- Email: [email protected]
Basin Water is granted two patents
NEWS organic membranes. Membranes produced by this technology are being introduced at a number of ethanol refining plants, mainly in the US and Europe, driven by the rapid increase in the demand for bioethanol as an additive for petrol. The expansion is set to meet this growing demand. In addition to its existing hydrogen separation, dehumidification and oxygen-enrichment membranes, Ube Industries says that it will continue to expand its business, primarily for nitrogen and alcohol separation membranes. Contact: Ube Industries Ltd, Corporate Planning & Administration Office, Seavance North Building, 1-2-1 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8449, Japan. Tel: +81 3 5419 6110, www.ube-ind.co.jp
Basin Water is granted two patents Basin Water Inc of Rancho Cucamonga, California has been granted two patents covering its core business of treating contaminated drinking water supplies. The first patent – US 7041223, issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office – concerns the removal of perchlorate from drinking water using what is described as a highly efficient ion exchange process. This patent covers 25 claims that range from equipment design to process flow. Basin Water uses this technology in several of its systems that are currently in operation. Nitrate contamination frequently occurs in conjunction with perchlorate contamination, and this technology has the advantage of being able to remove both perchlorate and nitrate simultaneously with minimal adjustment, says the company. Peter Jensen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Basin Water, says: ‘Nitrate and perchlorate contamination is a serious problem in several areas of the US. The water quality of our groundwater is degrading at an alarming rate, threatening the reliability of our drinking water supplies. We
Membrane Technology November 2006
expect this new patent to protect the value of our technology as demand for our services and systems increases.’ The second patent – EP 1567455, granted by the European Patent Office – is entitled ‘Biodegradation of oxyanions such as perchlorate in ion exchange resins’. It covers 35 claims relating to the regeneration of spent ion-exchange resins using a technique developed by scientists working at the company. Most perchlorate removal systems employ single-use ionexchange resins. In these systems, once the resin is loaded with perchlorate, it can no longer be used, requires special handling for disposal, and is then replaced with new resin. Basin Water says that its technology causes biological degradation of the perchlorate contained in the resins, allowing the treated resins to be reused again and again with no loss of capacity. The use of this technology should result in a significant reduction in disposal and resin costs. Jensen comments: ‘The patent granted is broad, allowing for many potential applications in drinking water, industrial and wastewater treatment. Basin Water is now implementing this technology on a commercial scale, and expects it to have both domestic and worldwide applications.’ Contact: Basin Water Inc, 8731 Prestige Court, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730, USA. Tel: +1 909 481 6800, www.basinwater.com
Book covers biological wastewater treatment Research and Markets Ltd of Dublin, Ireland has published a concise introduction to the fundamentals of biological treatment of wastewater that describes how to model and integrate biological steps into industrial processes. The book, entitled ‘Biological Wa s t e w a t e r Tr e a t m e n t : Fundamentals, Microbiology,
Industrial Process Integration’, first covers the chemical, physical and biological basics, including wastewater characteristics, microbial metabolism, determining stoichiometric equations for catabolism and anabolism, measurements of mass-transfer and respiration rates, and the aerobic treatment of wastewater loaded with dissolved organics. It then deals with applications and technologies such as nitrogen and phosphorus removal, membrane technology, the assessment and selection of aeration systems, simple models for bio-film reactors, and the modeling of activated sludge processes. The final section of the publication explains how water processing and wastewater treatment can be integrated into the production process. The publisher says that the book is essential reading for chemists, engineers, microbiologists, environmental officers, agencies and consultants, in both academia and industry. Contact: Research and Markets Ltd, Guinness Centre, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8, Ireland. Fax: +353 1 4100 980, www.researchandmarkets.com
Humidifier meets semiconductor process requirements US-based steam purification company RASIRC has introduced the RainMaker Humidifier, a device that controls the transfer and purification of pure water or ammonia hydroxide directly into a carrier gas stream. By using RainMaker, controlled and purified vapor can be delivered into most carrier gases, including hydrogen, at flow rates as low as 18 µg per minute or as high as 1 kg per minute, depending on the model, carrier gas and delivery pressure. The temperature of the gas and the liquid source, the system pressure and gas flow-rate are tightly controlled for precise delivery of a purified carrier gas for use in the semiconductor industry.
In Brief Donaldson Membranes launches info center Donaldson Membranes has launched an on-line self-help facility for its customers. The Membranes Info Center is targeted at buyers – both OEMs and end-users. The ‘extranet’ is available via a password which customers can use to access a web-based application linked to Donaldson Membranes’ main website. The company says that it is designed to improve the delivery of information to its employees, agents, partners and other channel members. For more information on the Donaldson Membranes Info Center, contact: Tel: +44 1942 711711, Email: [email protected], www. donaldson.com
Contracts aid Veolia’s growth in Asia Veolia Water reports that it has recently signed several contracts in Asia, highlighting the continuous growth of all its municipal and industrial activities in the region. In China, Veolia Water has won a contract to manage water services for the city of Liuzhou, the secondlargest city in Guangxi province, with a population of about 1 million. The company has also been awarded contracts to manage two wastewater treatment plants in Japan – one in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, and the other in Hiroshima. And in the wake of a major contract signed at the beginning of the year with Sinopec for its Yanshan site in Beijing, China, Veolia Water has gained further contracts in the region to operate industrial water treatment infrastructure, notably with the Kumho Group in South Korea and Showa Denko in Singapore. Evaluation forms issued for Biosor technology In Canada, H2O Innovation (2000) Inc has announced that two new technical evaluation forms have been issued for Biosor technology by the Ministère du Développement Durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. The wastewater treatment technology has been developed during the past 15 years by the Centre de Recherche Industrielle du Québec, and marketed by H2O Innovation since July 2005.
