Water Desalination ReporT

Tom Pankratz, Editor, P.O. Box 75064, Houston, Texas 77234-5064 USATelephone: +1-281-857-6571, www.desalination.com/wdr, email: tp@globalwaterintel.com

© 2014 Media Analytics. Published in cooperation with Global Water Intelligence.

Volume 50, Number 32

The international weekly for desalination and advanced water treatment since 19652 September 2014

TechnologyFO: RO’s new best friendMassachusetts-based Oasys Water announced today that it has been awarded a contract to furnish a Membrane Brine Concentrator (MBC) in what will be the first commercial zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system to apply an osmotically driven technology membrane process. The MBC system will treat 650 m3/d (120 GPM) of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater from the 2 x 660MW Changxing Power Plant in China’s northern Zhejiang province.

The winning bid—which is understood to have been assessed on a net present value (NPV) basis—was evaluated against six other offers, including those from three of the largest brine concentrator evaporator suppliers.

At first glance, the overall process flow diagram of the Changxing FGD wastewater treatment system looks like most other ZLD systems: chemical softening, granular media filtration, ion exchange, RO pre-concentration, brine concentration and crystallization. However, rather than using a conventional mechanical vapor compression evaporator for brine concentration, the plant will employ an MBC system incorporating Oasys’ unique forward osmosis process to further concentrate RO reject from a total dissolved solids of 60,000 mg/L to approximately 280,000 mg/L.

Using a proprietary, high-salinity ammonia bicarbonate draw solution and a patented semi-permeable membrane,

the MBC system relies on the salinity gradient between the draw solution and the RO concentrate to create the necessary osmotic pressure to drive water across the membrane while rejecting up to 99 percent of the dissolved solids. The now diluted water/draw solution mixture is continuously re-concentrated in a thermal recovery system where steam is used to vaporize the thermolytic draw solution solutes at a temperature of 70°C (158°F), while the remaining low-TDS water is returned to the RO feedwater, reducing the RO system’s operating pressure and the overall treatment train’s energy consumption and capital cost.

Although Oasys has demonstrated its FO process in the concentration of oil field brines in Texas’ Permian Basin and shale gas operations in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus shale, this is the first commercial power plant application of the technology in a ZLD project.

As a result of the combined effects of growing water scarcity and stricter air pollution emission standards, FGD systems have become mandatory in China, necessitating an increased need for FGD wastewater treatment. One report estimates that China could nearly double its installed FGD capacity between now and 2020. Jim Matheson, Oasys’ CEO, said that he is excited about his company’s prospects for capturing a significant share of the resulting ZLD market, noting, “The Changxing project is a promising model to showcase the merits of our MBC technology.”

The company’s partner on the project is Beijing Woteer, an EPC contractor who was the lead investor in Oasys’ 2013 Series B funding round and has exclusive rights to the MBC technology in China’s power and other industrial markets. Woteer will furnish the balance of the treatment plant, which is scheduled to be operational in mid-2015.Concentrated

Draw Solution

Reverse Osmosis

Forward Osmosis

Pretreatedwastewater

27 m3/hr25,000 to

40,000 mg/L

17 m3/hr~1,000 mg/L

22.3 m3/hr60,000 mg/L

Draw SolutionRecovery

21.1 m3/hr<500 mg/L

Draw Solution steam

4.5 m3/hr~280,000 mg/L

to Crystallizer

Brine Column steam

Cooling Water toCondense Draw Solution

25-30°COasys MBCTM with Integrated RO Preconcentration

DiluteDraw Solution

Next Week7-10 September: The WateReuse Association will hold its Annual WateReuse Symposium in Dallas, Texas. Visit https://www.watereuse.org/node/3303.11-12 September: The Texas Desalination Association will hold Desal 2014 in Austin, Texas. Visit http://www.texasdesal.com.

Page 2WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 2 September 2014

Company NewsFrom concept to RealityToday’s news that a membrane process employing forward osmosis has prevailed in a head-to-head competition with more conventional evaporator technology on a ZLD application was both predictable and surprising.

It was predictable because growing brine disposal challenges have resulted in an avalanche of research focused on finding alternatives to the high energy and capital costs of brine concentration. It also seemed to be an obvious area for consideration of osmotically driven membrane processes (ODMPs), which will harness a salinity gradient rather than pumping power as the primary energy source. The sheer range of research—using FO and other ODMPs, chemical and electrochemical processes, humidification, membrane distillation and more conventional evaporator technology—meant that improvements were inevitable.

In retrospect, the most surprising thing may be that it took so long. However, even most early supporters of ODMPs were looking in other directions; they were likely distracted by the exponential growth of the SWRO market from 2000-2010.

