- Email: [email protected]
Millipore's sales rise
NEWS become a part of the Sanitaire division of ITT’s Fluid Technology group. “This acquisition gives ITT a unique opportunity to further expand its water and wastewater treatment portfolio – offering a complete line of pumps, water filtration and disinfection products, with strong positions in North America, Europe and Asia,” said Robert Ayers, president of ITT Industries Fluid Technology. Earlier this year, ITT Industries acquired the assets of UK company PCI Membranes from Thames Water. PCI’s products complement the US company’s range of pumps and mixers, and aeration equipment and wastewater process systems. It also provided significant expansion opportunities for the Sanitaire division in the growing filtration and disinfection segments. ITT intends offering the Germany company’s shareholders 18 (US$20.68) per WEDECO share in cash, representing a 36% premium over the three-month average closing Xetra share price of 13.22. Based on the fully diluted number of WEDECO shares, this offer would value WEDECO at 233.1 million (US$267.8 million), including the assumption of net debt of 34.3 million as of 30 September 2003. In addition, ITT and WEDECO’s major shareholder, GfS Finance GmbH, have signed a definitive share purchase agreement in which the latter has agreed to sell all of its shares in WEDECO (representing 27% of its capital) to ITT. Contact: ITT Industries Inc, 4 West Red Oak Lane, White Plains, NY 10604, USA. Tel: +1 914 641 2000, Fax: +1 914 696 2960.
H2O Innovation increases funding In order to address an increasing need for operational funding, generated by a rise in sales, Canadian company H 2O Innovation (2000) Inc is completing a private placement with
convertible debentures for a total amount of C$1 million. The company reports that it has signed new sales contracts in the municipal and industrial sectors and with native communities worth C$1.9 million during the first quarter of its current fiscal year. It says that the finance will be used for working capital in order to support the rapid growth of sales. The convertible debentures carry a 12% annual interest and are payable on a five-year period. Additionally, it has received a threeyear loan of C$0.2 million at an annual interest of 12%. Contacts: H2O Innovation (2000) Inc, 420 Boul. Charest Est, Suite 240, Quebec, QC, Canada G1K 8M4. Tel: +1 418 688 0170, Fax: +1 418 688 9259.
Zenon wins contracts in China Zenon Environmental Inc of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, has won contracts in north China in Bejing and City of Datong. Soon both of these cities will be treating wastewater using Zenon’s membranes and reusing the treated effluent. The combined projects are valued in excess of C$6 million, and once completed will represent key reference sites for the company. Zenon says that Bejing, China’s capital, is short of water – more so than any other metropolitan area in the country, while the City of Datong, located near Inner Mongolia in Shanxi Province, is an industrial centre for coal and needs an abundant supply of water. Industrialization and urbanization have both increased rapidly during the last two decades, in an area where the supply of fresh water is limited, and decreasing just as rapidly. The northern part of China has approximately 50% of the country’s population, nearly 65% of the country’s farmland and only 20% of the country’s available water. Furthermore, the lack of a reliable fresh-water supply has become a major limiting factor to future growth in the region. Zenon’s ZeeWeed membranes will be used to treat municipal
wastewater for further reuse as cooling-tower make-up water and boiler feed water for a power plant in Datong that is currently under construction. According to a spokesperson at Datong Power Plant Co Ltd, these membranes were chosen because of their reliability and rugged construction. In an area that is plagued with an unpredictable climate which can produce monsoons in summer, long cold winters and even sand storms throughout the year, it is critical that the technology chosen is able to provide consistent water quality. Construction work has already begun and is expected to be completed during August 2004. Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Co Ltd, based in the country’s capital, has found a way of decreasing its processing costs significantly while reusing superior quality water. It claims that by employing ZeeWeed membranes for tertiary treatment of wastewater it can optimize water supplies and drastically reduce discharge costs. The water treatment plant is scheduled to be completed by July 2004. Contact: Zenon Environmental Inc, 3239 Dundas Street West, Oakville, Ontario L6J 4Z3, Canada. Tel: +1 905 465 3030, Fax: +1 905 465 3050.
Hydranautics replaces NF membranes at Florida plant US membrane technology company Hydranautics has been selected to supply 2700 of its low-fouling ESNA1-LF nanofiltration (NF) membranes for use in a water treatment plant based at the City of Hollywood on the west coast of Florida, USA. The membranes replace the original set of elements, supplied by the company during 1995 when the seven-train plant, which is rated at 68 100 m3/day, was built. Treating well water for potable use, the system provides drinking water for over 140 000 citizens in the city.
