4.5 million, whilst Heilongjiang Interchina’s investment totals US$2 million, and
Aquaporin’s, the remaining US$3.5 million – resulting in 45%, 20% and 35% ownership of the joint-venture company, respectively. Interchina and Poten are jointly investing US$19.5 million in a 20.1% stake in Aquaporin of which US$10.75 million will be used to purchase the new shares to be issued by the Danish firm, and the remaining US$8.75 million to buy a stake in the company from its majority shareholder, M. Goldschmidt Capital A/s. The business objectives of this joint-venture company are to develop, commercialise and promote biomimetic membrane technologies, and commercialise, manufacture and sell water Continued on page 16...
Contents News GLV sells its Pulp & Paper Division and changes its name to Ovivo Inc
1
Aquaporin forms joint venture in China 1 & 16 Hyflux officially opens largest desalination plant in Algeria
2
MEMDES 2015 scheduled for July
2
“Brine Squeezer” concentrates brine from conventional RO plants
2
Hager + Elsässer’s order income exceeds expectations
3
Russian refinery selects GE’s MBR with MACarrier technology
4
Workshop covers recent advances in nanotechnology for water treatment
4
SiC membranes remove heavy metals from Danish power-plant wastewater
4
Degrémont selected for two desalination projects in the Middle East
5
Multi-barrier system opens up increased options for water reuse
6
Process reduces salt content in fish meal without losing protein
6
Sponge-like structure converts solar energy into steam
6
UEL establishes joint venture to provide EPC services using its membrane technology
16
Features Capturing greenhouse gases using advanced membranes
7
Membrane technology plays key role in waterless hygienic toilet
8
NTU spin-off achieves breakthrough with innovative multifunction membrane
9
Regulars In Brief
3&5
Research Trends
10
Patents
12
Events Calendar
16
ISSN 0958-2118/14 © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved This journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Photocopying Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use.
CALENDAR/NEWS
EVENTS CALENDAR 11–14 January 2015 3rd Water Research Conference Shenzhen, China Contact: Nigel Clear, Elsevier Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK Tel: +44 1865 843337 Email: [email protected] www.waterresearchconference.com
20–21 January 2015 5th Dissemination Workshop of the Nano4water Cluster Barcelona, Spain Contact: Dr Mirko Faccini, Centro Tecnológico Leitat, C/ de la Innovació 2, 08225 Terrassa (Barcelona), Spain Tel: +34 93 788 23 00, Fax: +34 789 19 06 Email: [email protected] http://leitat.org https://nano4water.vito.be/workshops/ Documents/leaflet-nano4water.pdf
22–23 January 2015 TSDWR-2015 – Trombay Symposium on Desalination and Water Reuse Mumbai, India Contact: P.K. Tewari, Chairman, Organising Committee (TSDWR-2015), Indian Desalination Association, Directory of Individuals,
...Continued from front page treatment and desalination systems and other products that use these membranes, in the Chinese market place. Zhu Yongjun, Chairman, Interchina, says that his company has been following Aquaporin closely over the last few years, and this JV will build on its and Poten’s expertise in water treatment and environmentally sustainable technologies, and its proximity to the market along with Aquaporin’s world leading technology. According to Søren Bjørn Hansen, Chairman, Aquaporin, and COO and partner in M. Goldschmidt Capital, Aquaporin has been looking into viable models of expanding to the vast Chinese market. He says it has found the best possible set-up with the strategic alliance with
Institutions & Industries, Desalination Division, BARC, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085, India Tel: +91 22 2559 4619, Fax: +91 22 2550 5151 Email: [email protected], www.indaindia.org
29–31 January 2015 3W Expo 2015 Bangkok, Thailand Contact: TechnoBiz Communications Co Ltd, 2521/27 Lardprao Road, Khlongchaokhunsingha, Wangthonglang, Bangkok 10310, Thailand Tel: +66 2 933 0077, Fax: +66 2 955 9971 Email: [email protected] www.3W-Expo.com
Contacts: Suzanne Abetz (conference) or Jens Chittka (exhibition), Filtech Exhibitions Germany GmbH & Co Kg, PO Box 12 25, 40637 Meerbusch, Germany Tel: +49 2132 93 57 60, Fax: +49 2132 93 57 62 Email: [email protected], Email: [email protected] www.filtech.de
2–5 March 2015 AWWA/AMTA 2015 Membrane Technology Conference and Exposition
1–3 February 2015
Orlando, Florida, USA Contact: American Water Works Association, 6666 W. Quincy Avenue, Denver, CO 80235 USA Tel: +1 303 794 7711, Fax: +1 303 347 0804 www.awwa.org/amta/membrane2015
2015 Industrial and Commercial Water Reuse Conference
26–28 May 2015
Austin, Texas, USA Contact: WateReuse Association, 1199 North Fairfax Street, Suite 410, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA Tel: +1 703 548 0880, Fax: +1 703 548 5085 www.watereuse.org/industrial-commercial-2015/register
24–26 February 2015 FILTECH 2015 Cologne, Germany
