Water. desalination + reuse

November/December 2012

Water. Desalination + reuse

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MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE TECHNOLOGY level ��� square meters ��� the 1st generation AIM production methods are ready to be implemented in a roll-to-roll pilot production line. The main technological challenges here will be to build an automatic pilot production line, transfer the manual production protocols and further build capabilities in order to scale up AIM production to industrial scale. Investments have been initiated to complete designing and building the first in-house AIM production equipment in 2013. The design and build process is carried in out in close collaboration between Aquaporin A/S and external experts in the field. In parallel, membrane production capabilities are also being built in Aquaporin Asia Pte Ltd, a Singapore incorporated joint venture between Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Ventures, DHI Singapore and Aquaporin A/S. Aquaporin Asia is a spin off from the EWI project. The current activities in Aquaporin Asia will be continuously expanded throughout 2013. agricultural irrigation. In-house membrane tests have shown proof-of-concept in the specific case where the lower-grade water supply is seawater from Oresund in Denmark. TEsTiNG AiM pErfOrMANCE wiTH fuTurE CusTOMErs Currently AIM test membranes are sold for field-testing to potential future customers in Europe, US and Asia in two different sizes: the 60 cm2 AIM60 (��� 500 purchase price) and the 256 cm2 AIM256 (��� 2,000 purchase price). The feedback from fieldtesting is used to optimize future water membrane products and adjust membrane specifications according to individual needs. New water companies are on a running basis ordering membranes for testing in various applications, some of which are summarized below. Membrane tests have confirmed AIM applicability in several water treatment processes: Removal of urea from urine in space Scientists from Aquaporin have together with scientists from the NASA Ames facilities in Palo Alto (CA, US) performed first real field tests with the Aquaporin Inside��� technology. Tests concluded that the Aquaporin Inside��� membranes show superior rejection values to urea when compared to existing forward-osmosis (FO) membranes. Michael Flynn, head of the Advanced Human Support Technology Research Group at NASA Ames (who wrote on forward osmosis in D&WR August/ September 2011, pp 42-45) says, ���In NASA we are continuously working towards reducing the mass we need to transport into space on manned space missions. One way of doing so is by re-circulating bodily fluids from our astronauts. So far, the Aquaporin Inside��� FO membrane is the only one we have tested that comes very close to fulfilling the membrane requirements for a simple, lightweight and reliable system to extract potable water from body fluids in space.��� In May 2012, scientists from Aquaporin and NASA Ames successfully repeated testing at the NASA Ames facilities with up-scaled AIM samples (500 cm2). The up-scaled membrane samples performed identically to the initial samples thus proving the stability of the AIM production protocols. Based on the successful second tests, Aquaporin and NASA Ames are investigating how to produce the first prototype system for urine re-use in space. Fertilizer drawn forward osmosis desalination (FDFO) The Aquaporin Inside��� technology is a low-energy means of reducing freshwater consumption in agriculture by up to 40% through the utilization of lower-grade water supplies such as polluted groundwater, brackish water and even seawater. The Aquaporin Inside��� membrane is used in combination with a liquid fertilizer draw solution to extract clean water ��� and only clean water - from the lower-grade water supplies. The end-result is a diluted liquid fertilizer solution, which requires up to 40% less freshwater to be ready for use for Removal of urea from RO permeate in dairy industries The first generation AIM has a unique high rejection to urea (>90%), which enables it to be used for treatment of wastewater streams containing high amounts of urea. In the envisioned treatment system, the Aquaporin Inside��� membrane will be used together with a high osmolarity draw solution (eg, seawater) to extract close to urea-free water from the wastewater streams. This low-energy water-extraction system will effectively reduce disposal costs through wastewater volume reduction. External and in-house membrane tests in | 32 | Desalination & Water Reuse | November-December 2012 collaboration with Danish Technological Institute and DSS Silkeborg have demonstrated proof-of-concept in this application. Once AIMs are produced industrially in 2013, large-scale AIM modules will be tested in collaboration with Technological Institute, DSS Silkeborg and a major Danish player in the dairy industry. New iSave size available FO-driven concentration of peptide solutions Lately, scientists in Aquaporin have developed an AIM-based FO-driven prototype system for lab-scale concentration of peptide solutions. The FO system has demonstrated several advantages compared with conventional concentration methods such as centrifugation-driven concentration across ultrafiltration membranes. These advantages include the ability to concentrate small peptides as well as the ability to precisely control the degree of concentration. In a recent focus group consisting of researchers who work with protein concentration on a daily basis it was stressed that an AIM-based FO-driven concentration system for peptides would enable high-throughput processing ��� something which with today���s centrifugation-driven systems is not possible. sECuriNG sTrATEGiC pArTNErsHips Strategic partnering is necessary for Aquaporin to carry out AIM modularization and subsequent sales and marketing of AIM membrane modules. Aquaporin���s business model is to partner up with selected leading system providers in various segments through narrow banding co-development and supply agreements. The first true partnership agreement encompassing collaboration on joint product development is already in place with German-based Membrana GmbH the world���s largest supplier of microporous membranes for medical applications like dialysis, oxygenation, and plasma separation. Membrana is also a major supplier of membrane products to the semiconductor, power, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and photographic markets. The objective of the AquaporinMembrana collaboration is to incorporate Aquaporin Inside��� into Membrana���s high-performance hollow-fiber modules ending up with a final, highly competitive hollow-fiber product.l iSave 40 Nowcoversaflowrange from7m3/hto40m3/h Making fresh water possible A revolutionary integrated isobaric energy recovery device ��� MostcompactdesignintheROmarket ��� Noriskofoverflow/overspinatstart-up orduringoperation ��� Easytoinstallandoperate ��� Highefficiency-upto95% TheiSaveenergyrecoverydeviceiscompatiblewiththecompact APPhigh-pressurepumps,rangingfrom6.5m3/hupto38m3/h. DanfossA/S�� ROSolutions DK-6430 Nordborg �� Denmark �� Tel: +45 7488 4024 �� Telefax: +45 7445 3831 E-mail: ro-solutions@danfoss.com �� www.iSave.danfoss.com �� www.ro-solutions.com Pressure exchanger, high-pressure positive displacement booster pump and electric motor ��� all integrated in one single unit.

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