Water. desalination + reuse

SHOWCASE CERAMIC MEMBRANES TARGET CHALLENGING MF AND UF TASKSE A range of ceramic membrane modules was launched at the Aquatech exhibition in Amsterdam by Qua®, a spinoff of Aquatech International of Pennsylvania. The CeraQ™ line is available in four sizes with surface area ranging from 0.5 m² to 4.7 m². The modules are said to offer superior performance in challenging oil-removal applications and to be ideal for wastewater reuse applications in a wide range of industries. These include oil & gas, petrochemicals, refineries, food & beverages and textiles. CeraQ module is available in four pore sizes: 0.4, 0.05, 0.01 and 0.005 micron. These options provide flexibility to users in designing treatment systems for applications covering the filtration spectrum from micro- to ultrafiltration. Other features of the modules include their durability and material stability in harsh environments, as well as the ability of the membranes to tolerate cleaning with aggressive solvents if required. . DOW LAUNCHES LOW-ENERGY SWRO MEMBRANES Low-energy seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) membranes were launched on 5 November 2013 by Dow Water & Process Solutions (DWPS). The enhanced membrane chemistry of the new SeaMaxx™ elements helps minimize pressure and energy consumption below any other existing SWRO product, says Dow, and provides reliable, long-term permeate quality for single, double pass and interstaged desalination systems. SeaMaxx has an optimized module design, with 440 ft2 (41 m2) of active membrane surface and interlocking technology that will maximize the productivity of a desalination system with low differential pressure, low cleaning frequency and high cleaning efficiency. "Compared to generic low energy elements, SeaMaxx consumes up to 10% less energy and has less fouling at high operating flux," said Veronica Garcia Molina, global desalination application development leader for DWPS. "SeaMaxx has typically demonstrated success in producing 99.7% water purity, and is an excellent choice for applications treating medium to high total dissolved solids, brine treatment and high-salinity brackish water." LARGE SURFACE AREA FOR NEW UF MODULE An ultrafiltration (UF) module with 91 m2 of membrane surface area was launched on 11 November 2013 by Membrana GmbH, part of Polypore International Inc. With its high filtration surface area, the product allows purchasers to build UF systems using fewer modules and less equipment. The Liqui-Flux® W20 is a durable and robust ultrafiltration module that can process flow rates of 4.5-14 m3/h in a single device. The module utilizes the proven UltraPESTM membrane in an inside-out flow configuration and delivers consistent, high quality filtrate. Dr Oliver Becker, Liqui-Flux® Business Manager says, "The new W20 Liqui-Flux® Ultrafiltration Module provides 20% more effective membrane surface area than we have in our product line today. This additional membrane area along with the product's configurable port options provide our customers with the economics and flexibility they need to compete in today's water treatment environment." DISTILLATION SYSTEM FOR PRODUCED WATER Evaluation of a 1 MGD (3,785 m3/d) thermal system in support of a produced-water application in a North American oilfield has led manufacturer Sylvan Source Inc (SSI) to claim additional breakthrough performance and cost-structure results for its technology. Based on the completed results, independent evaluations estimated SSI's thermal industrial system at ¼ to ⅓ of the equipment cost of conventional thermal or reverse osmosis technologies and approximately 50% of their operating costs. In terms of performance, the SSI technology demonstrated significant reductions of a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds, in most cases to non-detectable levels, exceeding customer expectations. KOCH UF LINE AIMS AT HIGH-SOLIDS WATER A new ultrafiltration (UF) product line for high-solids water and wastewater applications has been launched by Koch Membrane Systems Inc (KMS). The MegaPure™ hollow-fiber system features an advanced cartridge design for better solids management and a virtually unbreakable reinforced hollow-fiber for superior reliability. With an average continuous solids tolerance of up to 250 mg/L, KMS says that the MegaPure system is an ideal solution for high solids applications such as surface water treatment, high totalorganic-carbon water treatment, reverse-osmosis pretreatment and tertiary wastewater treatment. The MegaPure UF system features a unique single-potting cartridge design, which allows air scouring to penetrate the fibre bundle more completely and release accumulated solids to the bottom where they are easily drained away. The cartridge employs the same virtually unbreakable reinforced fibre made popular by KMS's proven Puron® submerged hollow-fiber product line. SIEMENS INTRODUCES NEW MEMCOR UF SYSTEM Siemens Water Technologies announced on 2 October 2013 the introduction of a new modular Memcor® ultrafiltration (UF) system for industrial and municipal water treatment applications. The Memcor CP II pre-engineered UF membrane system is claimed to have a best-in-class compact footprint and the latest polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane technology to simplify set-up, improve performance and reduce installation and operations costs. The rack-based Memcor CP II system reduces membrane array footprint by up to 50% of previous Memcor membrane arrays. The modular system is designed to lower installation and operations costs and is scalable to meet a wide range of plant capacities for new installations and major upgrade applications. Up to 28 L40N-type membrane modules constructed of durable materials and reusable housings can be combined on a single MemRack™ unit, which integrates feed, air, filtrate and waste headers into one assembly. The fully assembled, self-supporting racks are then manifolded together to form functional arrays. November-December 2013 | Desalination & Water Reuse | 39 |

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