APRIL 2010
PLUS:
Marketplace Tenders & Contracts Events Watch APPLYING THOUGHT TO WATER IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Wastewater Special The Gulf factor Mastering MBR Trickling alternative Re-use proposition
INTERVIEW
• Hamad Al Hashemi, Managing Director & Dr Samir Hamrouni, Senior Advisor, DIT/TechnoPark • Derek Watson, Group Chief Executive, AEON Celebrating the outstanding achievements of the MENA water industry November 2010
PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ
US$10
Seawater
Pre-treatment
Norit X-Flow
Seawater pre-treatment membrane
Norit X-Flow, a member of the Norit group, is the world’s
Good pre-treatment is of major importance for successful
leading company in the development and supply of highquality
operation of seawater reverse osmosis plants. Norit X-Flow is the
and innovative membrane technology to global municipal
only company that offers an ultrafiltration membrane specifically
and industrial markets. Norit X-Flow membranes are used in
developed for seawater pre-treatment. With its specialized
the field of ultrafiltration and microfiltration in capillary and
membrane geometry and characteristics, SEAGUARD offers the
tubular form, which makes selective filtration possible.
highest quality SWRO feed water. This guarantees years of trouble-
No following. Norit. Just leading.
free desalination at the lowest cost possible. www.xflow.com
CONTENTS
applying thought to water in the middle east April 2010
COVER STORY
Wastewater Special 20 The Gulf factor
Technical and economic perspectives on wastewater treatment in the GCC
24 Mastering MBR
Interview with Dr Murat Sarioglu, Associate Consultant & Principal Process Engineer MWH Europe
30 Trickling alternative
Interview with David Heffernan, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Septech
34 Re-use proposition
As the district cooling industry sets up new plants or expands capacity of existing ones, reclaimed water can cater to its cooling water needs as a cost-effective substitute
04 EDITORIAL
The future of wastewater
06 HAPPENINGS
The Region
12 News Briefs 16 HAPPENINGS
12
20
24
At Large
18 MarketPlace INTERVIEW 36 Derek Watson,
Group Chief Executive, AEON
30
36
40
40 Hamad Al Hashemi, Managing Director & Dr Samir Hamrouni, Senior Advisor, DIT/TechnoPark 42 Tenders & Contracts
46 Events Watch APRIL 2010
3
editor’s note The future of wastewater
P
ast issues of H20 have covered different aspects of wastewater treatment technologies in relation to the Middle East. In the midst of a general uncertainty about the state of the wastewater market in the region, we have re-visited a few themes like Membrane Bio-Reactors (MBR), Trickling Bio-filters and suitability of different treatment methods for the Gulf climate. In 2010, at the various water forums I have attended so far, wastewater re-use seems to be the hot topic, with the thunder being stolen by Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company (NWC), its efforts to privatise the wastewater sector in the Kingdom and on a more ambitious note, create a viable and sustainable market for Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) targeting agricultural, industrial and commercial re-use. Last year, NWC had entered into several MoUs with the private sector for investing in the transfer, sale and distribution of TSE. We can expect some concrete outcomes this year. Speaking at the Arabian Power & Water Summit in Abu Dhabi late last month, Loay Al Musallam, CEO, NWC said that his company, in partnership with the private sector, will expand the coverage of sewerage services to 60% of the Saudi population, and raise the percentage of wastewater re-use in total water utilisation from the existing 6-7% levels. At present, only 45% of the country’s urban population is covered by sewerage services. Continuing on the TSE theme, a leading water expert we interviewed for this issue has claimed that the scope and acceptability of TSE re-use can be expanded if Membrane Bio-Reactor (MBR) technology is used, as the high quality of the MBR effluent cannot be matched by conventional treatment methods except at a higher cost. We also re-visit a few fundamentals in our cover story on the suitability of different wastewater treatment technologies for the Gulf region. While some of the author’s conclusions and observations are sure to stir up debate, the fact that they are based on his own research lends them certain credence. Closer home, Phase 2 of the Green Building regulations, jointly developed by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) and Dubai Municipality, is expected to be announced this month. Qatar, too, announced the first full version of Qatar Sustainability Assessment System (QSAS), which integrates best practices from 140 global assessment systems to create a Qatari Green Building benchmark. Disappointingly, the press announcements, in both cases, stopped at energy savings. It would be interesting to find out what they have to say about the water side of things. At a seminar held in Dubai to commemorate World Water Day, a Ministry of Environment & Water spokesperson provided an overview of Water Resources Information System (WRIS), an advanced data management, reporting and visualisation tool, being deployed by the Ministry for the management of ground water and environmental data of our country. The Ministry has successfully used WRIS-generated geological and ground water salinity maps for decision support and also, to develop and verify its first water budget model. In the long run, WRIS is expected to play a key role in helping the UAE manage its scarce water resources in a more sustainable manner.
Publisher Dominic De Sousa Managing Director & Associate Publisher Frédéric Paillé • fred@cpi-industry.com Editorial Director & Associate Publisher B Surendar • surendar@cpi-industry.com Editor Anoop K Menon • anoop@cpi-industry.com Group Sales Director Vedran Dedic • vedran@cpi-industry.com Design Rey Delante • rey@cpi-industry.com Ulysses Galgo • uly@cpi-industry.com Webmaster Troy Maagma • troy@cpidubai.com Database/Subscriptions Manager Purwanti Srirejeki | purwanti@cpi-industry.com ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Frédéric Paillé: +971 50 7147204 fred@cpi-industry.com Vedran Dedic: +971 50 3756834 vedran@cpi-industry.com Euro Zone and UK Joseph Quinn, HORSESHOE MEDIA Tel: +44 (0)20 8687 4139 Fax: +44 (0)20 8687 4130 Marshall House, 124 Middleton Road Morden, Surrey, SM4 6RW, UK North America Rakesh Saxena, CPI INDUSTRY North America Branch Tel: +1 905 890 5031 Fax: +1 905 890 5031 GSM: +1 416 841 5050 rakesh@cpi-industry.com Published by
Anoop K Menon
Get the next issue of H2O early!
Did you know that H2O is also available electronically? Get a digitised copy of the magazine before the issue goes for print! As a bonus, the digital version includes such features as a keyword search, annotation, highlight, note-making and hot links. For more details, please access www.cpi-industry.com/digital (Zinio is a digital publishing firm based in the USA.)
4
APRIL 2010
Head Office PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 3756830 Fax: +971 4 4341906 Web: www.cpi-industry.com Printed by: Excel Printing Press, Sharjah, UAE © Copyright 2010 CPI. All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.
The smart choice ... for all the right reasons.
Global supply with local expertise TORAY sells and distributes its products throughout the world, while providing expert support and service locally and in person. No matter where you need assistance, TORAY makes sure that you have on-site access to our expertise. Full product range With a proven track record in high-end membrane manufacturing, TORAY is the only manufacturer offering all types of membranes for the water treatment and wastewater treatment industry, especially RO, NF, UF and MBR. Highest quality TORAY membrane elements are manufactured using the latest technologies and materials, delivering state-of-the-art products. Because quality control is an essential step in ensuring superior performance, all products are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified.