In Brief Clearwater’s reverse osmosis plant goes on-line A new water treatment plant, which has cost around US$8 million, is now supplying drinking water to the City of Clearwater in Florida, USA, according to a report in the US press. The plant uses reverse osmosis to remove dissolved minerals from groundwater. It will produce water at a lower cost than buying it from regional authorities, claims the report. Although most residents will not notice any change in their tap water, some may see slight variations in colour and taste, say city officials. GE Osmonics facility receives ISO 9001 registration The GE Osmonics facility in Vista, California, USA, which manufactures membrane elements that are used to treat water and other fluids, recently completed the registration of its quality management system to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2000, through TUV Rheinland. This registration makes Vista the fifth GE Osmonics manufacturing facility to be ISO 9001 registered. The standard provides businesses with a framework around which to model their operations. DOE finances energy projects The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded US$12.3 million to over 20 broad-based, costshared research projects that will simultaneously advance energy efficiency and fossil energy technologies. Specific projects include a membrane device, under development at Boston University, that conducts oxygen and separates hydrogen from hydrocarbon reformate in a membrane reactor to obtain a hydrogen flux and purity level that equals enough current density to power a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The University of Wyoming is being funded to design, make, operate, characterize and evaluate novel composite hydrogen-permeable membranes. These are made from ceramic or metal substrates to provide mechanical strength, better resist corrosion, and aid permeation.
3 Membrane Technology December 2003
NEWS
In Brief Zenon selected as top Canadian employer Zenon Environmental Inc is part of an elite group of companies that lead their industry in attracting and retaining quality employees, according to the 2004 edition of ‘Canada’s Top 100 Employers’, by Richard Yerema. Since the initial publication in 2000, the Canadian company has been selected every year among thousands of companies in the country. Over 51 000 employers across Canada – a record number of applications – were initially considered for the 2004 edition. The book was compiled using a review of corporate best practices that lead to the attraction and retention of quality employees. BHA posts record operating results US company BHA Group Holdings Inc reports that its consolidated income for fiscal year ended 30 September 2003 totalled US$10.0 million, or US$1.53 per diluted share. Net income, including the impact of a charge relating to a change in accounting for goodwill, was US$6.6 million, or US$1.04 per diluted share, during fiscal 2002. BHA Technologies’ sales of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane products to third parties for the current quarter doubled because of an increase in customer orders under existing supply agreements. Fuel cell commercialization drives demand for platinum The commercialization of fuel cells is set to raise the demand for platinum, claims a report entitled ‘The Fuel Cell Supply Chain’ by USbased market research company ABI. The use of this metal increases electrical conductivity in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. It is critical to their commercialization and alone can command 10–20% of a fuel cell system’s cost, says the company. According to ABI, the total amount of platinum used by such systems could increase world demand by 8–12% over the next 10 years.
4
Hydranautics claims that its energy-saving ESNA1-LF membranes, which were launched earlier this year (see Membrane Technology, January 2003) provide salt rejection of 90% and controlled hardness removal. The company says that the membranes performed well during pilot testing, and that it expects them to perform as well as the elements they are replacing. Ideal for brackish feed-water sources for municipal potable applications, these low-pressure membranes can significantly reduce operating costs by lowering power consumption, while providing a non-aggressive permeate water with low total dissolved solids. Contact: Hydranautics, 401 Jones Road, Oceanside, CA 92054, USA. Tel: +1 760 901 2529, Fax: +1 760 901 2578, Email: [email protected].
Millipore’s sales rise For its third quarter ended 30 September 2003, Millipore Corp posted sales of US$200 million – up 14% compared with the corresponding period of 2002. Sales growth in local currencies was 9%. Third-quarter earnings from continuing operations were US$0.50 per share, which includes a US$0.01 per share gain on the sale of real estate. According to the company, its third-quarter revenue growth was driven by a combination of 16% local currency growth in biotechnology and 5% local currency growth in both life sciences and other bioscience. Fran Lunger, Millipore’s chairman, chief executive officer and president, said: “The strong performance in biotechnology reflects an increase in demand for process chromatography media for the validation of new processes for existing drugs, systems for the initial manufacturing ramp-up of drugs currently in late-stage clinical trials and consumables used in the manufacture of commercialized drugs.” He also noted: “Based on early indications in the fourth quarter,
we do not expect to achieve biotechnology revenue growth at the same level as the third quarter. However, long-term growth prospects in biotechnology remain strong, given our market position and the number of new biotheraputics in the pipeline.” Contact: Millipore Corp, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, Fax: +1 781 533 3110.
