- Email: [email protected]
Desalitech's water purification system revives brackish aquifer
NEWS/IN BRIEF Contacts: Abengoa Sa, Campus Palmas Altas, C/Energ, Seville, 41014 Spain. Tel: +34 954 93 7111, www.abengoa.es GreenTech Water Engineering Co Ltd, 2F, Reward Building C, Wangjing, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100102, China. Tel: +86 10 6439 9965, www.greentech.com.cn
Desalitech’s water purification system revives brackish aquifer
A
s farmers in California, USA, face zero water allocations following one of the driest periods on record, one farm is partnering with Desalitech Ltd, a supplier of high-efficiency watertreatment systems, to irrigate farmland using water from a brackish aquifer in the San Joaquin Valley. This aquifer is one of California’s largest, but because of increasing salinity levels after decades of pumping and drought, it has been rendered unusable for many kinds of agriculture. Fabbri Ag Services – a multi-generational agricultural operating company with experience growing more than 30 commercial crops in California’s San Joaquin Valley – is using a Desalitech ReFlex reverse osmosis (RO) system, featuring Closed Circuit Desalination (CCD) technology, to provide affordable irrigation water and minimise waste generation and energy consumption. By using a dormant brackish aquifer the company is making efficient use of local water resources without burdening the state’s already strained reservoir system. The installed RO system provides Fabbri with 300 gallons per minute of irrigation water to supply about 40 acres of land at a farm near Bakersfield. The water it produces is highly pure so that it can be used to support high-value crops such as almonds and grapes. ‘Water is essential for agriculture. Desalitech is providing a lifeline that will help us sustain crops when drought conditions persist and water deliveries are halted. Desalitech’s technology is uniquely capable of purifying water with variable composition, making it possible for us to use this abundant, but poor water source,’ explained Jeff Fabbri, CEO, Fabbri Ag Services. ‘We are able to maximise water-use efficiency and consume less energy than with any other system we have seen. Desalting the aquifer represents a sustainability plan that will let us diversify our water sources in years when supply is low.’ Conventional RO is unmanageable for most
July 2014
inland applications because of the high costs of energy consumption and disposal of residuals from the process, says Desalitech. According to the firm, the ReFlex system reduces the costs of RO treatment by efficiently managing the concentration of salts, thereby maximising water utilisation, and cutting energy consumption. This changes the economics of inland desalination, making it possible for Fabbri Ag Services to affordably supplement irrigation supplies at its locations. ‘Water is one of the most valuable and scarce assets California farmers have, and there has rarely been a shortage as severe as the one the state is experiencing now,’ said Nadav Efraty, CEO, Desalitech. ‘Agricultural water supply is an economic issue that affects more than just California farmers. It affects food prices and availability for consumers across the country. That is why we are proud that Desalitech’s advanced water technologies address both economics and the environmental impact, providing a reliable, flexible water resource that can help sustain farms through severe drought.’ Desalitech says the ReFlex system has three distinct advantages that make inland RO desalination not only possible, but attractive:
UÊ } ÊÜ>ÌiÀÊÕÃiÊivvViVÞ\Ê>LLÀÊ}Ê Services’ installation operates at a recovery rate of at least 87%, and has already been demonstrated at 94%. This results in up to a fourfold reduction in concentrate volume compared with conventional RO systems that typically top out at 75% recovery. UÊ } ÊÀi>LÌÞ\Ê À>VÃ Ê}ÀÕ`Ü>ÌiÀÊÃÊ notorious for changing composition and temperature on a seasonal or sometimes daily basis. Desalitech’s system automatically adapts to feed-water variations, producing consistent product water quality with reduced operating costs. UÊ ÜÊiiÀ}ÞÊVÃÕ«Ì\Ê/ iÊ,iiÝÊÃÞÃtem delivers superior performance whilst consuming 35% less energy than conventional RO systems that would require multiple stages to achieve similar recovery rates. Compared with thermal or solar desalination systems, energy requirements can be divided by a factor of 20. Contacts: Desalitech Ltd, One Gateway Center, Suite 250, Newton, MA 02458, USA. Tel: +1 617 564 1647, www.desalitech.com Fabbri Ag Services Llc, 4200 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 101, Bakersfield, CA 93309, USA. Tel: +1 661 587 5198, http://fabbriagservices.com