For integrated membrane solutions and superior quality, the choice is TORAY! For more information visit www.toraywater.com or contact our regional office: Europe, Africa: Toray Membrane Europe AG Tel. +41 61 415 87 10 eu@toray-membrane.com
Asia and Oceania: Toray Industries, Inc. Membrane Products Department Tel. +81 47 350 60 30 ao@toray-membrane.com
Middle East: Toray Membrane Europe - Dubai Office Tel. +971 4 886 19 22 me@toray-membrane.com
Americas: Toray Membrane USA, Inc. Tel. +1 858 218 23 90 am@toray-membrane.com
www.quest-com.ch
Happenings > the region
Green(ing) phases
Phase two of Dubai’s green building regulations launched during WETEX 2010
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry building (right) is the 1st LEED certified existing building in the Arab world
At WETEX 2010, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced Green Building Regulations – Stage II, a new set of a new set of guidelines and specifications jointly developed with Dubai Municipality to regulate building standards for achieving efficiency in the use of electricity, water and renewable energy. H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), said, “The Authority plans to issue the Green Building power and water regulations by April 2010 for ensuring the efficient use of electricity, water and renewable energy in Dubai, within the green buildings framework. In the initial stage, all new buildings will be required to comply with the 6
APRIL 2010
codes and regulations and incorporate them in their construction designs.” The implementation of Green Building regulations in Dubai is in line with the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai to promote sustainable urban development in the emirate. “Dubai will be the first city in the Middle East that officially applies the green buildings standards on its residential and commercial buildings,” Al Tayer said. DEWA and Dubai Municipality have specified both optional and mandatory regulations, in order to make buildings in Dubai compatible with the environmental requirements, which include a set of factors such as site selection, efficient use of energy and water, quality of materials used in construction, indoor environmental quality, and waste management. The Green Buildings regulations aim to reduce electricity consumed by cooling, lighting and water heating applications, rationalise water consumption and promote optimum use of renewable energy. Such measures will also increase the life span of buildings and contribute to increased productivity. Al Tayer said, “…. by applying the new regulations, we will be able to reduce energy usage up to about 40%. The Infrastructure, Land & Environment Committee has approved the launch of the Green Building Regulations Stage II. From DEWA’s part, the Authority will ensure the application of energy, water and renewable energy efficiencies. Dubai Municipality will supervise and regulate the application of other major standards that fall under its jurisdiction.” The new Green Building standards and procedures will ensure that Dubai remains a healthy and environmentfriendly city.
135
Billion USD. Investment by 2019 in GCC Power & Desalination sector to meet rising demand and replace old infrastructure Source: MEED Insight
217
MIGD. Qatar’s volume of water production in 2009 Source: The Peninsula
306
Million USD or one per cent of national income, spending of Lebanese citizens on water Source: The Daily Star, Lebanon
120
million kg. Reduction in C02 gas emissions by DEWA through conservation measures targeting endcustomers. Source: DEWA
Three time winner
TECOM bags Emirates Energy Award for water conservation initiatives TECOM Investments, a member of Dubai Holding, has won the Emirates Energy Award (EEA) in the ‘Minor Projects’ category for its project ‘Water Conservation Programme at Site A.’ The award was presented by H.H. Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, at a gala ceremony in Dubai. Organised annually under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the EEA honours companies and individuals that have implemented measures to utilise energy in the most rational and efficient way possible. The programme, implemented in collaboration with Dubai Municipality, has successfully helped TECOM Investments reduce water consumption and sewage across Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Knowledge Village. It resulted in bringing down potable water consumption by 42 million gallons across TECOM’s own facilities and private investors’ buildings, while eliminating 7,700 sewage tanker trips from the roads of Dubai. The entire project was financed by Dubai Internet City (DIC) and the
His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, presents Abdullatif Al Mulla, Group CEO of TECOM Investments with an award at the Emirates Energy Awards.
investment was recovered in 22 days. As one of the first organisations in the region to launch a Sustainable Development Policy in August 2006, TECOM has consistently implemented a variety of conservation projects, green building certification programs and sustainable procurement through its Sustainable Energy and Environment Division (SEED). Abdullatif Al Mulla, Group CEO of TECOM Investments, said: “The
Property prospects
Construction projects uplift prospects for the Facilities Management (FM) market in the Middle East The Facilities Management (FM) market in the Middle East has been growing in leaps and bounds, fuelled by ongoing multi-billion dollar construction projects. Multinational companies are setting a benchmark in terms of operations, bringing their facilities on par with international standards. Green building techniques, which involve professional maintenance of buildings
are gaining traction and opening up new avenues for FM companies. As most end users lack the in-house expertise to handle professional facilities management, the scope for the FM market has widened considerably. Another important driver is the transfer of risk to a third party. An analysis by Frost & Sullivan finds that market earned revenues of over $3,500 million in 2008 and estimates this
implementation of our sustainable development policy has clearly demonstrated that such initiatives make us a fiscally, environmentally and socially responsible organisation. In 2009 alone, our energy and water conservation programme helped us save Dh14.2 million and reduce CO2 emissions by 17,500 tonnes. Ali bin Towaih, Executive Director of SEED, said: “We are delighted with our successful partnership with Dubai Municipality in making this project a success. Projects such as these enabled us to reduce water consumption by 34%, tremendously lowering the financial burden on the utility. We are delighted to have included private investors’ buildings as well in this programme.” In a subsequent meeting for Earth Houer, the SEED director pointed out that TECOM’s water and energy conservation measures helped achieve 17,500 tonnes of CO2 reductions. Malek Al Malek, Executive Director of Dubai Internet City, said: “Businesses have increasingly become aware of their organisation’s impact on the environment that drives them to place greater emphasis on green development. Dubai Internet City has been playing an instrumental role in developing and leading various initiatives that aim to reduce its carbon footprint while creating a sustainable community.” TECOM Investments has won many different categories in the Emirates Energy Awards, including the Energy Engineer Award, Minor Energy Project Award, and Private Corporation Energy Award.
to reach $8,000 million in 2013. “The FM market in the Middle East is in the infancy stage when compared to other developed regions such as Europe and North America,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Suganya Rajan. “This creates abundance of opportunities, and the sheer size of construction happening is a testimony to the excellent future of facilities management in the Gulf region.” In the FM market, great stakes are placed on building owners’ knowledge of the potent advantages of outsourcing these services. Management services, when outsourced, allow the end-user to focus more on their core activities. Despite the demand upswing for FM and its increasing popularity, the market APRIL 2010
7
Happenings > the region was heavily impacted by the economic recession. Some construction projects have been shelved; and end users were skeptical about drawing up any new contracts. Companies are struggling to keep their costs low for long-term contracts. During 2008, the number of contracts equalled that of 2007 though the value of the contracts was small. Manpower cost is also a serious concern for FM companies. “Though manpower is in abundance in this region, the cost involved in recruiting and managing the workforce is quite high,” said Rajan. “This is mainly due to the immigrant workers whose work permit issues and accommodation are taken care of by the employers.” With labour laws getting stricter, manpower cost is continuing on an upward trajectory. Also, end user perceptions of FM services are also clouding market prospects. Many end users and building owners consider FM services an extravagance as it overburdens their budget. End users have failed to understand that FM services enhance the lifecycle of a building and help reduce maintenance costs in the long run. Labour issues and inflationary pressures have been overcome by remodelled strategies and creating awareness about the monetary benefits of deploying professional FM services to contain maintenance costs. Inflation, a consequence of high oil prices, has been influencing the profit margins of many facilities management companies since the beginning of 2008. Reducing the consumption of natural resources such as water and power is another prominent issue that requires attention in this region. Adapting to local market conditions and providing competitive pricing will be the special challenge for multinational companies that are keen on entering this arena. Considering the overall scenario, FM companies should unleash industry best practices to stay ahead in the market. FM companies should remain flexible in order to provide customised services to cater to the evolving needs of clients. Adopting advanced technology will help FM companies to add value based service and sign more lucrative contracts. 8
APRIL 2010
Sealed from salt
Four hundred thousand square metres of sealing material is keeping the seawater out at Dubai International Airport’s Concourse A busy hub between East and West, Dubai International is the world’s fastestgrowing airport in terms of customer throughput, with a growth rate of close to 20% and more than 37 million passengers in 2008. The airport’s long-awaited $4.5 billion expansion opened on October 14, 2008, and Concourse 3, a huge vault-like structure on top of a deep 750-metre-long and 250-metre-wide basement, is expected to be completed by 2011. The building will be kept watertight thanks to some 400,000 square metres of Elastoseal EPDM tanking membrane. “The water table in the UAE is very high, since the loose sand particles of the desert make it easy for seawater to penetrate the ground, so saltwater is found just one or two meters down,” said Munzer Akbik, Managing Director of AMC Protection, providers of concrete treatment and protection solutions. “This means that every basement structure must have good protection against water to prevent penetration and to ensure a longer life for the building.” AMC Protection was contracted by Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation to supply an envelope tanking system for Concourse 3, which will accommodate the increased number of passengers expected to be arriving with the new Airbus A380 Superjumbo aircraft. It will also incorporate climate-controlled lounges, have 27 contact gates and include an underground baggage transfer area. Trelleborg supplies the membrane in rolls that are 1.7 metres wide and 25 meters long. These are shipped from Sweden and then brought to AMC’s prefabrication centre in Dubai. There they are welded into panels that are five to six meters wide and 25 metres long, folded, and then transported to the site for installation. “In addition to the logistical challenges, we work very close to aircraft in certain areas, so we have to be very careful with safety procedures,” said Akbik. “We have worked
The new Concourse 3 at Dubai building will be kept watertight thanks to some 400,000 square metres of Elastoseal EPDM tanking membrane. Photo: Trelleborg AB.
