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Georgia Tech set to use Siemens' water-treatment systems
NEWS to improve washing efficiency, and the new design reduces overall non-specific binding and reduces variability in both background and signal intensities, says Millipore. The plates allow for a higher throughput, greater assay sensitivity and detection flexibility, and validation testing showed a threefold decrease in well-to-well variability and improved signal-to-noise ratio over traditional filter plates, claims the company. Millipore has also introduced the ProSep Ultra Plus affinity chromatography media for the capture and large-scale purification of today’s higher titre therapeutic antibodies. Ultra Plus – the latest addition to the ProSep series of chromatography media – is an affinity resin based on protein A, with a high dynamic binding capacity and flow rate. Millipore says that ProSep Ultra Plus media can deliver the most cost-effective approach to protein A affinity monoclonal antibody (mAb) capture processing. In addition, its rigid base matrix makes scale-up more predictable and offers greater process flexibility. Contact: Millipore Corporation, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, www.millipore.com
Georgia Tech set to use Siemens’ watertreatment systems
I
n the USA, the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has selected Siemens Water Technologies to provide multimillion dollar wastewater and ultrapure water treatment systems for a new US$80-million nanotechnology research centre, located in Atlanta, Georgia. The wastewater treatment system will use multimedia filtration and activated carbon treatment, and a softening and chemical feed to treat acid and/or alkaline waste streams – depending on projects running at the centre. The ultrapure water treatment unit is designed to meet strict water quality specifications required by the centre’s research programmes. It will use reverse osmosis membrane filtration and deionisation, ultraviolet light sanitation, and instruments and pumps. Its skid-mounted design will greatly reduce installation time, allowing the centre to meet tight water quality specifications and handle the most challenging projects. The centre will be the most advanced nanotechnology facility in the South-East, the first of its kind in the region, and will be one of the most sophisticated in the country, says Siemens.
April 2008
Located on the Georgia Tech campus, the 14865 m2 (160 000 ft2) facility will dedicate an area of about 2787 m2 (30 000 ft2) to accommodate clean rooms that are critical to research and instruction in microelectronics and semiconductors, materials science, medicine and pharmaceuticals. Construction work on the centre is scheduled to be completed during October 2008. Contact: Siemens Water Technologies, 181 Thorn Hill Road, Warrendale, PA 15086, USA. Tel: +1 724 772 0044, www.industry.siemens.com Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. Tel: +1 404 894 2000, www.gatech.edu
Pall founder inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
T
he National Inventors Hall of Fame has inducted Dr David Pall, founder of US-based Pall Corporation, into the ranks of the world’s most important technology innovators. The posthumous induction recognised the significant contributions that Dr Pall, who passed away during 2004 at the age of 90, made to the science of fluid filtration, separation and purification. He was selected for the Hall of Fame distinction in recognition of his leukocyte reduction filter (US Patent 4925572), which he developed to help doctors treat aplastic anemia, a rare, acquired disorder that would eventually take his wife’s life. The leuko-reduction filter prevents the rejection of transfused blood and eliminates the transmission of ‘blood-borne’ disease via transfusion, by removing white blood cells from donor supplies. Introduced in the early 1990s, the leuko-reduction filter has become the standard of care for transfusion recipients by improving treatment results and reducing healthcare costs. Pall was founded during 1946 to commercialise Dr Pall’s first invention – a novel metallic filtration material comprising a sintered metal powder, which is used as the medium for porous stainless steel (PSS) filters. PSS metal filters are still used in the aerospace industry to this day, and their initial success helped the firm secure a foothold in the industrial sector. Pall’s entry into bio-pharmaceuticals and medicine in the 1970s, with fine and ultrafine disposable filters, secured a similar role for the future of the company’s contamination management and purification technologies in this burgeoning market place. Reflecting on Dr Pall’s legacy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pall Eric Krasnoff
In Brief Workshop tackles water and sanitation issues An international workshop, which is being run under the theme ‘Water and Sanitation in International Development and Disaster Relief’, is scheduled to be held on 28–30 May 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. The programme will include presentations by invited speakers from academia, industry, aid organisations and enduser representatives. A broad range of issues will be discussed in order to develop new strategies and sustainable and appropriate technologies for water treatment and sanitation – especially in the context of international development and disaster relief. Papers of both oral and poster presentations will be refereed and published in the conference proceedings and in an edited book and/or the journal Desalination. More information: www.lifelong.ed.ac.uk/ water_and_sanitation_2008 H2O Innovation revamps its Web-Site Canada’s H2O Innovation (2000) Incorporated recently revised and improved its Web-site. Accessible at the same address, the site now combines what is described as a new corporate signature with a strategic coaching approach. Through the new on-line portal, sector stakeholders will have access to comprehensive, efficiently organised information, an ergonomic navigation interface and a streamlined design, including recent pictures of new systems made by the company. H2O Innovation says that the site will continue to evolve over the next few months, allowing it to increase its visibility both locally and outside Canada. More information: www.h2oinnovation.com BWA adds products to Flocon range US-based BWA Water Additives has expanded its Flocon family by including products and support that will help membrane users to ensure that their systems run smoothly. Called ‘Flocon Membrane Solutions’, the product range includes antiscalants, membrane cleaners, Flodose predictive software, microbiological control agents, technical support, approvals and certifications. More information: www.wateradditives.com AFM improves membrane performance UK-based Dryden Aqua Limited claims that membrane users can double the performance of their water filtration systems and protect their membranes simply by changing the sand used in pressure filters to its active filter media, branded ‘AFM’. It says the use of AFM, as opposed to sand, makes a huge difference to water quality. AFM was initially developed for the marine aquaculture industry but the benefits are now being realised in other applications including pretreatment for membrane filtration of drinking water and the elimination of toxic trichloramines in chlorinated systems. More information: www.drydenaqua.com/afm
Membrane Technology
3
Georgia Tech set to use Siemens’ watertreatment systems
I
n the USA, the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has selected Siemens Water Technologies to provide multimillion dollar wastewater and ultrapure water treatment systems for a new US$80-million nanotechnology research centre, located in Atlanta, Georgia. The wastewater treatment system will use multimedia filtration and activated carbon treatment, and a softening and chemical feed to treat acid and/or alkaline waste streams – depending on projects running at the centre. The ultrapure water treatment unit is designed to meet strict water quality specifications required by the centre’s research programmes. It will use reverse osmosis membrane filtration and deionisation, ultraviolet light sanitation, and instruments and pumps. Its skid-mounted design will greatly reduce installation time, allowing the centre to meet tight water quality specifications and handle the most challenging projects. The centre will be the most advanced nanotechnology facility in the South-East, the first of its kind in the region, and will be one of the most sophisticated in the country, says Siemens.
