2 ceramic UF projects awarded
Germany’s ItN Nanovation AG has been awarded contracts valued at over €4.5 million ($6 million) for two flat-sheet ceramic UF membrane projects by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Water and Electricity (MEW). According to ItN deputy CEO Lutz Bungeroth, the awards followed the successful two-year trial operation of three full-scale membrane trains that was conducted at the Ministry of Water and Electricity’s Buraydah Main Groundwater Treatment Plant (GWTP).
“The plant was originally equipped with seven GE ZeeWeed UF trains to filter 55,000 m3/d (14.5 MGD) of groundwater containing iron and radium. However, the manganese oxide absorbent caused operational problems for the polymeric membrane system. We replaced three of the original trains with our flat-sheet ceramic membranes and demonstrated the ability to operate for six to nine months between cleaning cycles. Based on these results and a projected cost saving of over $1.1 million per year, we have now been awarded a contract for the four remaining trains,” Bungeroth told WDR.
The company has also received an MEW order to replace a Siemens CMF-S polymeric membrane system at the 45,000 m3/d (12 MGD) Buraydah North GWTP, which is followed by a BWRO system. Bungeroth said that the CMF-S system also had operational problems and produced such a poor quality filtrate that the RO system was never able to operate.
ItN designed its membrane filter racks so that they can directly replace the existing membrane cassettes, with no changes required to the existing basin, and relatively few piping changes.
Both installations are scheduled to be fully operational before the end of the year, providing potable water for an estimated 500,000 people in the Al-Qassim Province.
ItN also said it has received a conditional confirmation letter from a local general contractor for a third contract valued at approximately €4 million ($5.3 million) for the Humaima project in Saudi Arabia.
Download: wdr2013-29.pdf