with Trelleborg for several years now, but never on a single project of this scale.” “It’s the largest single project we have ever had,” agrees Fredrik Åhman, Export Manager at Trelleborg in Värnamo, Sweden. It was in partnership with AMC that Trelleborg developed its unique waterstop. The waterstop is used in tanking applications when compartmentalising Elastoseal EPDM tanking membrane. “We were the only EPDM manufacturer that could supply such a system component and other accessories that can be welded to the membrane,” says Åhman. “That’s what it took to seal the deal.” The deepest part of the basement of Concourse 3 is 20 metres below the water table, and the area is punctuated by 4,500 piles to support the structure. “We have to monitor quality very carefully and ensure the tanking is perfect, and the client has requested a permanent on-site technician from Trelleborg,” said Akbik. “We normally send someone for a week or two,” says Åhman. “But here, the standards were extremely high. I’ve never seen anything like it in terms of quality control.” To date, AMC has covered some 280,000 square metres of a total area of around 400,000 square metres.
Innovation + Excellence = Recognition
APPLYING THOUGHT TO WATER IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Celebrating the outstanding achievements of the MENA water industry November 2010
Technology Projects Sustainability Business Health & Safety Brought to you by
Happenings > the region
CCG celebrates World Water Day Joint event with Ministry of Environment and Water sees detailed discussion on the new Water Resources Information System and wastewater re-use t
(LtoR): Dr Mohammed Al Mulla, Director, Water Resources; Saif Al Sharaa, Executive Manager of Water resources and Nature Conservation; Mahmood Awad, Managing Director, CCG; Obaib Al Matroushi, General Manager, Ministry Of Environment & Water and Ahmed Al Shuha, Technical Director, CCG
Water and wastewater treatment solutions provider Concorde-Corodex Group (CCG), commemorated the World Water Day 2010 in association with the Ministry of Environment and Water. The event, held in Dubai, was organised by the Ministry under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water and sponsored by CCG. The conference was chaired by Obaib Al Matroushi, General Manager, Ministry Of Environment & Water along with Sultan Al Mulla, Chairman, Sharjah Municipality; Dr. Mohamed AlMulla, Director of Water Resources; Saif Al Sharaa, Executive Manager of water resources and Nature Conservation; Mahmood Awad, Managing Director, CCG and Ahmed Al Shuha, Technical Director, CCG. The Ministry unveiled its ‘Water Resources Information System (WRIS)’ at the event. Dr Mohammed Al-Mulla said that the Water Resources Information System (WRIS) is an Advanced Data Management system, which would address what if scenarios on issues related to irrigation, population, quantity and quality of water resources and alternative sources in the UAE. Al Mulla continued: 10
APRIL 2010
“The Middle East is considered an arid zone with almost negligible natural fresh water resources, which have recently reached crisis levels. “The WRIS has been developed using Hydro Geoanalyst & Manager software (Schlumberger) and would have a Database Structure that allows importing/exporting/ storing of all water resources related data. The database would have more advanced tools, like complex querying, borehole log plotting, 3D interpolation and visualisation, time series charting, reporting and different
types of visualisation it would have full compatibility with GIS and would be linked to Water Budget (supply/demand) Model.” The water resources database has will source and store data from environment authorities, federal ministries and authorities, electricity and water authorities, municipalities, the private sector, and civil and education sectors. The ministry has compiled and migrated 50% of the results of WR studies conducted during the period 19692009 to the WRIS. Other achievements include the production and use of the first digital geological, hydrogeological, and groundwater salinity Maps in applied scientific research and decision support, and the development and verification of the first water budget model. Speaking at the seminar, the MD of CCG, Mahmood Awad stressed the need to act now with partnership of public sectors and public to overcome the world water problems. “World Water Day is a platform for all to join hands, come together, and fight the water problems faced by the whole world. We are tackling the issue at various stages of water cycle. Right from the drinking water generation, sewage transportation, to wastewater treatment and reuse. Provided that we apply the right technology we can reduce the stress on municipal networks for supply of fresh water and transport of sewage.” Ahmed Al Shuha, Technical Director, CCG, said, “The Middle East is considered an arid zone with almost negligible natural fresh water resources, which have recently reached crisis levels. For the first time in history, the portable water and water treatment industries in the Middle East are under pressure to increase their efficiency. The need of the hour is to invest in technologies for water conservation and water recycling.” Al Shuha spoke on different technologies that can used to treat wastewater to potable water standards for re-use in industrial applications.
Implementing district cooling to maximise efficiency and achieve sustainability in Saudi Arabia
Re an gist qu d s er v to ote ave $ ia th av 16 20 is ail 93 0 ad yo 9. sim ve ur 00 p rt di 2C ly sco P un I t
International conference: 19-20 April 2010 Interactive workshops: 18 & 21 April 2010 Park Hyatt Hotel Jeddah, Saudi Arabia www.districtcoolingsaudi.com
Executive contributions from: George Barbari, CEO, DC Pro Engineering Hisham Hajaj, International Consultant, Stanley Consultants Hassan Sabeh Ayoun, Assistant Division Manager, Saudi Oger Khalil Atieh, Vice President, Jain and Partners Tim GrifďŹ ths, Director, Chescor Capital Per Jonasson, CEO, Capital Cooling Samer Abussa, Director Operations and Maintenance, Saudi Tabreed Colin Goulding, GM, Saudi Tabreed And many more Join the region's district cooling experts at District Cooling Summit Saudi Arabia 2010 as they look at the current challenges facing HVAC and construction communities and uncover successful district cooling initiatives, track latest industry developments, explore new projects and utilise regional case studies that highlight how to successfully plan, design and implement district cooling in the Middle East. Infrastructure
For more information or to register please contact Tel: +971 4 364 2975 Fax: +971 4 363 1938 Email: enquiry@iqpc.ae Name: Company: Country: Job title: Phone number: Email address:
news briefs DEWA receives 14 consultancy bids for maiden IWPP
The containerised desalination units are all ‘plug and play’
RSS enters mobile desalination market
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), which had published an international tender in December 2009 to attract the consultants for the emirate’s first Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP) – Hassayan 1 – has received 14 bids for consultancy works. H.E Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD&CEO, DEWA, said: “We are pleased to announce that DEWA has received 14 bids at the tender closing on March 8. This is a great number that reflects the interest of the players in this new project.” DEWA will analyse and evaluate the received bids and short list the best offers during the period from end-April up to mid-June so as to award the consultancy contract by June 2010. The DEWA head said that this approach is in line with the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai in supporting the environment friendly initiatives in Dubai and encouraging competitiveness in this vital sector.
Rental Solutions & Services (RSS), a global provider of rental power and cooling solutions, has ventured into mobile desalination, and has also opened a new office in Cyprus to serve the Mediterranean market. Milan Balac, Managing Director, RSS said that the Cyprus office will serve as a hub for the Mediterranean region, including Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Commenting on the new mobile desalination division, Robert Bagatsing, Group Marketing Manager, RSS, said the company can supply water for any application in areas that have limited supply of fresh water or no potable water. Lee Cox, General Manager for Southern Gulf, RSS, added that targeted industries include construction, district cooling, military & municipal facilities, power plants, refineries, pulp & paper, steel, food H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, & beverage, pharmaceuticals, textile, laundry, agricultural nurseries & MD&CEO, DEWA green houses, water distributors, hospitals and livestock farms. RSS Mobile Desalination Solutions comprises pre treatment, low and high pressure pumps, RO membranes and all associated chemical dosing PROJECTS pumps and control equipment for brackish and sea-water desalination. Simon Urquhart, Group Technical Manager, RSS Mobile Desalination AECOM bags ADSSC projects Division added that these containerised units can be transported by AECOM in the Middle East has trailer or barge and can be skid mounted for longer hire. The RO announced that it has bagged two membranes for brackish and sea-water desalination are available in 20 projects from the Abu Dhabi Sewerage foot or 40 foot containers each with a capacity of up to 1000m3/ day. All Services Company (ADSSC) which will units are ‘plug and play,’ with only power supply, inlet water, product provide facilities for isolated properties in water and brine discharge connections required. the Emirate. The first commission involves 12
APRIL 2010
the design and construction supervision of sewerage connections and related works for isolated properties in Abu Dhabi. The second commission is for Phase 2 of the design and construction supervision of wastewater relocation works under roads and utility schemes in Abu Dhabi. Both projects are already underway. ADSSC Managing Director, Alan Thomson said that the projects were part of the company’s Dh24 billion investment programme over the next five years. David Barwell, Chief Executive for AECOM in the Middle East said: “AECOM has a working history with ADSSC that stretches back 15 years where we have delivered a number of significant design and construction services over the years.” The range of current commissions with ADSSC includes the relocation of wastewater trunk lines along Salam Street in Abu Dhabi. AECOM is also involved in the delivery of four projects under construction along Salam Street, in addition to the design review and construction supervision of sewage treatment plants (STP) in Zafaran, Mafraq, and Zakher. The team is also undertaking design and supervision of wastewater systems for future land developments within Abu Dhabi.