WDR first reported on Oasys in February 2009, shortly after it was formed with $10 million in capital investment funding. At the time, company executives, all of whom are no longer with the company, told WDR that its proprietary forward osmosis process could be commercialized for low-salinity applications “almost immediately,” and that it could be generating revenue “within 24 months.”

municipal desal, but much more as a complement to RO where FO brine recovery systems can increase overall recovery to near-ZLD. In the short term, we have turned our attention to faster moving industrial markets, such as oil and gas produced water treatment, which are currently un-served, or poorly served, by thermal evaporative technologies,” he said.

Since then, the company has focused on optimizing its brine concentration and FO membrane technology. And, besides supplying its first commercial ZLD system (see previous story), Oasys’ Lisa Marchewka said that it will ship its first commercial produced water MBC system, which will concentrate brine in a Texas oilfield, later this month.

TechnologyIt was 20 years ago today,Sgt Pepper taught the band to play…On 25-26 August 1994, the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) and the Orange County Water District (OCWD) convened the first specialty conference on what was then a newly emerging water treatment process: Microfiltration.At the time, the water industry was looking for methods to improve filter performance in drinking water treatment plants to ensure compliance with the EPA’s Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) requirements for three-log (99.9%) giardia removal and for more efficient RO pretreatment alternatives to high-lime clarification used in wastewater reclamation applications. Microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF), which had been developed for the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries, were being considered as viable alternatives to traditional granular media filters used in municipal water and wastewater.

Greg Leslie, then an OCWD engineer, was charged with coordinating the program. Last week, on the 20th anniversary of the NWRI’s Microfiltration for Water Treatment Symposium, he told WDR that it had been his hope to organize a program that would bring together a good mix of delegates from water utilities, engineering firms and membrane companies. Because MF and UF were novel technologies for the municipal water industry, he invited Bill Eykamp, an MIT chemical engineer with 23 years of experience in developing and deploying membranes in industrial applications for Koch Membrane Systems (KMS), to chair the symposium. Dr Leslie, now a professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, recalls, “Dr Eykamp posed four

Oilfield MBC with RO (foreground) andFO systems (background), awaiting shipment.

Jim Matheson took over as Oasys’ CEO in 2012. His view of Oasys’ future proved to be a bit more accurate when he was interviewed for a two-part, April 2013 WDR story on ODMPs. “We believe FO will indeed have a place in

Page 3WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 2 September 2014

questions for the symposium presenters: Is MF a technically feasible process for the treatment of drinking water and the reclamation of wastewater? Is MF economically competitive for either of these applications? Is the MF process sufficiently superior to conventional technology to overcome the barriers of deploying a novel technology in a conservative field where reliability is of paramount importance? And, finally: Is MF superior to other emerging solutions?

“These were all valid US water industry concerns in 1994. After hearing from noted academics on MF/UF theory and from regulators on the approval requirements for new technologies in California, we were eager to hear from R Scott Yoo of the San Jose Water company and Steve Conklin of OCWD, two organizations that had taken a chance on the emerging technology.

“Scott spoke positively on the six months of operation of the 5 MGD [18,925 m3/d] MF plant at Saratoga Springs, which was then the largest MF drinking water plant in the US. Then, Steve outlined the plans for a recently purchased 0.6 MGD [2,000 m3/d] MF unit that was part of a demonstration project to investigate the feasibility of upgrading the OCWD’s Water Factory 21 pretreatment system.

“The meeting concluded with the consensus that MF was a promising technology. However, there were still questions on its cost and reliability.

“Twenty years later—with the Saratoga Springs membrane plant still in operation, and a 100 MGD [378,500 m3/d] groundwater replenishment system occupying the site of the original Water Factory 21—there is a lesson to be learned: from little things, big things grow. And, that while it is good to be prudent, sometimes it is necessary to take a chance.”

Company NewsFloating SWRO contends for water awardBuoyed by their selection as semi-finalists in the Future Technologies for Water (FTW) competition, a team of recent University of North Carolina at Charlotte graduates said that they are moving forward with plans to commercialize a wave-powered seawater desalination system within 12 to 18 months. According to Laura Smailes, the team’s project manager, the SAROS (Swell Actuated RO System) was selected from 70 entrants from 27 countries, with the winner to be named early next month.

Their 160 GPD (600 L/d) prototype SAROS was entered into the FTW competition and successfully demonstrated its ability to produce fresh water in a series of tests conducted

off Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Justin Sonnett, one of the co-inventors, told WDR that the test unit was designed to operate in fairly standard wind chop wave conditions with a standard, 2.5-inch (64mm) diameter SWRO membrane and a 150-micron strainer and 100- and 10-micron cartridge filters for pretreatment.

“A seawater-filled pendulum hangs from the center of the SAROS structure, which is mounted on pontoons and anchored in place. The waves cause the structure to move in a natural rocking motion, creating energy that is captured by hydraulic cylinders to directly pressurize the feedwater. Our preliminary full-scale design is expected to produce between 700 and 1,000 GPD [2.7 and 3.8 m3/d] of fresh water with a 2,400-pound [1,090kg] pendulum, while operating in 2- to 3-foot [0.6-0.9m] seas.

