- Email: [email protected]
Elga RO technology helps UK dairy reduce water use
NEWS flexibility in arranging workspace for optimal efficiency and workflow. A soft-touch keypad featuring simple on/ off and pulse functions makes the system easy to operate, with no complicated programming required for validation. Operating parameters are pre-set and fixed to meet the published requirements for the MF Technique as described in US EPA, ISO and ASTM methods, thereby eliminating the need for extensive validation procedures. The Sentino Pump simplifies maintenance and contamination control in two ways – through peristaltic action and the use of a disposable fluid path. The peristaltic design ensures that fluid flows in one direction without the possibility of back-up, minimising the potential for contamination of the sample. The disposable fluid path is easy to load and can be replaced before bio-film build-up becomes a contamination hazard and causes a false positive. ‘Pall’s new Sentino Microbiology Pump is designed to improve the overall efficiency of microbiology laboratories utilising the Membrane Filtration Technique. It reduces preparation time, simplifies testing, minimises equipment maintenance, frees up laboratory space, and provides a level of contamination control often overlooked within the laboratory,’ commented Larry O’Connell, Senior Vice President, Pall Global Lab Products. Contact: Pall Corp, 25 Harbor Park Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com
ItN Nanovation finalises contract covering joint venture in Saudi Arabia
G
ermany’s ItN Nanovation Ag, a portfolio company of Nanostart Ag, has finalised the binding contracts on a joint venture in Saudi Arabia that was preliminarily agreed during the fourth quarter of 2010 (Membrane Technology December 2010, page 1). Saudi partner Juffali and the consortium of German industrial investors have now signed the contracts and the management and supervisory boards of ItN Nanovation have approved the signature. The company says that following intensive negotiations it has now achieved a key milestone in expanding, internationally, the availability of its CFM Systems product based on nano-ceramic flat filter membrane technology. The pre-contractual financial framework that was announced by ItN Nanovation in an ad hoc 6
Membrane Technology
disclosure has been implemented in full. It will initially hold a 17.5% stake in the joint venture with the Saudi investor Juffali, Jeddah, and the consortium of German investors. An option to increase this stake to 40% has also been contractually agreed and may be exercised until 2015. The next phase in the formation of the joint venture involves obtaining the necessary business licence from the Saudi authorities in order to formalise the business. Based on the preliminary discussions conducted to date, it may be possible to achieve this before the end of 2011. In accordance with the terms of the contract, ItN Nanovation will receive an amount of US$2.35 million in advance for the limited contribution of production expertise. Around two-thirds of this amount will be used by ItN Nanovation to acquire its stake in the joint venture. The total amount is expected to be recognised as other operating income by the company after the business licence for the joint venture in Saudi Arabia is granted. In addition to this one-off payment, ItN Nanovation will receive revenue-based royalties, while its shareholding means that it will also participate proportionally in the earnings and value development of the joint venture. The joint venture, which will trade under the name Saudi Water Nanovation Llc, will distribute CFM systems and corresponding accessories for ceramic flat membrane technology in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and produce these locally at its own facilities in Saudi Arabia. In particular, the joint venture’s products will be used in pre-filtration for reverse osmosis for the treatment of drinking water. The plan is for the joint venture to establish its own production facilities, which will in their final construction phase (scheduled for 2014) offer three times the capacity currently available to ItN Nanovation. The joint venture will be able to start production in 2013. The local presence of the joint venture, including production in Saudi Arabia, will significantly improve market access for ItN Nanovation, thereby enabling it to better address a region that is one of the core markets for the treatment of drinking water using ceramic flat membranes. According to ItN Nanovation, this joint venture also marks another milestone in that it enables CFM systems to be mass produced, and represents a further proof of concept of the performance and industrial application of the firm’s technology in cooperation with external international partners. Contacts: ItN Nanovation Ag, Untertürkheimer Strasse 25, 66117 Saarbrücken, Germany. Tel: +49 681 50 01460, www.itn-nanovation.com
Nanostart Ag, Goethestrasse 26–28, 60313 Frankfurt, Germany. Tel: +49 69 21 93 9600, www.nanostart.de
Elga RO technology helps UK dairy reduce water use
I
n the UK, Elga Process Water, a Veolia Water & Solutions company, is helping milk supplier and distributor Robert Wiseman Dairies Plc to meet its target of reducing water use across its network of dairies by 25% by 2015. Robert Wiseman supplies 30% of all the milk consumed in the UK, and its Bridgwater dairy can process 1.25 million litres of milk every day. This facility also produces about 400 m3 of process wastewater a day. This is treated and, until recently, it was discharged to the local rhyne (or drainage ditch). Now, 200 m3 of this process wastewater is recovered each day by reverse osmosis (RO) and recycled for use in the dairy. Elga Process Water’s MegaRO technology uses a membrane to remove 99% of residual COD, dissolved salts and bacteria from the treated wastewater – producing water of quality at least equal to that of the mains supply. According to the company, the RO system’s low-pressure membranes and high-efficiency pumps make it one of the most energy efficient plants on the market, and low energy use means not only reduced carbon emissions, but also low operating costs. Although the main driver for the project was Robert Wiseman Dairies’ commitment to reducing its water footprint, there is a major economic spin-off. Project manager Eleanor Walton explained: ‘Because the operating cost of the MegaRO is low, the recovered water actually costs less than mains water, even after including capital amortisation. We expect to get a payback on the £130 000 investment in about two and half years.’ Although the plant has been in operation for only 10 months, Walton has enough confidence to be talking to Elga Process Water about a second plant to recover a further 80 m of wastewater a day. Contact: Elga Process Water, Marlow International, Park Way, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 1YL, UK. Tel: +44 1628 89 7000, www.elgaprocesswater.com