US biotech separations market set to grow The current US biotechnology separations market is estimated to be worth US$2.1 billion, according to a report available from Business Communications Company (BCC) Inc. The company, which is based in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA, says that this market is projected to increase to US$3.6 billion by 2008, as it grows at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 11% through the forecast period. According to the study, which is entitled ‘Separations Systems for Commercial Biotechnology’, membrane filtration (ultrafiltration and microfiltration) remains one of the fastest growing areas in the field of biotechnology separations. The technology is being miniaturized and refined, especially in the integration with other separation technologies, to create a system that is more efficient than either process component alone. The competitive advantages of membrane filtration, including more easily met sanitary design regulations, more easily enclosed systems, and greater recovery rates, are cited as reasons for it taking market share from centrifugation in biotechnology. All of these advantages should contribute to an AAGR of 14.1% through to 2008. Competition from membrane technologies should continue to limit the yearly growth of centrifugation for biotechnology, says BCC. The US market value of US$357
million in 2003 comes primarily from replacements for in-place systems and, to a small degree, from new sales. Fast runs, high throughput, reproducibility and column performance are important factors in liquid chromatography’s (LC’s) dominant role in biotechnology – with nearly 47% of the total market in 2003, claims the study. The US market for biotechnology LC separations is forecast to reach US$1.69 billion by 2008. In other areas, an AAGR of 8.3% should sustain total sales of electrophoresis, causing this market to climb to US$371 million in 2008. Contact: Business Communications Co Inc, 25 Van Zant St, Norwalk, CT 06855, USA. Tel: +1 203 853 4266, Fax: +1 203 853 0348.
Ionics selected bidder for Algerian plant Algerian Energy Company (AEC) has publicly declared Ionics of Watertown, Massachusetts, USA, as the selected bidder for a seawater desalination plant located near Algiers. Ionics and AEC will form a jointproject company to finance, build and operate the plant, with the former owning a majority interest. The projected US$225-million capital investment will be financed by a combination of equity and nonrecourse debt. The desalination plant will have a capacity of 200 000 m3 (53 million gallons) of drinking water a day. Ionics will design and supply the seawater reverse osmosis desalination system, and will operate the facility over the 25-year contract period. The company claims that the plant will be the largest membrane desalination facility in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Contact: Ionics Inc, 65 Grove Street, Watertown, MA 02471-9131, USA. Tel: +1 617 926 2500, Fax: +1 617 926 4304.
Membrane Technology December 2003
H2O Innovation increases funding In order to address an increasing need for operational funding, generated by a rise in sales, Canadian company H 2O Innovation (2000) Inc is completing a private placement with
convertible debentures for a total amount of C$1 million. The company reports that it has signed new sales contracts in the municipal and industrial sectors and with native communities worth C$1.9 million during the first quarter of its current fiscal year. It says that the finance will be used for working capital in order to support the rapid growth of sales. The convertible debentures carry a 12% annual interest and are payable on a five-year period. Additionally, it has received a threeyear loan of C$0.2 million at an annual interest of 12%. Contacts: H2O Innovation (2000) Inc, 420 Boul. Charest Est, Suite 240, Quebec, QC, Canada G1K 8M4. Tel: +1 418 688 0170, Fax: +1 418 688 9259.
