Dow Technology to Help Post-Olympic Beijing Sustain Water Conservation
FILMTEC™ membranes offer clean water solutions to millions in Middle East and worldwide
Dow Water Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, recently announced that its FILMTEC™ reverse osmosis (RO) membranes have been installed at three wastewater reclamation and reuse facilities in conjunction with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The 2008 Olympics will be the second time that Dow membrane technology would help manage water resources for the games as the technology was also deployed in 2000 during the Sydney Games.
The city of Beijing has undertaken massive projects to provide an adequate and safe water supply for the Olympic Games. In keeping with its commitment to organise a ‘green’ Olympics, three water reuse projects at Beijing employ more than 5,000 FILMTEC™ 8-inch diameter reverse osmosis (RO) membrane elements. The membranes will help treat 45,000 m3/day of water in the three sites - BeiXiaoHe Wastewater Treatment Plant, Beijing International Airport and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. This would help the city realize its goal to reuse 50% of its water.
In the Middle East, FILMTEC™ proven membrane technology is helping meet a basic human need in areas with extremely dry conditions and limited fresh water sources. “Dow Water Solutions provides millions of people in the Middle East with a sustainable source of fresh water,” says Zuhair Allawi, Commercial Director for Dow Chemical India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA) GmbH. “Our innovative technology and best-in-class product portfolio offer an affordable solution to the region’s water shortage crisis.”
Dow Water Solutions high-performance FILMTEC™ membranes are operational in some of the most water-challenged areas of the world including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). In partnership with WETICO Saudi Berkefeld, the recently-launched Shoaiba Barge SeaWater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant in Saudi Arabia is projected to be Saudi Arabia’s first large-scale reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant and the world’s largest sea-based desalination plant. Shoaiba is expected to produce more than 50,000 m3/day using FILMTEC™ membrane elements.
FILMTEC™ reverse osmosis membranes are made from a thin-film composite polyamide material and have a high resistance to bio-fouling (i.e., the build-up of biological matter inside the membrane element). With excellent membrane performance and automated precision fabrication, FILMTEC™ elements enable higher solids and organics rejection, lower energy usage and higher performance consistency. The optimal design and reliability of FILMTEC™ elements significantly reduces system capital and operating costs.