In Brief Hangzhou Water Treatment’s project receives good review In China, the Hangzhou Development Center of Water Treatment Technology Co Ltd, which is affiliated with China National BlueStar (Group) Co Ltd, recently received praise from its client for its involvement in a thermoelectric project in Zhangjiakou that was finished on time and passed an acceptance check. The project mainly treats water from the Yangtze River and involves five sets of reverse osmosis (RO) devices, with a total water production capacity of 1000 m3/h. The water centre was responsible for supplying, installing and “debugging” the equipment, the pipeline from the anti-sludging agent feeding unit to the RO unit, and the cleaning pipeline and feeding system. Oasys Water named ‘2014 Water Technology Company of the Year’ Oasys Water Inc, a water treatment and desalination technology company that specialises in forward osmosis (FO) systems, has announced that it has been named the ‘2014 Water Technology Company of the Year’ by Global Water Intelligence, a leading publisher and provider of water industry news and information. Oasys says this award recognises significant contributions to the field of water technology, underscoring its unique, powerful and innovative FO technology. The firm’s technology is used to treat challenging industrial wastewater, such as waste from power plants and produced water from exploration and production activities. BASF and top Asian universities establish joint research network BASF Se of Ludwigshafen, Germany, has established the research initiative ‘Network for Advanced Materials Open Research’ (NAO) together with seven leading universities and research institutes in China, Japan and South Korea. The scientists aim to cooperate in developing new materials for a wide range of applications. The initial focus is on products for the automotive, construction, detergent and cleaners industries as well as the water and wind-energy sectors. ‘The initiative is a further important step in BASF’s strategy to expand global research activities,’ said Dr Christian Fischer, President Advanced Materials and Systems Research, BASF. The company plans to conduct 50% of its research activities by 2020 outside of Europe – one quarter in Asia Pacific. BASF has also launched similar initiatives around the world – the ‘Joint Research Network on Advanced Materials and Systems’ (JONAS) in Europe, and the ‘North America Center for Research on Advanced Materials’ (NORA).
Membrane Technology
5
Desalitech’s water purification system revives brackish aquifer
A
s farmers in California, USA, face zero water allocations following one of the driest periods on record, one farm is partnering with Desalitech Ltd, a supplier of high-efficiency watertreatment systems, to irrigate farmland using water from a brackish aquifer in the San Joaquin Valley. This aquifer is one of California’s largest, but because of increasing salinity levels after decades of pumping and drought, it has been rendered unusable for many kinds of agriculture. Fabbri Ag Services – a multi-generational agricultural operating company with experience growing more than 30 commercial crops in California’s San Joaquin Valley – is using a Desalitech ReFlex reverse osmosis (RO) system, featuring Closed Circuit Desalination (CCD) technology, to provide affordable irrigation water and minimise waste generation and energy consumption. By using a dormant brackish aquifer the company is making efficient use of local water resources without burdening the state’s already strained reservoir system. The installed RO system provides Fabbri with 300 gallons per minute of irrigation water to supply about 40 acres of land at a farm near Bakersfield. The water it produces is highly pure so that it can be used to support high-value crops such as almonds and grapes. ‘Water is essential for agriculture. Desalitech is providing a lifeline that will help us sustain crops when drought conditions persist and water deliveries are halted. Desalitech’s technology is uniquely capable of purifying water with variable composition, making it possible for us to use this abundant, but poor water source,’ explained Jeff Fabbri, CEO, Fabbri Ag Services. ‘We are able to maximise water-use efficiency and consume less energy than with any other system we have seen. Desalting the aquifer represents a sustainability plan that will let us diversify our water sources in years when supply is low.’ Conventional RO is unmanageable for most
July 2014