Zenon wins contracts in China Zenon Environmental Inc of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, has won contracts in north China in Bejing and City of Datong. Soon both of these cities will be treating wastewater using Zenon’s membranes and reusing the treated effluent. The combined projects are valued in excess of C$6 million, and once completed will represent key reference sites for the company. Zenon says that Bejing, China’s capital, is short of water – more so than any other metropolitan area in the country, while the City of Datong, located near Inner Mongolia in Shanxi Province, is an industrial centre for coal and needs an abundant supply of water. Industrialization and urbanization have both increased rapidly during the last two decades, in an area where the supply of fresh water is limited, and decreasing just as rapidly. The northern part of China has approximately 50% of the country’s population, nearly 65% of the country’s farmland and only 20% of the country’s available water. Furthermore, the lack of a reliable fresh-water supply has become a major limiting factor to future growth in the region. Zenon’s ZeeWeed membranes will be used to treat municipal
wastewater for further reuse as cooling-tower make-up water and boiler feed water for a power plant in Datong that is currently under construction. According to a spokesperson at Datong Power Plant Co Ltd, these membranes were chosen because of their reliability and rugged construction. In an area that is plagued with an unpredictable climate which can produce monsoons in summer, long cold winters and even sand storms throughout the year, it is critical that the technology chosen is able to provide consistent water quality. Construction work has already begun and is expected to be completed during August 2004. Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Co Ltd, based in the country’s capital, has found a way of decreasing its processing costs significantly while reusing superior quality water. It claims that by employing ZeeWeed membranes for tertiary treatment of wastewater it can optimize water supplies and drastically reduce discharge costs. The water treatment plant is scheduled to be completed by July 2004. Contact: Zenon Environmental Inc, 3239 Dundas Street West, Oakville, Ontario L6J 4Z3, Canada. Tel: +1 905 465 3030, Fax: +1 905 465 3050.
Hydranautics replaces NF membranes at Florida plant US membrane technology company Hydranautics has been selected to supply 2700 of its low-fouling ESNA1-LF nanofiltration (NF) membranes for use in a water treatment plant based at the City of Hollywood on the west coast of Florida, USA. The membranes replace the original set of elements, supplied by the company during 1995 when the seven-train plant, which is rated at 68 100 m3/day, was built. Treating well water for potable use, the system provides drinking water for over 140 000 citizens in the city.
In Brief Clearwater’s reverse osmosis plant goes on-line A new water treatment plant, which has cost around US$8 million, is now supplying drinking water to the City of Clearwater in Florida, USA, according to a report in the US press. The plant uses reverse osmosis to remove dissolved minerals from groundwater. It will produce water at a lower cost than buying it from regional authorities, claims the report. Although most residents will not notice any change in their tap water, some may see slight variations in colour and taste, say city officials. GE Osmonics facility receives ISO 9001 registration The GE Osmonics facility in Vista, California, USA, which manufactures membrane elements that are used to treat water and other fluids, recently completed the registration of its quality management system to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2000, through TUV Rheinland. This registration makes Vista the fifth GE Osmonics manufacturing facility to be ISO 9001 registered. The standard provides businesses with a framework around which to model their operations. DOE finances energy projects The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded US$12.3 million to over 20 broad-based, costshared research projects that will simultaneously advance energy efficiency and fossil energy technologies. Specific projects include a membrane device, under development at Boston University, that conducts oxygen and separates hydrogen from hydrocarbon reformate in a membrane reactor to obtain a hydrogen flux and purity level that equals enough current density to power a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The University of Wyoming is being funded to design, make, operate, characterize and evaluate novel composite hydrogen-permeable membranes. These are made from ceramic or metal substrates to provide mechanical strength, better resist corrosion, and aid permeation.
3 Membrane Technology December 2003
NEWS
In Brief Zenon selected as top Canadian employer Zenon Environmental Inc is part of an elite group of companies that lead their industry in attracting and retaining quality employees, according to the 2004 edition of ‘Canada’s Top 100 Employers’, by Richard Yerema. Since the initial publication in 2000, the Canadian company has been selected every year among thousands of companies in the country. Over 51 000 employers across Canada – a record number of applications – were initially considered for the 2004 edition. The book was compiled using a review of corporate best practices that lead to the attraction and retention of quality employees. BHA posts record operating results US company BHA Group Holdings Inc reports that its consolidated income for fiscal year ended 30 September 2003 totalled US$10.0 million, or US$1.53 per diluted share. Net income, including the impact of a charge relating to a change in accounting for goodwill, was US$6.6 million, or US$1.04 per diluted share, during fiscal 2002. BHA Technologies’ sales of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane products to third parties for the current quarter doubled because of an increase in customer orders under existing supply agreements. Fuel cell commercialization drives demand for platinum The commercialization of fuel cells is set to raise the demand for platinum, claims a report entitled ‘The Fuel Cell Supply Chain’ by USbased market research company ABI. The use of this metal increases electrical conductivity in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. It is critical to their commercialization and alone can command 10–20% of a fuel cell system’s cost, says the company. According to ABI, the total amount of platinum used by such systems could increase world demand by 8–12% over the next 10 years.