Interchina and Poten. Aquaporin has further strengthened its collaboration and the global potential of its cutting edge technology by sharing ownership with its Chinese partners. To Aquaporin this new collaboration is a major milestone, says Peter Holme Jensen, the firm’s CEO. He commented: ‘The Chinese water market is ready for new technologies. Interchina and Poten immediately recognised our technology and its exceptional growth potential, and this new alliance enables all parties to build on each other’s strength in bringing complete systems to the vast Chinese market.’ Yun Shi, Business Developer, Aquaporin, added: ‘This tripartite cooperation with Interchina and Poten Environment is a perfect combination of capital, technology and market
2015 IWA Alternative Water Resources Conference Nanjing, China Contact: Dr Tao Li, Director, International Water Association, China Regional Office, Room 421, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China 100085 Tel: +86 10 62849589, Fax: +86 13810031231 Email: [email protected], www.iwa-awr.org
power. It has laid a solid foundation for the commercial success of Aquaporin Inside technology.’ Contacts: Aquaporin A/s, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark. Tel: +45 82 30 3082, www.aquaporin.dk Heilongjiang Interchina Watertreatment Co Ltd, 10F InterChina Business Building, 33 Dengshikou Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006, China. Tel: +86 10 5169 5607, www.interchinawater.com Poten Environment Group Co Ltd, North Xizhimen Street, Shougang International Building, 12A Layer, Haidian District, 100082 China. Tel: + 86 10 8229 3399, www.potenglobal.com
UEL establishes joint venture to provide EPC services using its membrane technology
T
he board of directors of United Envirotech Ltd (UEL), which specialises in membrane-based water and wastewater treatment and reclamation, has signed a framework agreement with Chengdu Xingrong Investment Co Ltd (XRTZ) to set up a 49% : 51% joint-venture company with paid up capital of RMB50 million (SG$10 million) in Sichuan, China. XRTZ is a prominent water company in China which owns water treatment concessions totalling around 5 million m3/day. The newly formed joint venture will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services using UEL’s membrane technol16
Membrane Technology
ogy and membrane products, and undertake investments in water treatment projects in western China. The first block of projects to be undertaken by the company involve expanding and upgrading wastewater treatment plants and recycling treated wastewater with a combined capacity of 1 million m3/day using UEL’s proprietary membrane bioreactor and continuous membrane filtration technology. The total value of these projects is estimated to exceed RMB1.5 billion (SG$300 million). ‘Xingrong Group is one of the largest water players in China. We are honoured to form this strategic partnership with it. Combining our membrane technology and its strong regional
presence, I believe we can transform the water treatment landscape in the region,’ commented Dr Lin Yucheng, Chairman and CEO, UEL. ‘The growing market share of membrane technology for upgrades, expansion and recycling is great news for our Memstar membrane products. The value of these products to be used for this first block of projects alone is estimated to be RMB300 million (SG$60 million).’ Already under way, the initial projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2015. Contact: United Envirotech Ltd, 10 Science Park Road 01–01, The Alpha Singapore 117684. Tel: +65 6774 7298, www.unitedenvirotech.com
December 2014
TECHNOLOGY
ISSN 0958-2118 December 2014
www.membrane-technology.com
GLV sells its Pulp & Paper Division and changes its name to Ovivo Inc
C
anada’s GLV Inc reports that it has sold its Pulp & Paper Division to a corporation referred to as 9027173 Canada Inc, owned by Richard Verreault, President and CEO, GLV, and Laurent Verreault, Executive Chairman of the Board, GLV. The total consideration received by GLV for the sale amounts to C$67 million and remains subject to certain post-closing adjustments. As per the terms of the share sale agreement, Richard Verreault has resigned as an employee of GLV. To replace him as head, the corporation’s board of directors has unanimously agreed to appoint Marc Barbeau as president and CEO. Prior to this appointment Barbeau held the position of Executive Vice President, GLV, and President, Ovivo. In addition, GLV has announced that François Roy has been appointed as a director of the corporation. Roy has a distinguished track record as a corporate director and executive in both the private and public sectors, and at non-profit organisations and in academia. The corporation has also announced that a previously disclosed new revolving credit facility has been put in place, and is now available to GLV. This facility consists of a line of credit