SAROS Wave-powered SWRO Unit

“The system’s mobility allows it to be easily relocated during inclement weather or demand changes, and it can be deployed or retrieved in a matter of hours. It is entirely serviceable above the water level and employs bolt-on components to facilitate service and maintenance,” said Sonnett.

The team is now making changes to optimize the unit’s performance and will begin extended oceanic testing in October. Potential sponsors, partners and investors are now being sought.

Saudi ArabiaBWRO to get ceramic UF pretreatmentGermany’s ItN Nanovation has been awarded a €1.3 million ($1.7 million) contract to supply its flat sheet ceramic membranes to Veolia Water’s VWS Saudi Industries for a new waterworks project at Al Quaiyah, east of Jeddah. VWS will design and build the project for the general contractor, Al Manar, under the direction of the Ministry of Water and Electricity.

Rate for one year: £305 or US$550. Subscribe and renew online at: www.desalination.com/wdr Reproduction or electronic distribution is forbidden. Subscribers may circulate their copy on their immediate premises. To email or create additional

copies for other office locations, contact Ekaterina Edmondson (ee@globalwaterintel.com) to arrange a site license.

Page 4WATER DESALINATION REPORT – 2 September 2014

in grants of up to 30 percent of a project’s eligible costs, or £50,000 ($83,000), whichever is lower. Grants are available to all East Anglian-based small and medium enterprises in the renewable energy supply chain.

Qatar Electricity and Water Company is understood to be selecting a consultant to review an EPC offer for the 163,656 m3/d (43.2 MGD) Ras Abu Fontas A3 project. Plans call for the BOO project to employ MSF technology, although an alternative plan to use SWRO is also under consideration. Qatar General Electricity and Water Company (Kahramaa) will be the project offtaker.

In a bipartisan move, the California Legislature has approved a $7.12 billion water bond that will be included as Proposition 1 on the November ballot. The bond provides for water use efficiency and recycling, groundwater cleanup and management and $2.7 billion for additional water storage. Desalination projects are eligible to compete for funds under the Integrated Regional Water Management Program and Recycled Water sections of the proposed measure.

Project update: Biwater’s 10,400 m3/d (2.8 MGD) Paraquita Bay SWRO project in the British Virgin Islands has been installed and is set to begin commissioning. The SWRO system includes two first-pass trains and two second-pass trains, with a passive screen intake system and a full post-treatment system that includes the use of CO2 and limestone contactors. The project, which was delivered under a 16-year BOT contract, is part of a wider contract that includes the construction of two BiCOM wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations, pipelines and storage facilities.

The American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) will hold a technology transfer workshop entitled The Lowdown on Membranes in the Low Country on 15-16 September in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/m2g3hfv.

PeopleSada Krishnan has been appointed as director of business development for Oasys’ new Australian entity, Oasys Water Australia, Pty, based in Sydney. Formerly an Evoqua marketing manager, he may now be contacted at skrishnan@oasyswater.com.

ItN CEO Lutz Bungeroth told WDR that the 25,000 m3/d (6.6 MGD) project includes 16 filtration racks arranged in eight trains with 3,584m2 (38,580 ft2) of total membrane area.

“The project was originally designed to use sand filters to pretreat groundwater for the removal of iron, manganese and radium ahead of a brackish groundwater RO system. However, the Ministry’s local directorate is familiar with the success of a similar installation we completed for Buraydah City in the Al Qassim region and approved the extra budget to change from sand filters to our ceramic UF membranes,” said Bungeroth.

The membranes are scheduled for delivery before 31 March, and the plant will be commissioned by the end of 2015.

In briefIt’s official: NanoH2O has completed the filing to officially change its operating name to LG NanoH2O. The company, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of LG Chemical when the sale was finalized on 30 April 2014, has also changed the address of its website to www.lg-nanoh2o.com.

Asry, the Bahraini ship repair company, has reportedly awarded a 25-year BOT contract to the Las Palmas-based Inexa—in partnership with Gulf Marketing House—to upgrade and expand an existing 3,000 m3/d (0.8 MGD) SWRO plant to 7,000 m3/d (1.8 MGD). The contract is valued at $8.6 million, and, in addition to supplying fresh water for the yard and related operations, it will supply potable water for the workers’ quarters.

CalDesal, the California desalination advocacy group, is accepting nominations for members of its Executive Committee. The eleven-member Committee is comprised of nine agency members, and two associate members are elected for two-year terms that commence on 3 December. Nominations are to be submitted to Jessica McDonough at Jessica@caladmanagement.com until 15 September.

4NRg, a UK-based R&D company, has been awarded a £42,000 ($70,000) grant from the SCORE program to upscale its prototype wave-powered seawater desal system. The unit will be ready for testing in 3-6 months. The SCORE program will deliver £2.5 million ($4.1 million) in funding through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)