April 2008
Located on the Georgia Tech campus, the 14865 m2 (160 000 ft2) facility will dedicate an area of about 2787 m2 (30 000 ft2) to accommodate clean rooms that are critical to research and instruction in microelectronics and semiconductors, materials science, medicine and pharmaceuticals. Construction work on the centre is scheduled to be completed during October 2008. Contact: Siemens Water Technologies, 181 Thorn Hill Road, Warrendale, PA 15086, USA. Tel: +1 724 772 0044, www.industry.siemens.com Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. Tel: +1 404 894 2000, www.gatech.edu
Pall founder inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
T
he National Inventors Hall of Fame has inducted Dr David Pall, founder of US-based Pall Corporation, into the ranks of the world’s most important technology innovators. The posthumous induction recognised the significant contributions that Dr Pall, who passed away during 2004 at the age of 90, made to the science of fluid filtration, separation and purification. He was selected for the Hall of Fame distinction in recognition of his leukocyte reduction filter (US Patent 4925572), which he developed to help doctors treat aplastic anemia, a rare, acquired disorder that would eventually take his wife’s life. The leuko-reduction filter prevents the rejection of transfused blood and eliminates the transmission of ‘blood-borne’ disease via transfusion, by removing white blood cells from donor supplies. Introduced in the early 1990s, the leuko-reduction filter has become the standard of care for transfusion recipients by improving treatment results and reducing healthcare costs. Pall was founded during 1946 to commercialise Dr Pall’s first invention – a novel metallic filtration material comprising a sintered metal powder, which is used as the medium for porous stainless steel (PSS) filters. PSS metal filters are still used in the aerospace industry to this day, and their initial success helped the firm secure a foothold in the industrial sector. Pall’s entry into bio-pharmaceuticals and medicine in the 1970s, with fine and ultrafine disposable filters, secured a similar role for the future of the company’s contamination management and purification technologies in this burgeoning market place. Reflecting on Dr Pall’s legacy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pall Eric Krasnoff
In Brief Workshop tackles water and sanitation issues An international workshop, which is being run under the theme ‘Water and Sanitation in International Development and Disaster Relief’, is scheduled to be held on 28–30 May 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. The programme will include presentations by invited speakers from academia, industry, aid organisations and enduser representatives. A broad range of issues will be discussed in order to develop new strategies and sustainable and appropriate technologies for water treatment and sanitation – especially in the context of international development and disaster relief. Papers of both oral and poster presentations will be refereed and published in the conference proceedings and in an edited book and/or the journal Desalination. More information: www.lifelong.ed.ac.uk/ water_and_sanitation_2008 H2O Innovation revamps its Web-Site Canada’s H2O Innovation (2000) Incorporated recently revised and improved its Web-site. Accessible at the same address, the site now combines what is described as a new corporate signature with a strategic coaching approach. Through the new on-line portal, sector stakeholders will have access to comprehensive, efficiently organised information, an ergonomic navigation interface and a streamlined design, including recent pictures of new systems made by the company. H2O Innovation says that the site will continue to evolve over the next few months, allowing it to increase its visibility both locally and outside Canada. More information: www.h2oinnovation.com BWA adds products to Flocon range US-based BWA Water Additives has expanded its Flocon family by including products and support that will help membrane users to ensure that their systems run smoothly. Called ‘Flocon Membrane Solutions’, the product range includes antiscalants, membrane cleaners, Flodose predictive software, microbiological control agents, technical support, approvals and certifications. More information: www.wateradditives.com AFM improves membrane performance UK-based Dryden Aqua Limited claims that membrane users can double the performance of their water filtration systems and protect their membranes simply by changing the sand used in pressure filters to its active filter media, branded ‘AFM’. It says the use of AFM, as opposed to sand, makes a huge difference to water quality. AFM was initially developed for the marine aquaculture industry but the benefits are now being realised in other applications including pretreatment for membrane filtration of drinking water and the elimination of toxic trichloramines in chlorinated systems. More information: www.drydenaqua.com/afm
Membrane Technology
3