4
Hydranautics claims that its energy-saving ESNA1-LF membranes, which were launched earlier this year (see Membrane Technology, January 2003) provide salt rejection of 90% and controlled hardness removal. The company says that the membranes performed well during pilot testing, and that it expects them to perform as well as the elements they are replacing. Ideal for brackish feed-water sources for municipal potable applications, these low-pressure membranes can significantly reduce operating costs by lowering power consumption, while providing a non-aggressive permeate water with low total dissolved solids. Contact: Hydranautics, 401 Jones Road, Oceanside, CA 92054, USA. Tel: +1 760 901 2529, Fax: +1 760 901 2578, Email: [email protected].
Millipore’s sales rise For its third quarter ended 30 September 2003, Millipore Corp posted sales of US$200 million – up 14% compared with the corresponding period of 2002. Sales growth in local currencies was 9%. Third-quarter earnings from continuing operations were US$0.50 per share, which includes a US$0.01 per share gain on the sale of real estate. According to the company, its third-quarter revenue growth was driven by a combination of 16% local currency growth in biotechnology and 5% local currency growth in both life sciences and other bioscience. Fran Lunger, Millipore’s chairman, chief executive officer and president, said: “The strong performance in biotechnology reflects an increase in demand for process chromatography media for the validation of new processes for existing drugs, systems for the initial manufacturing ramp-up of drugs currently in late-stage clinical trials and consumables used in the manufacture of commercialized drugs.” He also noted: “Based on early indications in the fourth quarter,
we do not expect to achieve biotechnology revenue growth at the same level as the third quarter. However, long-term growth prospects in biotechnology remain strong, given our market position and the number of new biotheraputics in the pipeline.” Contact: Millipore Corp, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, Fax: +1 781 533 3110.
US biotech separations market set to grow The current US biotechnology separations market is estimated to be worth US$2.1 billion, according to a report available from Business Communications Company (BCC) Inc. The company, which is based in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA, says that this market is projected to increase to US$3.6 billion by 2008, as it grows at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 11% through the forecast period. According to the study, which is entitled ‘Separations Systems for Commercial Biotechnology’, membrane filtration (ultrafiltration and microfiltration) remains one of the fastest growing areas in the field of biotechnology separations. The technology is being miniaturized and refined, especially in the integration with other separation technologies, to create a system that is more efficient than either process component alone. The competitive advantages of membrane filtration, including more easily met sanitary design regulations, more easily enclosed systems, and greater recovery rates, are cited as reasons for it taking market share from centrifugation in biotechnology. All of these advantages should contribute to an AAGR of 14.1% through to 2008. Competition from membrane technologies should continue to limit the yearly growth of centrifugation for biotechnology, says BCC. The US market value of US$357
million in 2003 comes primarily from replacements for in-place systems and, to a small degree, from new sales. Fast runs, high throughput, reproducibility and column performance are important factors in liquid chromatography’s (LC’s) dominant role in biotechnology – with nearly 47% of the total market in 2003, claims the study. The US market for biotechnology LC separations is forecast to reach US$1.69 billion by 2008. In other areas, an AAGR of 8.3% should sustain total sales of electrophoresis, causing this market to climb to US$371 million in 2008. Contact: Business Communications Co Inc, 25 Van Zant St, Norwalk, CT 06855, USA. Tel: +1 203 853 4266, Fax: +1 203 853 0348.
Ionics selected bidder for Algerian plant Algerian Energy Company (AEC) has publicly declared Ionics of Watertown, Massachusetts, USA, as the selected bidder for a seawater desalination plant located near Algiers. Ionics and AEC will form a jointproject company to finance, build and operate the plant, with the former owning a majority interest. The projected US$225-million capital investment will be financed by a combination of equity and nonrecourse debt. The desalination plant will have a capacity of 200 000 m3 (53 million gallons) of drinking water a day. Ionics will design and supply the seawater reverse osmosis desalination system, and will operate the facility over the 25-year contract period. The company claims that the plant will be the largest membrane desalination facility in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Contact: Ionics Inc, 65 Grove Street, Watertown, MA 02471-9131, USA. Tel: +1 617 926 2500, Fax: +1 617 926 4304.
Membrane Technology December 2003