Water. Desalination + reuse
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• De Nora Water Technologies formed through acquisition in 2015 • New products combining ozone and biologically active filters • Aiming to meet new regulatory challenges in Asia Back in July 2015, the family- owned, Italian firm De Nora took a strategic decision to add tech- nologies for the water sector into its portfolio. The company had established a strong business selling electrolytic solutions to producers of chlorine, chlorate, and sodium hypochlorite, among other lines, however, it consid - ered opportunities for growth limited. Therefore it acquired the water purification division of Severn Trent Services, part of London Stock Exchange-listed Severn Trent, forming De Nora Water Technologies — with a strategy to focus on sustainable, innovative water and wastewa - ter technology for municipal, marine, and energy-related applications. At the same time, it purchased Ozono Elletronica Internazionale, a leader in ozone technologies, with the aim of integrating the two. Three years on, at Singapore International Water Week 2018, De Nora Water Technologies offi - cially introduced its Capital Con- trols ozone generators into Asia — a move which, says Marwan Nesicolaci, senior vice president, global sales and operations Asia, reflects the type of product and market development that is now possible following the integra- tion process. "We are going for innova- tion, looking at our existing products and developing new applications, and using different technologies to solve upcoming challenges. We are very excited to offer the Capital Controls and Tetra products, combining our ozone with biologically active fil- ters (BAFs). We are piloting and launching in developed markets for disinfection of micro-pollut- ants, such as byproducts from pharmaceuticals or pesticides," says Nesicolaci. Utility-scale reuse The main applications for the new equipment are utility-scale water reuse and meeting new regulations. "Conventional wastewater treatment systems today are not effective on micro-pollutants, which are non-biodegradable. The ozone converts the micro- pollutants to be biodegradable, and then the BAF filters them out," Nesicolaci explains. The opportunity for innova - tion is testament to De Nora's culture of research and develop- ment, which the newly-formed water technology business is tap- ping into. Across the business, scientists are piloting multiple water technologies, develop- ing the successes into market- able products, and distributing through De Nora's existing sales networks in Europe, the US, and particularly Japan and China. Hong Kong project In July 2018, De Nora won mul- tiple contracts from the Water Supplies Department of Hong Kong for its CECHLO MS on-site high concentration chlorine generation systems, which in- cluded Capital Controls chlorine injection equipment, and Capital Controls EST scrubbers for emergency chlorine abatement, in a project that addresses safety concerns with existing liquid chlorine containers. The con- tracts cover 10 plants, each to receive two CECHLO MS chlorine generation trains, a primary and a standby. The project will be managed from De Nora's base in Japan, and will disinfect drinking water for seven million people when it completes in 2020. "We want to go beyond simply selling equip - ment. Our collaboration extends to the consulting engineers, contractors, and the municipal- ity, resulting in solutions that address safety concerns, and maintain the Capital Controls chlorine injector equipment that has been performing success - fully for more than 30 years," says Nesicolaci. De Nora, whose combined group revenue was €500 million at the time of the acquisition in 2015, now generates 35 per cent of revenue in Asia includ - ing China, 25 per cent in Europe and the Middle East, and the Americas account for 40 per cent. While the water markets in Brazil and India are considered untapped opportunities, it's Asia — Singapore, Shanghai and throughout China, as well as Vietnam, the Philippines, Indo- nesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar — that are in De Nora's sights. "These markets have a lot of water plants with challenges covering disinfection, water reuse, and desalination," Nesi- colaci says. "Water disinfection is an important field explored extensively at Singapore In- ternational Water Week 2018. Increasing levels of regulation on water quality and safety is driving utilities in the region to seek advanced solutions that are robust enough to meet develop - ing water needs. We have the potential to create innovative solutions that can contribute to improving the situation on water-related security issues — and that's really exciting." 26 In Site September 2018 Water. desalination + reuse De Nora Water Technologies has Asia in its sights Conventional wastewater treatment systems are not effective on micro- pollutants, which are non-biodegradable. Marwan Nesicolaci, De Nora Water Technologies De Nora introduced its Capital Controls ozone generators to Asia at Singapore International Water Week 2018. The generators can be used for a variety of applications including disinfection, colour removal, micro-pollutants, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (BOD), and many emerging contaminants. Ozone can be used in combination with existing disinfection systems for difficult-to-treat water, in advanced oxidation processes, and for reducing sludge.