INDUSTRY INSIGHT
NuWater is invested
IN MUNICIPAL WATER
UF is the pressurised separation of water and colloidal solids using membrane technology. NuWater employs a low-pressure, 0.03 micron barrier to remove solids, bacteria and viruses. It provides consistent water quality (<0.1 NTU) irrespective of variation in feedwater quality
NJ Bouwer, executive at NuWater
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Delivering potable water to every household is one of the primary objectives in South Africa and worldwide. That requires sustainable and engineered responses that are interdependent on public and private sector collaboration. IMIESA speaks to NJ Bouwer, executive at NuWater, about their workable solutions based on selecting the right choices.
ne of the key drivers for success in any sector of society is the ability to understand and embrace technological evolution. Within the water sector, for example, advances in treatment processes like ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO) and a variety of oxidation technologies are delivering revolutionary benefits. They form the core of NuWater’s technology suite, specialising in scalable modular automated package plant solutions for the water, wastewater and desalination markets. The advantages of RO and UF include reduced process costs, since both systems use membrane technology, substantially negating chemical dosing requirements. Compared to conventional treatment plants, UF processes and oxidation technologies are also far better suited to dealing with the higher degree of raw water variability induced by climate change and downstream pollution. NuWater’s solutions are benchmarked against international best practice technologies with
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proven applications for private and public water users. “Within the municipal space, our objective is to ensure that their engineering departments are kept informed on the best choices from both environmental and lifecycle costing perspectives,” Bouwer explains. “Conventional process technologies that are decades old cannot compete with modernday alternatives and the advancements in membrane technologies in terms of final treated water quality.” While conventional water and wastewater plants cost millions to build, NuWater’s compact modularised ‘plug and play’ type solutions are far more affordable and relatively quick to build, deploy and commission. An operating life of up to 40 years is achievable, and NuWater plants are available on a rental basis, as an outright sale, or supplied in terms of build-own-operate (BOO) and buildown-operate-transfer (BOOT) agreements. Many options exist to solve current problems. “A conventional concrete treatment works might last 100 years or more, but that’s not
what South Africa’s looking for right now as they take too long to establish and incur great costs. We need more immediate, affordable solutions that address the growing potable water supply gap,” says Bouwer.
Rising water demand, ageing infrastructure and PPPs Population growth and urbanisation are placing increasing strain on ageing treatment plants, now frequently overloaded well beyond their design capacity, and not always process compliant. Increased water demand also puts available water allocation capacity at risk, without factoring in non-revenue water (NRW) losses. NRW estimates indicate that between 25% and 50% of treated potable water doesn’t reach the consumer, primarily due to leaking pipes. This places further financial strain on municipalities in terms of lost billings, plus it’s a terrible waste of water. “Our ageing infrastructure places South Africa’s socio-economic future at risk if we