ITT Pre-treatment for Jeddah desal plant ITT has received a contract to supply a desalination pre-treatment system in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The contract was awarded by Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Company, the prime contractor for the plant. ITT’s Water & Wastewater business will supply Leopold FilterWorx filtration systems to pre-treat the seawater. The Jeddah Phase 3 RObased Plant, which is owned by the SWCC, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will produce 690MLD of potable water to the City of Jeddah beginning in the third quarter of 2011. The 28 Leopold FilterWorx filters consisting of Leopold Type S underdrain, washwater troughs, penstocks, air blowers and filter media, will pre-treat the source water from the Red Sea.
Turnkey order for water transmission system ABB has won a turnkey order worth $144 million from the Abu Dhabi Transmission & Despatch Company (TRANSCO) for a major expansion of a water transmission system in the emirate.
The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2009. The project will increase the volume of water supplied by the Shuweihat Power & Desalination Plant to the city of Abu Dhabi by increasing the capacity of two pumping stations, and is scheduled for completion in 2011. ABB will be responsible for the engineering, installation, testing, commissioning and overall management of the project and will provide turnkey mechanical, electrical and automation solution for the extension and modification of the Shuweihat and Mirfa pumping stations. “ABB’s integrated power and automation technologies will help to provide a reliable and efficient water supply to meet growing demand for water and support sustainable development in the region,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. The products supplied will include pumps, with related surge vessels and piping, energy-efficient drives and motors, as well as the required extension of the electrical balance of plant. The automation systems to manage the operation and monitoring of the water pipeline will use ABB´s 800xA control platform.
Modern Water eyeing more Oman orders UK’s Modern Water has been asked by the Oman government to determine the feasibility of installing its technology in six more sites, Executive Chairman Neil McDougall said in an interview with Bloomberg. Oman has asked Modern Water to investigate using its Manipulated Osmosis (MO) technology at one new plant and to retrofit it to five or six existing facilities, McDougall revaled. Modern Water claims that its patented MO process achieves significant reductions in cost, energy use and chemical consumption, compared to existing technologies. Two plants showcasing the MO desalination technology are already in production, the first in Gibraltar and the second at Al-Khaluf in Oman. At trials in Gibraltar, the technology removed more impurities from water than traditional techniques and worked with 30% less power. To further its operations in the Middle East, Modern Water has signed an agreement with Omzest, an Omanbased industrial group, to represent and market its technologies within the Sultanate and at targeted locations elsewhere in the region.
The Petro MBR pilot unit
Siemens MBR pilot for refinery wastewater Members of PERF (Petroleum Environmental Research Forum) have selected Siemens Water Technologies to provide a Petro MBR pilot unit to test the viability of such technology in treating refinery wastewater. This will be one of the first full-scale operational MBR processes for treating refinery wastewater in the world. The results of this pilot testing will be used to determine the effectiveness and robustness of MBR treatment compared to conventional biological treatment on these types of wastewater. The commercially-sized Petro MBR pilot unit will run for six to nine months at a PERF site in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Petro MBR system combines an activated sludge biological treatment process with an innovative membrane filtration system. A unique fluid renewal process evenly distributes liquid, solids and air within the membrane modules in the system. The system is targeted at a wide range of refinery, petrochemical and production water treatment applications including water reuse, upgrades, retrofits and compliance-driven projects.
Sur desalination plant inaugurated On March 8, 2010, Oman’s highest authorities inaugurated the Sur reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant. Veolia Water won the contract to build the facility and operate it for 22 years in 2007. After more than two years of construction work by Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (VWS), the Sur desalination plant is now producing 80,000m3/day of drinking water catering to a population of 350,000 people in the Sharqiyah region on Oman’s eastern coast. Veolia Water is stepping up efforts to reduce the environmental impact of desalination processes, both as a builder and operator. The Sur desalination APRIL 2010
13
news briefs plant is a good example in at least two respects - its ability to maximise energy recovery and its use of beachwells to capture saltwater. (An extensive feature on the Sur project was published in the August-September 2008 issue of H20).
Suez bags €35-mn potable water project in India SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, through its subsidiary Degrémont, and its customer Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), signed a contract in November 2009 for designing, building and operating (DBO) an extension for the drinking water production plant at the TK Halli site near Bangalore. After the forecast two-year design-build stage, Degrémont will fully operate and maintain the plant for a period of seven years. This contract represents €35 million in turnover, with the designbuild part of the project financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The plant, with the capacity to treat 600,000 m3/day of raw water from the Kaveri River, one of the main rivers in southern India, will provide drinking water for more than three million inhabitants of the city of Bangalore. At the end of the design-build phase, Degrémont will fully operate and maintain the plant for a period of seven years. This new facility will add to the existing plant’s 400,000 m3/ day capacity, taking the total capacity up to 1,000,000 m3/day, managed and operated by Degrémont through to 2012.
New Archimedian Screw pumps for Skopje MZT Pumpi - Macedonia, one the leading manufacturers of industrial pumps for transport of water oil and derivatives in south-east Europe, has manufactured three Archimedean screw pumps for the environmental protection project for transport of untreated wastewater from east Skopje to a wastewater treatment plant. The main objective of the project is to protect the river Vardar from environmental pollution by constructing a new wastewater treatment plant in the suburb of Lisice. This plant will have a pump station equipped with the new Archimedean screw pumps that will transport wastewater to higher elevation for further treatment. The design of the pumps alongside with the fabrication, assembly and installation is being done by MZT Pumpi. 14
APRIL 2010
These Screw pumps use the Archimedean principle to raise fluids to a higher elevation of seven metres from the starting elevation, at 350 degrees. One of the pumps is 13.4 metre long and can transport 800 l/s of wastewater, at a speed of 31.5 rpm.
Water projects in Qassim Ministry of Water and Electricity, Saudi Arabia has awarded 24 water projects worth SR1 billion in the Qassim Province, the Saudi Press Agency has reported. The projects include expansion of services of water, drainage system and delivery of purified water for the Arabian shield area through a pipeline. The signing ceremony led by Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Hussein, Minister of Water and Electricity was presided by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Qassim Province. The Prince also praised the qualitative development witnessed by AlQassim province in the water sector.
DSI subsidiary bags Abu Dhabi deal Drake & Scull Water and Power (DSWP), a Drake & Scull International PJSC (DSI) subsidiary, has been awarded the entire utilities development works at the Residential Compound located in the prestigious Khalifa A City, Abu Dhabi. Earlier this year, DSWP was awarded the district cooling works at the same compound, and will begin relevant infrastructure works that include sewer lines, irrigation, telecommunications services, fire fighting, sub stations, and all related civil works such as roads and paving. “This contract win marks the eighth for DSI in 2010, bringing the total value of the projects awarded to date to Dh1 billion. Reaching such a milestone so early in the year has exceeded our expectations,” said Khaldoun Tabari, CEO and Vice Chairman of DSI.
Metito to set up STP in Kabul Metito has been commissioned to design, supply, build and commission
a sewage treatment plant (STP) for the local government in Kabul, Afghanistan to serve a population of 6,000 people. Bassem Halabi, Group Business Development Director in Metito said: “The availability of sanitation facilities is vital to the rebuilding of Kabul. Afghanistan isn’t an easy place to work in, but with a dedicated team and support from the local authorities, the plant is expected to be completed by May 19th, 2010.” The plant is under the design and procurement stages and will employ the latest in Extended Aeration Technology.
