NEWS/IN BRIEF perature and pressure compared with conventional membrane processes that are thermally and pressure driven. It uses what the company describes as a unique hydrophobic hollow-fibre membrane called STOMATE®. By allowing the passage of water in vapour form, but not in liquid form, all non-volatile inorganic salts and particles remain in the waste effluent and only clean water passes through the membrane and is recovered. In this way the volume of the waste effluent is reduced. Earlier this year (Membrane Technology May 2019, pages 7–8) described (in a technology focus article) a pilot plant, designed to treat industrial wastewater, which had been built jointly by Memsift and Singapore’s Separation Technologies Applied Research and Translation (START) Centre, a national-level facility that develops and commercialises innovative separation and filtration technologies. The researchers who developed the system report that it filters over 90% of the wastewater into clean water and concentrates metal waste into a liquid, which can be sold to other companies.
Porvair adds PTFE membrane filters and housings to its product portfolio
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IDA elects its president for the 2019–2021 term
orvair Plc has added the TeffilTM range of high-flow polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane filters and QuicklokTM housings to the range of liquid, air and gas filtration products that it offers. The specialist filtration and environmental technologies group describes Teffil as a range of optimised high-flow PTFE membrane filters with PFA support hardware. They are suitable for use in a number of fine chemical applications within the microelectronics industry, including solvent recirculation. With a pore size of 0.05–0.2 µm, these filters are manufactured using surface modification agents to ensure minimal extractables, and to ensure that purity performance is not compromised, says the company. Compared with traditional filter housings, the Quicklok range (of PFA cartridge housings) is designed to be a space-saving product. The housing locks into the filter bowl, allowing the bowl and cartridge to be installed or removed as a single unit, which minimises contamination and chemical contact.
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For further information, visit: www.porvair.com & www.porvairfiltration.com
For further information, visit: www.memsift.com & http://start.ntuitive.sg
arlos Cosín has been elected President, International Desalination Association (IDA) for the 2019–2021 term. In addition to Cosín’s appointment as President, Devesh Sharma has been named 1st Vice President and Alejandro Javier Sturniolo, 2nd Vice President. Cosín is currently the CEO of Almar Water Solutions – which provides technical capabilities and expertise for water infrastructure development. He is responsible for strategic management of Almar, whose main investor is Abdul Latif Jameel, a company that aims to implement and promote its activity in the water sector. ‘As president of IDA, I and the board will work internally to respond to the growing demands of our industry,’ commented Cosín. ‘In the next two years, we intend to increase IDA’s reach, enabling the association to meet the needs of our members, affiliates and the market at large.’ Cosín has been an active member of IDA’s board of directors since 2013.
For further information, visit: www.idadesal.org & www.almarwater.com
December 2019
Lanxess makes significant updates to its LewaPlus design software
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erman speciality chemicals company Lanxess has updated its LewaPlus design software, which is targeted at the water industry, by adding an ultrafiltration (UF) module, enhancing its dimensioning tool and also incorporating a new cost module that calculates expenses for ion exchange. UF is used as pretreatment for reverse osmosis (and increasingly for ion exchange resins applications). Lanxess says that integrating pretreatment functionality into its software enables it to help designers develop complex water treatment systems that also include UF technology. According to the company, dimensioning of reverse osmosis (RO) and ion exchange systems
In Brief Evonik’s technology goes on show at ADIPEC German speciality chemicals company Evonik Industries Ag participated in the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) which was held during November 2019 in the United Arab Emirates. This event provided the company with an opportunity to promote its membrane technology. Used in gas separation applications, it has a lower installation, operating and maintenance cost, compared with other technology, says the firm. Evonik’s SEPURAN® NG is an especially robust, hollow-fibre membrane, which is based on a high-performance polymer that can withstand extreme pressure and temperatures, and has a stable performance even in the presence of H2S, water or higher hydrocarbon concentrations. MANN+HUMMEL issues second green bond German filtration company MANN+ HUMMEL, and global supplier of membrane products through its water treatment business unit Microdyn-Nadir, has issued a green bond for E150 million. This is the second green bond transaction undertaken by the company. In 2017 it was the first automotive supplier worldwide to issue a green bond as a financing instrument (Membrane Technology November 2017, page 4). ‘With the renewed green financing, we are following our long-term corporate strategy of separating the useful from the harmful, with filtration. Accordingly, projects in the fields of air and water filtration, renewable energies, sustainability and environmental protection will be refinanced. Our approach is proactive rather than reactive,’ commented Emese Weissenbacher, Managing Director and CFO, MANN+HUMMEL. Ecolab’s Douglas Baker ranked amongst top 100 CEOs Douglas Baker Jr, CEO and Chairman, Ecolab Inc, has been ranked 38th on the Harvard Business Review’s 2019 list of the ‘BestPerforming CEOs in the World’. The company says that this is the fifth consecutive year that he has been included in the list, which ranks CEOs of companies in the S&P Global 1200, based on company and financial performance, and environmental, social and governance ratings. Sartorius posts strong results for first nine months of the year Sartorius Ag’s financial results for the first nine months of 2019 show that group sales revenue increased by 15.5%, order intake by 16.1% and an underlying EBITDA margin 26.6%. The German firm says that in a challenging global economic environment its Lab Products & Services Division showed a robust third-quarter performance.