December 2011
ItN Nanovation finalises contract covering joint venture in Saudi Arabia
G
ermany’s ItN Nanovation Ag, a portfolio company of Nanostart Ag, has finalised the binding contracts on a joint venture in Saudi Arabia that was preliminarily agreed during the fourth quarter of 2010 (Membrane Technology December 2010, page 1). Saudi partner Juffali and the consortium of German industrial investors have now signed the contracts and the management and supervisory boards of ItN Nanovation have approved the signature. The company says that following intensive negotiations it has now achieved a key milestone in expanding, internationally, the availability of its CFM Systems product based on nano-ceramic flat filter membrane technology. The pre-contractual financial framework that was announced by ItN Nanovation in an ad hoc 6
Membrane Technology
disclosure has been implemented in full. It will initially hold a 17.5% stake in the joint venture with the Saudi investor Juffali, Jeddah, and the consortium of German investors. An option to increase this stake to 40% has also been contractually agreed and may be exercised until 2015. The next phase in the formation of the joint venture involves obtaining the necessary business licence from the Saudi authorities in order to formalise the business. Based on the preliminary discussions conducted to date, it may be possible to achieve this before the end of 2011. In accordance with the terms of the contract, ItN Nanovation will receive an amount of US$2.35 million in advance for the limited contribution of production expertise. Around two-thirds of this amount will be used by ItN Nanovation to acquire its stake in the joint venture. The total amount is expected to be recognised as other operating income by the company after the business licence for the joint venture in Saudi Arabia is granted. In addition to this one-off payment, ItN Nanovation will receive revenue-based royalties, while its shareholding means that it will also participate proportionally in the earnings and value development of the joint venture. The joint venture, which will trade under the name Saudi Water Nanovation Llc, will distribute CFM systems and corresponding accessories for ceramic flat membrane technology in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and produce these locally at its own facilities in Saudi Arabia. In particular, the joint venture’s products will be used in pre-filtration for reverse osmosis for the treatment of drinking water. The plan is for the joint venture to establish its own production facilities, which will in their final construction phase (scheduled for 2014) offer three times the capacity currently available to ItN Nanovation. The joint venture will be able to start production in 2013. The local presence of the joint venture, including production in Saudi Arabia, will significantly improve market access for ItN Nanovation, thereby enabling it to better address a region that is one of the core markets for the treatment of drinking water using ceramic flat membranes. According to ItN Nanovation, this joint venture also marks another milestone in that it enables CFM systems to be mass produced, and represents a further proof of concept of the performance and industrial application of the firm’s technology in cooperation with external international partners. Contacts: ItN Nanovation Ag, Untertürkheimer Strasse 25, 66117 Saarbrücken, Germany. Tel: +49 681 50 01460, www.itn-nanovation.com
Nanostart Ag, Goethestrasse 26–28, 60313 Frankfurt, Germany. Tel: +49 69 21 93 9600, www.nanostart.de
Elga RO technology helps UK dairy reduce water use
I
n the UK, Elga Process Water, a Veolia Water & Solutions company, is helping milk supplier and distributor Robert Wiseman Dairies Plc to meet its target of reducing water use across its network of dairies by 25% by 2015. Robert Wiseman supplies 30% of all the milk consumed in the UK, and its Bridgwater dairy can process 1.25 million litres of milk every day. This facility also produces about 400 m3 of process wastewater a day. This is treated and, until recently, it was discharged to the local rhyne (or drainage ditch). Now, 200 m3 of this process wastewater is recovered each day by reverse osmosis (RO) and recycled for use in the dairy. Elga Process Water’s MegaRO technology uses a membrane to remove 99% of residual COD, dissolved salts and bacteria from the treated wastewater – producing water of quality at least equal to that of the mains supply. According to the company, the RO system’s low-pressure membranes and high-efficiency pumps make it one of the most energy efficient plants on the market, and low energy use means not only reduced carbon emissions, but also low operating costs. Although the main driver for the project was Robert Wiseman Dairies’ commitment to reducing its water footprint, there is a major economic spin-off. Project manager Eleanor Walton explained: ‘Because the operating cost of the MegaRO is low, the recovered water actually costs less than mains water, even after including capital amortisation. We expect to get a payback on the £130 000 investment in about two and half years.’ Although the plant has been in operation for only 10 months, Walton has enough confidence to be talking to Elga Process Water about a second plant to recover a further 80 m of wastewater a day. Contact: Elga Process Water, Marlow International, Park Way, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 1YL, UK. Tel: +44 1628 89 7000, www.elgaprocesswater.com
December 2011