Sharjah to overhaul drainage systems Sharjah is putting together a Dh13 billion plan to fix the drainage systems that failed during recent storms, The National has reported. The new and improved sewage and drainage network will be in place within three years. The plans have been submitted to the Sharjah executive council for approval. They have been subdivided into three phases that would include residential areas, industrial areas and the Eastern Region, and priority would be given to the mostaffected roads – Emirates and Al Dhaid. After heavy rainfall in early March, large tankers from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority made 300 trips to Sharjah, hauling out three million gallons of water. Abu Dhabi Municipality is also focusing on flood prevention and embarking on a major project to improve storm drainage networks, particularly on the mainland.
Kuwaiti minister emphasises sanitation The Ministry of Public Works has been allotted a sum of KD3.129 billion in the country’s development plan covering the years 2009-2013. The Minister of Public Works and Municipal Affairs Dr Fadhel Safar told KUNA that KD371 million will be spend during 2009/2010, with KD508.979 million allocated for 2010/2011, KD 861.826 million for 2011/2012 and KD1.397 billion for 2012/2013. A major project would the revamp of the sanitary sewage system, which is due to be completed in 2030. The Minister had recently signed a contract to repair the Mishref sewage drainage plant, which has been out of service since August 2009, resulting in nearly five million gallons of sewage water being dumped into the sea every day through rain water drainage systems.
WHY VISIT
CITYBUILD ABU DHABI 2010? Real Estate Developers Procurement Managers Engineers Quantity Surveyors
Suppliers
Manufacturers Designers
Construction Managers Urban Planners
Contractors
Architects
SpeciďŹ ers
Network with serious like minded construction professionals Learn more about Abu Dhabi's 2030 vision Experience the most innovative construction products inside the Innovation Zone Participate in the interactive panel discussions at the Construciton Summit Engage with new business partners Be a part of the CityBuild Awards for Excellence in Construction For more information visit www.citybuildad.com/ho
Pre-register at www.citybuildad.com/ho and WIN an Apple iPhone! Please quote H2O when registering online
18 – 21 April 2010
Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, UAE
The Premier Event for Construction Products
T: +971 4 407 2534 F: +971 4 3351891 E: citybuild@iirme.com
Founding Sponsor
Supporters
Summit Silver Sponsor
Partner Event
Happenings > at large
A single unit of the new desalination device, fabricated on a layer of silicone. In the Y-shaped channel (in red), seawater enters from the right, and fresh water leaves through the lower channel at left, while concentrated brine leaves through the upper channel. Photo by Patrick Gillooly/MIT
Portable paradigm
Proposed system based on ion concentration polarisation principle could result in small and portable desalination units A new approach to desalination being developed by researchers at MIT and in Korea could lead to small, portable desalination units that could be powered by solar cells or batteries and could deliver enough fresh water to supply the needs of a family or small village. As an added bonus, the system would also remove many contaminants, viruses and bacteria at the same time. The new approach, called ion concentration polarisation, is described in a paper by Postdoctoral Associate Sung Jae Kim and Associate Professor Jongyoon Han, both in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and colleagues in Korea.The system works at a microscopic scale, using fabrication methods developed for microfluidics devices - similar to the manufacture of microchips, but using materials such as silicone (synthetic rubber). Each individual device would only process minute amounts of water, but a large number of them – the researchers envision an array with 1,600 units
16
APRIL 2010
fabricated on an 8-inch-diameter wafer – could produce about 15 litres of water per hour, enough to provide drinking water for several people. The whole unit could be self-contained and driven by gravity – salt water would be poured in at the top, and fresh water and concentrated brine collected from two outlets at the bottom. That small size could actually be an advantage for some applications. For example, in an emergency situation like Haiti’s earthquake aftermath, the delivery infrastructure to get fresh water to the people who need it was largely lacking, so small, portable units that individuals could carry would have been especially useful. So far, the researchers have successfully tested a single unit, using seawater they collected from a Massachusetts beach. The water was then deliberately contaminated with small plastic particles, protein and human blood. The unit removed more than 99% of the salt and other contaminants. “We clearly demonstrated that we can do it at the unit chip level,” said Kim.
While the amount of electricity required by this method is actually slightly more than for present large-scale methods such as reverse osmosis (RO), there is no other method that can produce small-scale desalination with anywhere near this level of efficiency, the researchers say. If properly engineered, the proposed system would use about as much power as a conventional light bulb. The basic principle that makes the system possible, called ion concentration polarisation, is a ubiquitous phenomenon that occurs near ion-selective materials (such as Nafion, often used in fuel cells) or electrodes, and this team and other researchers have been applying the phenomenon for other applications such as biomolecule preconcentration. But its application to water purification has not been attempted before. Potable water is often in high demand and short supply following a natural disaster like the Haiti earthquake or Hurricane Katrina. In both of those instances, the disaster zones were near the sea, but converting salty seawater to potable fresh water usually requires a large amount of dependable electrical power and largescale desalination plants - neither of which were available in the disaster areas. Reverse osmosis requires strong pumps to maintain the high pressure needed to push the water through the membrane, and are subject to fouling and blockage of the pores in the membrane by salt and contaminants. The new system separates salts and microbes from the water by electrostatically repelling them away from the ion-selective membrane in the system, so that the flowing water never needs to pass through a membrane. That should eliminate the need for high pressure and the problems of fouling. Having proved the principle in a singleunit device, Kim and Han plan to produce a 100-unit device to demonstrate the scalingup of the process, followed by a 10,000-unit system. They expect it will take about two years before the system will be ready to develop as a product. “After that,” said Kim, “we’ll know if it’s possible” for this to work as a robust, portable system, “and what problems might need to be worked on.” The work was primarily funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, as well as a SMART Innovation Centre grant.