inland applications because of the high costs of energy consumption and disposal of residuals from the process, says Desalitech. According to the firm, the ReFlex system reduces the costs of RO treatment by efficiently managing the concentration of salts, thereby maximising water utilisation, and cutting energy consumption. This changes the economics of inland desalination, making it possible for Fabbri Ag Services to affordably supplement irrigation supplies at its locations. ‘Water is one of the most valuable and scarce assets California farmers have, and there has rarely been a shortage as severe as the one the state is experiencing now,’ said Nadav Efraty, CEO, Desalitech. ‘Agricultural water supply is an economic issue that affects more than just California farmers. It affects food prices and availability for consumers across the country. That is why we are proud that Desalitech’s advanced water technologies address both economics and the environmental impact, providing a reliable, flexible water resource that can help sustain farms through severe drought.’ Desalitech says the ReFlex system has three distinct advantages that make inland RO desalination not only possible, but attractive:
UÊ } ÊÜ>ÌiÀÊÕÃiÊivvViVÞ\Ê>LLÀÊ}Ê Services’ installation operates at a recovery rate of at least 87%, and has already been demonstrated at 94%. This results in up to a fourfold reduction in concentrate volume compared with conventional RO systems that typically top out at 75% recovery. UÊ } ÊÀi>LÌÞ\Ê À>VÃ Ê}ÀÕ`Ü>ÌiÀÊÃÊ notorious for changing composition and temperature on a seasonal or sometimes daily basis. Desalitech’s system automatically adapts to feed-water variations, producing consistent product water quality with reduced operating costs. UÊ ÜÊiiÀ}ÞÊVÃÕ«Ì\Ê/ iÊ,iiÝÊÃÞÃtem delivers superior performance whilst consuming 35% less energy than conventional RO systems that would require multiple stages to achieve similar recovery rates. Compared with thermal or solar desalination systems, energy requirements can be divided by a factor of 20. Contacts: Desalitech Ltd, One Gateway Center, Suite 250, Newton, MA 02458, USA. Tel: +1 617 564 1647, www.desalitech.com Fabbri Ag Services Llc, 4200 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 101, Bakersfield, CA 93309, USA. Tel: +1 661 587 5198, http://fabbriagservices.com
In Brief Hangzhou Water Treatment’s project receives good review In China, the Hangzhou Development Center of Water Treatment Technology Co Ltd, which is affiliated with China National BlueStar (Group) Co Ltd, recently received praise from its client for its involvement in a thermoelectric project in Zhangjiakou that was finished on time and passed an acceptance check. The project mainly treats water from the Yangtze River and involves five sets of reverse osmosis (RO) devices, with a total water production capacity of 1000 m3/h. The water centre was responsible for supplying, installing and “debugging” the equipment, the pipeline from the anti-sludging agent feeding unit to the RO unit, and the cleaning pipeline and feeding system. Oasys Water named ‘2014 Water Technology Company of the Year’ Oasys Water Inc, a water treatment and desalination technology company that specialises in forward osmosis (FO) systems, has announced that it has been named the ‘2014 Water Technology Company of the Year’ by Global Water Intelligence, a leading publisher and provider of water industry news and information. Oasys says this award recognises significant contributions to the field of water technology, underscoring its unique, powerful and innovative FO technology. The firm’s technology is used to treat challenging industrial wastewater, such as waste from power plants and produced water from exploration and production activities. BASF and top Asian universities establish joint research network BASF Se of Ludwigshafen, Germany, has established the research initiative ‘Network for Advanced Materials Open Research’ (NAO) together with seven leading universities and research institutes in China, Japan and South Korea. The scientists aim to cooperate in developing new materials for a wide range of applications. The initial focus is on products for the automotive, construction, detergent and cleaners industries as well as the water and wind-energy sectors. ‘The initiative is a further important step in BASF’s strategy to expand global research activities,’ said Dr Christian Fischer, President Advanced Materials and Systems Research, BASF. The company plans to conduct 50% of its research activities by 2020 outside of Europe – one quarter in Asia Pacific. BASF has also launched similar initiatives around the world – the ‘Joint Research Network on Advanced Materials and Systems’ (JONAS) in Europe, and the ‘North America Center for Research on Advanced Materials’ (NORA).
Membrane Technology
5