5
Basin Water is granted two patents Basin Water Inc of Rancho Cucamonga, California has been granted two patents covering its core business of treating contaminated drinking water supplies. The first patent – US 7041223, issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office – concerns the removal of perchlorate from drinking water using what is described as a highly efficient ion exchange process. This patent covers 25 claims that range from equipment design to process flow. Basin Water uses this technology in several of its systems that are currently in operation. Nitrate contamination frequently occurs in conjunction with perchlorate contamination, and this technology has the advantage of being able to remove both perchlorate and nitrate simultaneously with minimal adjustment, says the company. Peter Jensen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Basin Water, says: ‘Nitrate and perchlorate contamination is a serious problem in several areas of the US. The water quality of our groundwater is degrading at an alarming rate, threatening the reliability of our drinking water supplies. We
Membrane Technology November 2006
expect this new patent to protect the value of our technology as demand for our services and systems increases.’ The second patent – EP 1567455, granted by the European Patent Office – is entitled ‘Biodegradation of oxyanions such as perchlorate in ion exchange resins’. It covers 35 claims relating to the regeneration of spent ion-exchange resins using a technique developed by scientists working at the company. Most perchlorate removal systems employ single-use ionexchange resins. In these systems, once the resin is loaded with perchlorate, it can no longer be used, requires special handling for disposal, and is then replaced with new resin. Basin Water says that its technology causes biological degradation of the perchlorate contained in the resins, allowing the treated resins to be reused again and again with no loss of capacity. The use of this technology should result in a significant reduction in disposal and resin costs. Jensen comments: ‘The patent granted is broad, allowing for many potential applications in drinking water, industrial and wastewater treatment. Basin Water is now implementing this technology on a commercial scale, and expects it to have both domestic and worldwide applications.’ Contact: Basin Water Inc, 8731 Prestige Court, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730, USA. Tel: +1 909 481 6800, www.basinwater.com
Book covers biological wastewater treatment Research and Markets Ltd of Dublin, Ireland has published a concise introduction to the fundamentals of biological treatment of wastewater that describes how to model and integrate biological steps into industrial processes. The book, entitled ‘Biological Wa s t e w a t e r Tr e a t m e n t : Fundamentals, Microbiology,
Industrial Process Integration’, first covers the chemical, physical and biological basics, including wastewater characteristics, microbial metabolism, determining stoichiometric equations for catabolism and anabolism, measurements of mass-transfer and respiration rates, and the aerobic treatment of wastewater loaded with dissolved organics. It then deals with applications and technologies such as nitrogen and phosphorus removal, membrane technology, the assessment and selection of aeration systems, simple models for bio-film reactors, and the modeling of activated sludge processes. The final section of the publication explains how water processing and wastewater treatment can be integrated into the production process. The publisher says that the book is essential reading for chemists, engineers, microbiologists, environmental officers, agencies and consultants, in both academia and industry. Contact: Research and Markets Ltd, Guinness Centre, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8, Ireland. Fax: +353 1 4100 980, www.researchandmarkets.com
Humidifier meets semiconductor process requirements US-based steam purification company RASIRC has introduced the RainMaker Humidifier, a device that controls the transfer and purification of pure water or ammonia hydroxide directly into a carrier gas stream. By using RainMaker, controlled and purified vapor can be delivered into most carrier gases, including hydrogen, at flow rates as low as 18 µg per minute or as high as 1 kg per minute, depending on the model, carrier gas and delivery pressure. The temperature of the gas and the liquid source, the system pressure and gas flow-rate are tightly controlled for precise delivery of a purified carrier gas for use in the semiconductor industry.
In Brief Donaldson Membranes launches info center Donaldson Membranes has launched an on-line self-help facility for its customers. The Membranes Info Center is targeted at buyers – both OEMs and end-users. The ‘extranet’ is available via a password which customers can use to access a web-based application linked to Donaldson Membranes’ main website. The company says that it is designed to improve the delivery of information to its employees, agents, partners and other channel members. For more information on the Donaldson Membranes Info Center, contact: Tel: +44 1942 711711, Email: [email protected], www. donaldson.com
Contracts aid Veolia’s growth in Asia Veolia Water reports that it has recently signed several contracts in Asia, highlighting the continuous growth of all its municipal and industrial activities in the region. In China, Veolia Water has won a contract to manage water services for the city of Liuzhou, the secondlargest city in Guangxi province, with a population of about 1 million. The company has also been awarded contracts to manage two wastewater treatment plants in Japan – one in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, and the other in Hiroshima. And in the wake of a major contract signed at the beginning of the year with Sinopec for its Yanshan site in Beijing, China, Veolia Water has gained further contracts in the region to operate industrial water treatment infrastructure, notably with the Kumho Group in South Korea and Showa Denko in Singapore. Evaluation forms issued for Biosor technology In Canada, H2O Innovation (2000) Inc has announced that two new technical evaluation forms have been issued for Biosor technology by the Ministère du Développement Durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. The wastewater treatment technology has been developed during the past 15 years by the Centre de Recherche Industrielle du Québec, and marketed by H2O Innovation since July 2005.
5