Yellow River Conservancy bags Water Prize The 2010 Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2010 recognises the efforts of Yellow River Conservancy Commission in sustainable river basin management The Singapore International Water Week announced that the Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC) has been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2010, a prestigious award that recognises outstanding contributions towards solving global water problems by either applying technologies or implementing policies and programmes which benefit humanity. With its success in transforming China’s second-longest river, YRCC outshone 49 other nominees to become the third recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize. The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Council recognised YRCC’s remarkable progress in overcoming natural and man-made challenges through innovative and sustainable policies and solutions that have enabled the Yellow River to flow unabated over the last 10 years. YRCC’s integrated water allocation programme balances water availability with social, economic and ecological developments. The improved, reliable supply of water brought about by YRCC’s efforts have benefitted and enhanced the quality of life for over one hundred million people both in the basin and in regions served by the river. Large areas of wetlands and biodiversity in Yellow River Delta have also been restored over the years, returning life and vitality to the river. By regulating water and sediment flow in a river that has the highest average annual sediment transporting volume and concentration in the world, YRCC has been able to significantly reduce the risk of devastating floods that the Yellow River was previously associated with – protecting the 90 million people living in the flood-prone areas downstream of the river from loss of lives and damage to livelihoods and property. YRCC will receive the award from
Singapore’s first Prime Minister and present Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew at Singapore International Water Week 2010 which will be held from June 28 to July 2, 2010. YRCC will also deliver the acclaimed Singapore Water Lecture to 300 government, business and academic leaders at the Water Leaders Summit, where the Commission will share its experience and success factors in returning life and vitality to the Yellow River. The winning factors include its river management approach ‘Maintaining the Healthy Life of the Yellow River,’ a systemic and holistic approach to the management, allocation and regulation of water supply. With nine provinces and regions along the 5,464-kilometreslong river, YRCC adopts a consultative approach to secure the support of the provincial governments and the people to equitably allocate water for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses, thus preventing abuse and over-exploitation of water resources. YRCC has also implemented an integrated operation of reservoirs along 3,000 kilometres of the river, to regulate river flow and boost storage capacity. Remote sensing and automation is employed to collect real-time river system information to monitor and control the reservoirs and dams. Through the coordinated operation of Xiaolangdi Dam and other reservoirs, YRCC has carried out nine flushing operations since 2002 to regulate the flow of water and sediments in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. This has deepened the riverbed by an average of 1.5 metres for some 900 kilometres downstream of the river and more than doubled the river’s maximum flow capacity from 1,800 m3/s to 3,880 m3/s to substantially improve flood safety. Instead of facing frequent no flow
periods in the 1990s before integrated flow allocation and regulation practices were implemented, the Yellow River has been experiencing continuous flow throughout the year since 1999. To augment its integrated water allocation programme, YRCC also puts in place emergency response plans to manage, control and mitigate major water pollution incidents. The Commission works closely with environmental protection agencies and has implemented a public notification system to inform the public of any major water pollution incident. “The work of Yellow River Conservancy Commission has resulted in a reversal of a disastrous trend of over-exploitation of the river by the riparian provinces which resulted in zero flow in the downstream portion and estuary for a number of years. Through the work of YRCC, and supported by demand management measures implemented by the provinces in consultation with YRCC, the river has flowed again throughout the year, during the past years. This constitutes a remarkable achievement with significant ecological and other benefits,” said Wouter Lincklaen Arriens, Lead Professional (Water Resources Management) from the Regional and Sustainable Development Department of the Asian Development Bank. Previous winners of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize include Canadian researcher and technopreneur, Dr Andrew Benedek who received the prize in 2008 for pioneering the development of lowpressure membranes; and Professor Gatze Lettinga from the Netherlands whose ground-breaking development of anaerobic technology for used water treatment won him the prize in its second year. APRIL 2010
17
marketplace market Energy-efficient screw technology blowers Atlas Copco recently announced the launch of ZS screw blower, its new energy-efficient technology for air blowing applications. The ZS screw blower will replace the company’s entire range of ‘Roots’ type rotary lobe blowers as the company believes that screw technology is more energyefficient compared to lobe technology. Many industries use air blowers for their processes and will benefit from the energy efficiency of screw air blowers. Those that will have a major benefit are the municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants, where air blowers typically represent up to 70% of the total electricity costs. Here, millions of bacteria feed on organic waste, breaking it up into carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas and water. Because the bacteria need oxygen, large amounts of air are blown in the aeration tanks.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “…approximately 56 billion kWh is used for drinking water and wastewater services. Assuming an average mix of energy sources in the country, this equates to adding almost 45 million tonnes of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Just 10% of energy savings in this sector could collectively save about $400 million annually.” Stephan Kuhn, President of Atlas Copco’s Compressor Technique business area, said: “Atlas Copco continuously innovates to ensure sustainable productivity for our customers. They will greatly benefit from the average 30% energy savings achieved from our leading-edge screw technology compared to conventional lobe type blowers.” In a typical biological wastewater treatment plant, the aeration blower
system accounts for up to 70% of the energy usage. Today the majority of these plants use less efficient lobe technology, a technology that has had little development since its introduction in the late 19th century. By reducing the energy usage of their aeration blower system, these plants can lower their energy costs while operating in a more environmentally friendly manner. Chris Lybaert, President of Atlas
Plumb-and-Play CIO2 Analyser The monitoring and control of Chlorine Dioxide (CIO2) has been made easier with the new CDA22 Chlorine Dioxide Analyser from Electro-Chemical Devices, featuring a panel mounted plumb-and-play design and automatic flow control in a low-maintenance complete measurement system. The CDA-22 is designed to measure Chlorine Dioxide in concentrations ranging from 0.05-20 ppm CIO2. It is ideal for application in municipal water systems, industrial cooling and rinse water, wastewater or other fresh water samples.
18
APRIL 2010
Copco’s Oil-free Air Division added: “Energy consumption typically represents 80% of the lifecycle costs of a blower. By introducing screw technology to our air blower range, we now offer a complete product portfolio of compressors and blowers for all applications and processes below 4 bar(e)/58 psig. Atlas Copco’s screw technology helps customers to save energy, which is a major advantage in a highly competitive marketplace.” The performance of the new ZS screw blower was tested against a tri-lobe blower by the independent Technische Überwachungs-Verein (German Technical Monitoring Association, or TÜV), according to the international standard ISO 1217, edition4. It was proven that the ZS is 23.8% more energy-efficient than a tri-lobe blower at 0.5 bar(e)/7 psig, and 39.7% at 0.9 bar(e)/13 psig. The world-class efficiency of the ZS is mainly attributed to the superior screw technology. Other important features that secure increased efficiency and reliability are the integrated gearbox, the oil system and the innovative design that integrates all individual components into a plug-and-run solution.
CIO2 exists as a gas in solution; it does not dissolve like other chlorine compounds and is therefore unaffected by the pH of the solution. CIO2 is approximately 10 times more soluble than Chlorine in water, but it is extremely volatile and can be easily removed from dilute aqueous solutions with minimal aeration. Easy to install and maintain, the CDA-22 incorporates a CIO2 sensor, automated flow control device and analyser/controller mounted on a PVC panel. Installation is complete after connecting the sample and drain lines, power and outputs. The low-maintenance CDA-22 can run for up to one year between electrolyte/ membrane changes. Calibration of the CDA-22 is accomplished with DPD comparison.
New Flowserve Digital Positioner Flowserve Corporation, a provider of flow control products and ser vices for the global infrastructure markets, has released the Flowser ve Logix 3400MD, the newest member of the Logix series digital positioner family. This smar t positioner features the advanced diagnostics capability of Flowser ve ValveSight for facilities using Foundation Fieldbus protocol. “Next-generation facilities use Foundation Fieldbus technology because it allows easy integration of field instruments into a central control system,” said Ken Beatty, Director of Advanced Product Development, Flowser ve Flow Control Division. “The Logix 3400MD helps plant operators run their control processes more ef ficiently by identifying issues before they become costly failures.” The Logix 3400MD uses Flowser ve ValveSight technology to monitor the status of the valve, actuator and positioner, and the health of the entire control loop. Proprietar y models provide predictive diagnostics, which give advanced warning of future equipment or process problems. The Flowser ve Logix 3400MD features the same proven, state-ofthe-ar t technology as the Logix 3200MD to provide superior per formance and reliability. It is cer tified by all major digital control system suppliers, the FDT Group and the Fieldbus Foundation.
The CDA-22 is built with a polarographic gold/silver PTFE membrane amperometric CIO2 sensor. While these types of sensors are flow sensitive, the CDA-22’s output is vir tually flow independent at values greater than 0.5 ft/sec. The CDA-22’s ‘constant head’ flow control device maintains the sensor’s optimum flow over a wide range of incoming sample flow rates, from 10-80 gal/hr. The CDA-22’s sensor operates at a wide temperature range of 0 to 100ºC. Because temperature af fects the CIO 2 permeability of the PTFE membrane, increasing the temperature increases the output of the sensor about four per cent per centigrade. The chlorine flow cell includes a
temperature sensor that allows the C22 analyser to per form automatic temperature compensation of the measurement. The CDA-22 requires no expensive reagents and eliminates pressure regulators and rotometers. It features a 2.5-x1.75-inch backlit LCD display, with four lines for text and graphics. The CDA-22 offers dual measurements, an XY graphical plot and an optional PID Control Output. The analyser provides a 4-20 mA output propor tional to the Chlorine Dioxide measured and two alarm relays SPDT 230 VAC/5A or 30 VDC/5A resistive max. It features the options to include additional 4-20 mA outputs for pH or temperature and up to six additional relays.