of C$60 million available for general corporate purposes and C$80 million available for letters of credit guaranteed by Export Development Canada. This financing was arranged through a bank syndicate led by National Bank Financial in its capacity as lead arranger and bookrunner. The other syndicate participants are Royal Bank of Canada, Comerica Bank and HSBC Bank Canada. GLV is changing its name to Ovivo Inc to reflect the corporation’s focus on water treatment products and technology. It will also seek approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange for new ticker designations. ‘With the sale of the Pulp & Paper Division completed we are pleased to move forward to the next chapter of the future of our corporation,’ commented Barbeau. ‘With a strong balance sheet and a dedicated management focus, Ovivo is well positioned to capitalise on the compelling opportunities available in the fast growing water treatment industry.’ Contact: Ovivo Inc, 2001 McGill College, Suite 2100, Montréal, Québec H3A 1G1, Canada. Tel: +1 514 284 2224, http://ovivowater.com, www.glv.com
Aquaporin forms joint venture in China
D
anish high-tech water technology company Aquaporin A/s has signed binding agreements to form a water treatment joint venture in China with partners Heilongjiang Interchina Water Treatment Co Ltd and Poten Environment Group Co Ltd. Also involved is a major equity investment in Aquaporin by the firms, resulting in a 20.1% ownership stake. The joint venture will have total equity of US$10 million. Poten Environment, a privately owned environmental protection company, is investing US$4.5 million, whilst Heilongjiang Interchina’s investment totals US$2 million, and
Aquaporin’s, the remaining US$3.5 million – resulting in 45%, 20% and 35% ownership of the joint-venture company, respectively. Interchina and Poten are jointly investing US$19.5 million in a 20.1% stake in Aquaporin of which US$10.75 million will be used to purchase the new shares to be issued by the Danish firm, and the remaining US$8.75 million to buy a stake in the company from its majority shareholder, M. Goldschmidt Capital A/s. The business objectives of this joint-venture company are to develop, commercialise and promote biomimetic membrane technologies, and commercialise, manufacture and sell water Continued on page 16...
Contents News GLV sells its Pulp & Paper Division and changes its name to Ovivo Inc
1
Aquaporin forms joint venture in China 1 & 16 Hyflux officially opens largest desalination plant in Algeria
2
MEMDES 2015 scheduled for July
2
“Brine Squeezer” concentrates brine from conventional RO plants
2
Hager + Elsässer’s order income exceeds expectations
3
Russian refinery selects GE’s MBR with MACarrier technology
4
Workshop covers recent advances in nanotechnology for water treatment
4
SiC membranes remove heavy metals from Danish power-plant wastewater
4
Degrémont selected for two desalination projects in the Middle East
5
Multi-barrier system opens up increased options for water reuse
6
Process reduces salt content in fish meal without losing protein
6
Sponge-like structure converts solar energy into steam
6
UEL establishes joint venture to provide EPC services using its membrane technology
16
Features Capturing greenhouse gases using advanced membranes
7
Membrane technology plays key role in waterless hygienic toilet
8
NTU spin-off achieves breakthrough with innovative multifunction membrane
9
Regulars In Brief
3&5
Research Trends
10
Patents
12
Events Calendar
16
ISSN 0958-2118/14 © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved This journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Photocopying Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use.
CALENDAR/NEWS
EVENTS CALENDAR 11–14 January 2015 3rd Water Research Conference Shenzhen, China Contact: Nigel Clear, Elsevier Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK Tel: +44 1865 843337 Email: [email protected] www.waterresearchconference.com
20–21 January 2015 5th Dissemination Workshop of the Nano4water Cluster Barcelona, Spain Contact: Dr Mirko Faccini, Centro Tecnológico Leitat, C/ de la Innovació 2, 08225 Terrassa (Barcelona), Spain Tel: +34 93 788 23 00, Fax: +34 789 19 06 Email: [email protected] http://leitat.org https://nano4water.vito.be/workshops/ Documents/leaflet-nano4water.pdf
22–23 January 2015 TSDWR-2015 – Trombay Symposium on Desalination and Water Reuse Mumbai, India Contact: P.K. Tewari, Chairman, Organising Committee (TSDWR-2015), Indian Desalination Association, Directory of Individuals,
...Continued from front page treatment and desalination systems and other products that use these membranes, in the Chinese market place. Zhu Yongjun, Chairman, Interchina, says that his company has been following Aquaporin closely over the last few years, and this JV will build on its and Poten’s expertise in water treatment and environmentally sustainable technologies, and its proximity to the market along with Aquaporin’s world leading technology. According to Søren Bjørn Hansen, Chairman, Aquaporin, and COO and partner in M. Goldschmidt Capital, Aquaporin has been looking into viable models of expanding to the vast Chinese market. He says it has found the best possible set-up with the strategic alliance with
