NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS

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Filtration Industry Analyst

July 2002

NPD/ECONOMIC REVIEW

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS • The Liquid Separations business of The Dow Chemical Company has launched a new reverse osmosis (RO) element designed for systems used to purify seawater sources such as open intakes where there is a very high potential for fouling of the membrane. The Filmtec SW30HR-320 high rejection seawater reverse osmosis element is conservatively rated at 99.6% salt rejection under FilmTec’s standard test conditions. The element incorporates features that provide maximum efficiency and effective cleaning of scale, organic compounds and biofilm. These include the industry’s thickest feed spacer (34 mm), and a greater number of shorter membrane leaves to reduce the overall effect of fouling. The membranes can also be cleaned in a pH range of 1–12. • The Nikkei Business Daily has reported that Onex Corp, a company involved in the heat processing of metals, has developed an artificial zeolite material with a honeycomb structure of nanometre-scale pores that can be used as a filter to clean impurities from air and industrial wastewater. The new zeolite filter is made from coal ash and the waste materials generated during the refinement of aluminium. Onex produces the filter using technology created from its metal heatprocessing business. The company will begin marketing the zeolite honeycombs in June, producing them at a rate of 30 000 to 50 000 units per month in cooperation with another manufacturer. If the market responds

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well, it will build a new factory of its own with a monthly capacity of 100 000 to 200 000 units. • New Logic Research has developed a high temperature membrane filtration system capable of operating at up to 120ºC. The company says that the development will significantly advance its Vibratory Shear Enhanced Process (VSEP), which uses oscillating vibration to control the effects of diffusion polarization that limit permeation of conventional crossflow membrane systems. While most membrane systems are limited to about 60ºC, New Logic’s high temperature filter module is capable of temperatures as high as 120ºC. The temperature increase means that flux rates will be nearly twice those attained at the lower temperatures. With VSEP already performing at 5–15 times the rate of conventional membrane systems, the ability to double the permeate rate by increased temperature represents a significant advancement. The higher operating temperatures also have other benefits. First, capital equipment costs are reduced as the increased permeate flux means less equipment is needed. Second, for applications where the process feed temperature is already very hot, no cooling of the liquids would be required, reducing system costs and improving membrane performance. Third, extremely viscous liquid–solid separations that are only possible at very high temperatures can now be done using membrane technology.

ECONOMIC REVIEW The euro-zone1 industrial producer price index increased by 0.3% in April 2002 compared with March, according to the latest estimates from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities in Luxembourg. EU15 prices also climbed by 0.3%. In March 2002, prices rose by 0.4% in the euro-zone and by 0.2% in the EU15. In April 2002 compared with April 2001 industrial producer prices fell by 0.7% in the euro-zone and by 0.6% in the EU15. Comparing April 2002 with March 2002, the eurozone and the EU15 saw the indices for intermediate goods rise by 0.3%, non-durable consumer goods by 0.2% and durable consumer goods by 0.1%, while capital goods remained unchanged. The energy index increased by 0.8% in the euro-zone and by 1.1% in the EU15. In April 2002, and among the member states for which data are available, the greatest price increases were registered in Portugal (3.4%), the Netherlands (1.0%), Spain (0.7%) and Sweden (0.6%), while Belgium and Germany (both –0.1%) reported the only decreases. The fall of 0.7% in the euro-zone and 0.6% in the EU15 in the index of April 2002 as compared with April 2001, was because of price decreases for energy and intermediate goods. Even though energy prices grew (or were stable) month to month in January to April 2002, over the last 12 months they fell by 3.9% in the euro-zone and by 4.0% in the EU15. Intermediate goods were down by 1.2% in the euro-zone and by 1.1% in the EU15. Capital goods increased by 1.1% and by 1.0%, respectively. Durable and non-durable consumer

goods rose by 1.5% and by 1.0%, respectively, in the eurozone and by 1.3% and 1.0% in the EU15. 1 Euro-zone: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

EXCHANGE RATES AGAINST THE US DOLLAR Date: 14 June 2002 COUNTRY Australia

RATE A$1.79

Austria


1.05

Belgium


1.05

Canada

C$1.55

China

Yn8.28

Denmark

DKr7.84

Finland


1.05

France


1.05

Germany


1.05

India

Rs48.98

Italy


1.05

Japan

¥124.14

Malaysia

Rt3.80

Netherlands


1.05

Norway Philippines

NKr7.85 Peso50.45

Singapore

S$1.79

South Africa

R10.48

South Korea Won1236.25 Spain


1.05

Sweden

SKr9.64

Switzerland

SFr1.56

Taiwan

T$34.11

Thailand

Bt42.18

UK USA

£0.68 US$1.00