APRIL 2010
19
WASTEwater sPecial
The Gulf factor Technical and economic perspectives on wastewater treatment in the GCC By Dr Saleh Al Mogrin
I
n the past, GCC countries allocated more funds and attention to water supply than to wastewater projects. This has changed in recent times as governments in the region, aware of the need to protect the environment, have assigned top priority to the development of the sanitation and wastewater treatment sector in their countries. Saudi Arabia, for example, is expected to generate six million m3/day of wastewater by 2020. There is deficit in our water budget to the tune of 26 million m3/day. I feel that the next decade will be the period of sanitation. Therefore, rational selection of wastewater treatment scheme will help in proper and optimum use of resources – financial or otherwise while building more wastewater plants. However, selection of wastewater treatment technology is not a simple task. It requires deep understanding of unit processes, unit operation as well as the economical issues involved. Some criteria to be considered are: • Minimising the construction and maintenance costs by selecting best construction materials and architectural finishes; and grouping buildings and unit processes of similar environmental condition in one building. • Carry out complete analysis of capital as well as operation and maintenance costs before selecting the treatment process. • Review the design criteria for each unit process to ensure that it is sized within acceptable limits. • Optimise the number and size of each type of equipment item used in the treatment process, in order to attain lower operation and maintenance costs • Consider duplication/combination of similar units around the site and/or other sites, and adopt an ideal treatment model. During the selection of the wastewater treatment scheme, in addition to technological advances in the wastewater field, it is important to factor in the new environmental laws and guidelines 20
APRIL 2010
announced by the authorities. Factors that influence the selection of wastewater treatment processes are the nature of the wastewater; effluent requirements; process reliability; sludge production; air, water
and land pollution; space requirements; safety; costs and size of the project. Specific factors to be considered while finalising the treatment plant include: • Study of service area and site selection • Design calculation for population (though accurate population prediction is quite difficult because many factors influence the growth of the city) • Effluent limitations and degree of treatment • Equipment selection and energy requirement • Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) • Value Engineering (VE)
Dr Saleh Al Mogrin
Factors that influence the selection of wastewater treatment processes are the nature of the wastewater; effluent requirements; process reliability; sludge production; air, water and land pollution; space requirements; safety; costs and size of the project.
APRIL 2010
21
WASTEwater sPecial Table 1: Comparison of treatment processes (annual cost, power, land) Type of Process
Annual Cost (SR/ m3)
Power (KwH/ mg/day)
Primary treatment
0.14
71
Low rate trickling filter
0.43
300
1
Activate Sludge
0.50
600-900
0.5
RBC
0.15
600-900
0.5
Oxidation ditches
56-75
About 4-5
High rate trickling filter
480
1
Oxidation ponds
Negligible
35 acre in warm climate
Aerated Lagoon
23-30
About 12-15 acres
Land (acres)
For example, the location of plant should be at low elevation which will permit gravity flow and reduce pumping costs. Pumping stations are in some ways the weak points as the greater the number of stations, greater the overall operation and maintenance costs incurred during the plant’s life. Main conduits, channels, and accessories should be designed for an operating life of at least 50 years as they cannot be expanded readily. On the other hand, treatment units, mechanical and electrical equipment can be designed for shorter periods. The minimum flow for pumping should be 33-50% of the average flow. Design for BOD loading should not exceed 55 gram/per capita per day. If the relation between the design volume flow rate or Q and initial Q is less than 1.3, it is recommended that staging of project components should be 20 years. If it is between 1.3 and 1.8, staging design should be for 15 years, and it is more than 1.8, the same should be 10 years. Process energy utilisation and conservation should be emphasised during preliminary engineering design. The secondary sewage treatment processes suitable for the region are conventional 22
APRIL 2010
activated sludge, trickling filters, extended aeration (aerated lagoon and oxidation ditch), Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC) and waste stabilisation ponds. Top three energy consumers are activated sludge, RBC and high rate trickling filter respectively. In terms of land requirements, oxidation ponds require the most, followed by aerated lagoons. Both activated sludge and RBC require least amount of land. If we compare application and performance of the treatment processes in terms of reduction of BOD, suspended solids, bacteria and viruses, the removal efficiency of activate sludge process for BOD, SS, bacteria and viruses is in the range of 90%. Virus-removal efficiency is lower for aerated lagoons and oxidation ditch, and lowest for trickling filter. The relative construction and maintenance costs (as unit costs) are presented in Table 2. In terms of unit costs, trickling filter has the highest construction cost but a relatively low maintenance cost. Activated sludge has the highest maintenance cost. Stabilisation ponds have the least relative construction and maintenance costs, but require plenty of land, and there have been problems with algae growth and disinfection, which is vital step for treatment of effluent before re-use or discharge into the land or sea. In the view of huge investment programs
Table 2: Comparison of relative construction and maintenance costs Relative construction costs
Relative maintenance costs
100
25
85
35
Activated sludge
70
100
Aerated lagoons
60
20
Oxidation ditches
62
25
Stabilisation ponds
40
15
Processes
Trickling filter standard High rate trickling filters
of GCC countries in the sector of water and wastewater, it is of paramount importance to plan, design, construct, and maintain these projects rationally on cost effective basis. Unified codes for planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance are important tools toward this strategy. Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC) is not as suitable for treatment of municipal wastewater in the GCC because it is a mechanical driven method requiring higher energy and more skilled manpower than other treatment processes. Oxidation ponds treatment does not require much mechanical/electrical equipment or highly skilled personnel, which results in low operation & maintenance costs. This process may be used in smaller communities up to 10,000 persons. The conventional activated sludge process is more efficient, reliable, and suitable for large communities discharging domestic and partly industrial flows. It is a compact process which requires less land and is most reliable where very stringent effluent standards need to be met. The oxidation ditch provides full treatment for a small community at the same cost per capita as conventional activated sludge. Aerated lagoon as secondary treatment process is the most cost effective provided that it is established on government land with good soil conditions. This process may be cost effective for population up to 30,000.
Dr. Saleh Al-Mogrin is Director General - Professional Affairs, The Saudi Council of Engineers, and former Director General of Sewerage Directorate, Ministry of Water & Electricity, Saudi Arabia. He has experience in a wide range of environmental engineering issues. He has expertise in areas integrated wastewater management, sustainable development using strategic approaches through environmental pollution prevention, control, abatement, and containment, in formulation, analysis and development of laws and regulations to protect environment, and development of long and short term plans for environmental health and management & risk assessment. E-mail: salmogrin@saudieng.org
WASTEwater sPecial: MWH
Mastering MBR Dr Murat Sarioglu, Associate Consultant & Principal Process Engineer MWH Europe, has over 15 years of experience in process, hydraulic design, start up and commissioning of domestic and industrial wastewater, and potable water treatment plants across the MENA region. His expertise and research have focused on water and wastewater reuse schemes using conventional and membrane technologies, including MF/UF and reverse osmosis (RO) technologies. In addition to extensive research on Membrane Bio-reactor (MBR) performance and applications, he has designed numerous full-scale MBR plants in the Middle East. Sarioglu spoke to H20’s Anoop K Menon on the relevance of MBR technology for the region, how it can help realise decentralisation and re-use paradigms, and the waste disposal issues associated with polished TSE. In your opinion, what are the key wastewater treatment challenges in the Middle East? The key wastewater treatment challenges in the Middle East may be summarised under the headings of inlet wastewater character, footprint and sewer/TSE mains. The inlet wastewater challenges include high soluble sulphide levels (that can reach up to maximum 30-40 mg/L), low alkalinity (as low as 150-200mg/L CaCO3), high particulate fraction of organics (soluble COD/total COD can be as low as 20%) and high temperature (minimum raw sewage temperature of 22oC and maximum of 38oC). Negative impacts of high soluble sulphide are excessive hydrogen sulphide generation, need for additional aeration/ pre-aeration and deteriorating impact on sludge digestion. Low alkalinity has a negative effect on nitrification and leads to low pH in effluent if not corrected. It increases the risk of exceeding effluent ammonia limit. High temperature of inlet sewage increases the need for oxygenation and can have a negative effect on nitrifiers/ nitrification for temperatures reaching and exceeding 40oC, though a positive spin is lower sludge age. High particulate fraction of organics translates into need for digestion and having primary settlers, though on the positive side, a decrease in the need for oxygenation is possible due to primary settling Footprint and sewer/TSE mains challenges are mainly in terms of the high 24
APRIL 2010
cost of land in cities and the substantial costs involved in transporting raw sewage to the central treatment plant and distributing the treated effluent over long distances. Transporting and treating sewage requires the building of sewer networks, pumping stations, screening and odour control units, while the treated effluent has to be transported back by the same route to the city for re-use. The costs involved are quite significant. I firmly believe that the solution lies in decentralised wastewater treatment because you save on raw sewage lines going out and treated effluent lines coming in straightaway. In a crowded city, you don’t have to spend money on transporting sewage over 60 kilometres from point A to point B, when you could set up three treatment plants 20 kilometres apart or more and use the treated effluent locally. Moreover, not all of the sewage is collected in the city. In Dubai, for example, there are tankers coming to the Al Aweer and Jebel Ali sewage treatment plants (STP) from various labour camps. A decentralised system will take these tankers off the roads. Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) systems, due to their small footprint and superior effluent quality can lead the way in decentralised wastewater treatment. MBR is perceived as expensive technology in terms of initial acquisition as well as O&M. Tried and tested conventional treatment methods enjoy greater confidence in the region,
at least for large scale treatment. How would like to respond to this observation? Prejudice against new technology is nothing new. However, from a financial side, whenever any new technology is introduced, the initial costs could be high. For example, in the 1990s, the membrane disc diffusers used for aeration were being sold for Euro 70 per diffuser. Today, the same are available for Euros 8-9 per diffuser. With more suppliers entering the fray, prices started coming down. The same is true for the MBR market too. The projects I am involved in and the literature reviews I have done so far indicate that the number of MBR-based STPs – small, medium, large - in operation all over the world has certainly increased and have proved themselves to be robust. If you know how to design and operate the MBR plants correctly, I don’t think you will have any problems at all. What are the typical cost points in MBR systems that have been addressed so far? The dominant wastewater treatment and re-use technologies in the Middle East are conventional activated sludge systems with tertiary filtration and disinfection, or with tertiary MF/UF and Reverse Osmosis (RO). If you compare any wastewater reuse project on the basis of MBR against conventional, by using MBR you get can rid of the sand filtration step which represents a huge cost in conventional
treatment. You can also partially get rid of the disinfection costs, if you are using hollow fibre or flat sheet membranes. You only need to do post-chlorination to provide the residual chlorine for the network. You also eliminate the final settling tank which is replaced by small membrane cassettes immersed in a tank or configured externally. From a financial angle, I think the gap between conventional and membrane treatment is narrowing. The falling prices of membranes relative to the levels that prevailed in the 1990s when MBRs were introduced has been a major driver, in addition to the end purpose of reuse of the TSE. Moreover, the effluent you get from an MBR plant is far superior to that from a conventional plant, and can be re-used without any additional step. For example, the MBR effluent can easily be used at a car wash or in a dual distribution system for fire protection or flushing of toilets. By introducing an RO step after MBR, you can widen the range of re-use applications to boiler feed, cooling water for district cooling plants, agricultural crop irrigation and process water for industrial applications. You don’t have to put anything in between other than small cartridge filters (5-10 microns).