Institutions & Industries, Desalination Division, BARC, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085, India Tel: +91 22 2559 4619, Fax: +91 22 2550 5151 Email: [email protected], www.indaindia.org
29–31 January 2015 3W Expo 2015 Bangkok, Thailand Contact: TechnoBiz Communications Co Ltd, 2521/27 Lardprao Road, Khlongchaokhunsingha, Wangthonglang, Bangkok 10310, Thailand Tel: +66 2 933 0077, Fax: +66 2 955 9971 Email: [email protected] www.3W-Expo.com
Contacts: Suzanne Abetz (conference) or Jens Chittka (exhibition), Filtech Exhibitions Germany GmbH & Co Kg, PO Box 12 25, 40637 Meerbusch, Germany Tel: +49 2132 93 57 60, Fax: +49 2132 93 57 62 Email: [email protected], Email: [email protected] www.filtech.de
2–5 March 2015 AWWA/AMTA 2015 Membrane Technology Conference and Exposition
1–3 February 2015
Orlando, Florida, USA Contact: American Water Works Association, 6666 W. Quincy Avenue, Denver, CO 80235 USA Tel: +1 303 794 7711, Fax: +1 303 347 0804 www.awwa.org/amta/membrane2015
2015 Industrial and Commercial Water Reuse Conference
26–28 May 2015
Austin, Texas, USA Contact: WateReuse Association, 1199 North Fairfax Street, Suite 410, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA Tel: +1 703 548 0880, Fax: +1 703 548 5085 www.watereuse.org/industrial-commercial-2015/register
24–26 February 2015 FILTECH 2015 Cologne, Germany
Interchina and Poten. Aquaporin has further strengthened its collaboration and the global potential of its cutting edge technology by sharing ownership with its Chinese partners. To Aquaporin this new collaboration is a major milestone, says Peter Holme Jensen, the firm’s CEO. He commented: ‘The Chinese water market is ready for new technologies. Interchina and Poten immediately recognised our technology and its exceptional growth potential, and this new alliance enables all parties to build on each other’s strength in bringing complete systems to the vast Chinese market.’ Yun Shi, Business Developer, Aquaporin, added: ‘This tripartite cooperation with Interchina and Poten Environment is a perfect combination of capital, technology and market
2015 IWA Alternative Water Resources Conference Nanjing, China Contact: Dr Tao Li, Director, International Water Association, China Regional Office, Room 421, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China 100085 Tel: +86 10 62849589, Fax: +86 13810031231 Email: [email protected], www.iwa-awr.org
power. It has laid a solid foundation for the commercial success of Aquaporin Inside technology.’ Contacts: Aquaporin A/s, Ole Maaløes Vej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark. Tel: +45 82 30 3082, www.aquaporin.dk Heilongjiang Interchina Watertreatment Co Ltd, 10F InterChina Business Building, 33 Dengshikou Avenue, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006, China. Tel: +86 10 5169 5607, www.interchinawater.com Poten Environment Group Co Ltd, North Xizhimen Street, Shougang International Building, 12A Layer, Haidian District, 100082 China. Tel: + 86 10 8229 3399, www.potenglobal.com
UEL establishes joint venture to provide EPC services using its membrane technology
T
he board of directors of United Envirotech Ltd (UEL), which specialises in membrane-based water and wastewater treatment and reclamation, has signed a framework agreement with Chengdu Xingrong Investment Co Ltd (XRTZ) to set up a 49% : 51% joint-venture company with paid up capital of RMB50 million (SG$10 million) in Sichuan, China. XRTZ is a prominent water company in China which owns water treatment concessions totalling around 5 million m3/day. The newly formed joint venture will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services using UEL’s membrane technol16
Membrane Technology
ogy and membrane products, and undertake investments in water treatment projects in western China. The first block of projects to be undertaken by the company involve expanding and upgrading wastewater treatment plants and recycling treated wastewater with a combined capacity of 1 million m3/day using UEL’s proprietary membrane bioreactor and continuous membrane filtration technology. The total value of these projects is estimated to exceed RMB1.5 billion (SG$300 million). ‘Xingrong Group is one of the largest water players in China. We are honoured to form this strategic partnership with it. Combining our membrane technology and its strong regional
presence, I believe we can transform the water treatment landscape in the region,’ commented Dr Lin Yucheng, Chairman and CEO, UEL. ‘The growing market share of membrane technology for upgrades, expansion and recycling is great news for our Memstar membrane products. The value of these products to be used for this first block of projects alone is estimated to be RMB300 million (SG$60 million).’ Already under way, the initial projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2015. Contact: United Envirotech Ltd, 10 Science Park Road 01–01, The Alpha Singapore 117684. Tel: +65 6774 7298, www.unitedenvirotech.com
December 2014