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NEWS is now even more practical and user-friendly. LewaPlus now offers users the option to create their own water library. ‘We are planning to expand on the master data to include additional water types. There are even already parameters in place for the quality of sea water from various regions,’ explained Dr Jens Lipnizki, Head of Technical Marketing Membranes in the Liquid Purification Technologies (LPT) business unit. A new cost module is also now available in LewaPlus. This can be used to determine the investment and operating costs of an ion exchange system, says the firm. The investment costs include expenses associated with installing the system as well procuring ion exchange resins. The operating cost involves expenses incurred for regeneration, water supply and wastewater disposal. A forecast helps users to estimate costs over the course of the system’s planned total service life (total cost of ownership, TCO). The new calculation options are available in LewaPlus for all ion exchange resins modules – enabling a cost comparison of various system designs and processes. These expand on the existing cost calculation for RO systems, says the firm. Using identical calculation parameters makes it possible to carry out a direct comparison of the costs of RO and ion exchange systems. The LewaPlus design software can be downloaded free of charge from the LPT business unit’s Web-site at the address given below. For further information, visit: http://lpt.lanxess.com/lewaplus-software & http://lanxess.com
Pentair uses Aquatech to announce new UF element and Web app
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entair reports that it had a successful exhibition at Aquatech in Amsterdam, which was held during November. The global water treatment company used the event to announce details of its new 75 m2 ultrafiltration (UF) membrane element and the interactive Xpert Web app. In the quest for maximum membrane capacity, with a minimum footprint – to deliver greater flexibility to customers – Pentair X-Flow has developed a high-performance membrane module that increases the total membrane surface area from 64 m2 to 75 m2, without changing the module dimensions. With the same small sized housing, the company says that the 75 m2 UF element is 4
Membrane Technology
a real powerhouse that boosts its water treatment technologies Aquaflex, X-line and Xiga. With the same installation dimensions, it also offers an immediate opportunity to retrofit and upgrade existing Aquaflex or X-line systems. The interactive Pentair Xpert Web app for water and wastewater treatment was also presented at Aquatech. Featuring what the company claims is the world’s first conversational interface in the membrane filtration industry, it guides users through selecting the right technology and configuration for water and wastewater treatment, to meet their needs for a specific project. For further information, visit: www.pentair.com & www.aquatechtrade.com/amsterdam
Agreement confirms IDA’s role as a strategic partner in SIWW 2020
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Industrial minerals producer selects Biwater as its preferred OEM
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iwater Inc, which designs, supplies and services custom water treatment systems in the desalination and water reuse industry, has been selected by Switzerland’s Omya International AG – a producer of industrial minerals and distributor of speciality chemicals – as its preferred original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Under the terms of this agreement, both companies will partner on selected projects where Biwater will perform as the preferred OEM designing, supplying and implementing the Omya Advanced Remineralization Process (OARP). The OARP has been developed for the posttreatment and remineralisation of desalinated sea water or brackish water. It is also used in advanced water reuse systems, which include desalination processes such as in indirect (IPR) or direct (DPR) potable reuse systems. The main applications for this technology are summarised below.
he International Desalination Association (IDA) has signed an agreement with Singapore International Water Week Pte Ltd (SIPL) making it a strategic partner for Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2020, which is scheduled to be held on 5–9 July next year. The IDA will join close to 2000 water leaders and companies in Singapore for what is described as a platform for partners from the global water industry. As a strategic partner of SIWW, the IDA will conduct a business forum and organise a special exhibition pavilion. Located in the midst of SIWW’s activities, the pavilion will showcase products and services, spotlighting innovations in the advanced water treatment industry, and provide space for networking and knowledge sharing. ‘The SIWW 2020 event provides a wonderful opportunity for our sector,’ said Shannon McCarthy, IDA Secretary General. ‘IDA is honoured to be a part of this initiative and encourages our membership to attend this important event, partake in the IDA Business Forum and book exhibition space in the IDA Pavilion.’ The latest SIWW will feature the 2020 Water Convention, during which water researchers, practitioners and technology providers from all continents will gather and foster collaborations.
Jorg Menningmann, President, Water Reuse and Desalination, Biwater, commented: ‘We are delighted to be working in partnership with Omya. Biwater recognises the benefits of Omya’s Advanced Remineralization Process as an optimised solution to many of the desalination and water reuse industries remineralisation needs.’ Marcus Fuest, Vice President of Group Sales and Marketing, Water & Energy, Omya International, added: ‘Omya recognises its partnership with Biwater as an important cornerstone in the global rollout of its innovative remineralisation technology, providing Biwater customers with desalinated water cost-savings whilst improving operational efficiency with a reduced carbon footprint.’
For further information, visit: www.idadesal.org & https://www.siww.com.sg
For further information, visit: www.biwater.com & www.omya.com
• It can be used to retrofit or upgrade existing desalination plant post-treatment, originally equipped with lime or chemicals dosing – reducing operating costs and providing stable water quality. • In advanced water reuse applications, it reduces operating costs and the environmental footprint. It also enables maximum flexibility in operation along with pristine water quality, and guarantees low turbidity. • For greenfield desalination and water reuse systems it reduces investment and operating costs and provides a stable, pristine water quality.
December 2019