Dr Murat Sarioglu
Do you feel that the biggest appeal of MBR technology is its potential for promoting effluent re-use? At first glance, yes. Till recently, MBR was regarded as a replacement of the final settling tank used for solids liquids separation. But if you dig a bit deeper, you will come across additional benefits that go beyond filtration and solids-liquids separation, like for example, biological treatment. The concept of simultaneous nitrification/de-nitrification has a positive impact, not only on O&M costs but also capital costs. This can be leveraged in the design of the MBR system. The major appealing factor about MBR in this region is low footprint and effluent re-use. Everywhere in the world, the land allocated for the sewage treatment plant is always the worst area. I was even involved in projects with triangular land areas. In such situations, you need to go for innovative technologies like MBR. APRIL 2010
25
WASTEwater sPecial: MWH
if any sewage contains toxic substances or inhibitory substances, it will sweep away the bacteria, irrespective of whether it is a MBR plant or a conventional one. Therefore, it is very important to distinguish between domestic and industrial sewage as the parameters and the variables applicable to both will affect the MBR design. In the US, for instance, there have been concerns about Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDC) from pharmaceuticals consumed by residents making their way into domestic wastewater streams. Micro-constituents are becoming a problem that needs to be taken care of and addressed on a design and site specific basis. EDCs need to be investigated further because some of them could be toxic.
decentralised plants. Can decentralised treatment using MBR address some of the wastewater treatment challenges in the region raised by you earlier in our conversation? At the decentralised level, some of these challenges can be eliminated. When I said that sulphide can reach up to maximum 30-40 mg/L, this is at the end of a very long sewer line. In decentralised systems, sewer lines tend to be short. As a result, you don’t get such high levels of sulphide even during the peak season. But other inlet challenges like low alkalinity, high particulates and high temperatures are typical of the region and need to be taken into consideration even while designing 26
APRIL 2010
Can we be really sure of the nature of sewage coming into decentralised treatment plant? I don’t see toxic load of the type seen in industrial sewage coming into a decentralised sewage treatment plant which is located in a residential or commercial area. Of course, there will be shock loads or instantaneous peaks coming in and MBRs are good in absorbing such peaks because of the high bacteria concentration inside the system. If you have mild and minor toxic loads, you will have some washout, but that will be limited. I have experienced this myself in a MBR plant in a pharmaceutical set up, and it was working perfectly fine. But
At the MBR workshop during the Gulf Wastewater Treatment & Re-use Conference 2010, you stressed on the importance of nutrient removal in the Gulf region. Could you elaborate on the same? Nutrients – nitrogen and phosphorous – can cause serious eutrophication and oxygen depletion problems in surface waters, with serious consequences, if the receiving water body is a bay or a creek. Eutrophication manifests as fish deaths, algal blooms, very low bottom oxygen levels, minimum transparency and high levels of organics. It could take decades before the damage can be reversed and water body returned to its original state. In fact, Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) is a must in the region due to seasonal excess TSE which is discharged into the sea because there is no other place to do so. MBR is best suited for nutrient removal for several reasons. It is independent of sludge settling properties, difficulties often encountered with conventional BNR systems. Full nitrification can be achieved at lower temperatures in the same volume due to high sludge age which also enables nitrification at lower dissolved oxygen levels. I believe that simultaneous nitrification and de-nitrification (where nitrification and de-nitrification occur concurrently in an aerated reactor) can offer substantial savings in the design and
FASTER • BETTER • SIMPLER • SAFER
operation of MBR plants. So how is simultaneous nitrification and de-nitrification beneficial from an operations standpoint? MBRs are considered as highly energy intensive systems because of their intensive aeration requirements whether it is aeration air or scouring. With simultaneous nitrification and de-
nitrification, energy costs will be lower. Of course, membranes still have to be scoured with high levels of air. But aeration tanks don’t necessarily have to be operated at high oxygen levels. You can achieve the same nitrification rates and carbon removal rates at lower dissolved oxygen levels. In one of my research studies, we achieved full ammonia removal at low
temperatures down to 8oC; at 20oC, we achieved full nitrification at dissolved oxygen levels of 0.8mg/l, whereas in normal case, you need to go up 2-3mg/l to achieve this, which results in high energy costs. Anoxic tanks can be designed to have a lower volume/mass fraction. With higher total nitrogen effluent consent, it is possible to avoid the
CST Tanks—The Clear Solution for Water Re-Use Storage Nothing protects your clean water investment as well as Aquastore® and TecStore® tanks from CST Industries. Specially designed for capacities in the 10 to 30 mega-liter range, CST TecStore water storage tanks offer exceptional quality and low ownership costs. With quick delivery and safe and fast installation, CST tanks are your best choice. To learn more, email info@tanks.com for your Free “WR Tank” info kit!
www.tanks.com
Ph: +1-913-748-4514 • Fx: +1-913-621-4071 Email: info@tanks.com
APRIL 2010
27
WASTEwater sPecial: MWH
anoxic tank. You can also reduce the re-circulation costs involved in sending the output of the aeration tanks back to the anoxic tank or eliminate the need for recirculation from the membrane tank to the aeration tank. Nitrified mixed liquor recycle can be substantially lower saving capital investment on pumps and energy costs. When you evaluate all these over a life time of 20 years, the numbers you get are really good. Also, simultaneous nitrification and de-nitrification can be implemented as a retrofit. Most of the time, we design and predict the total nitrogen effluent through modelling. When you put this into operation, it is actually lower compared to the design basis. Therefore, when you implement simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, the benefits are easily seen. Could you share some perspectives on MBR life cycle costs? From a capital costs angle, comparing an MBR plant with an activated sludge plant, MBRs entail higher capex on membranes and associated equipment, periodic membrane replacement over the project life, fine screenings removal, washing, compacting and disposal, and crainage for removing membranes modules from the tanks for maintenance purposes, which is often the case. But these can be offset with lower capex on civil work costs (smaller tanks and elimination of FSTs); phased installation of membrane modules (until hydraulic capacity is needed); less site work due to area reduction for drainage, paving fencing, and landscaping; smaller hydraulic basins thanks to area reduction for shoring, dewatering, foundation and structural; smaller enclosures and associated architectural treatment and negligible disinfection due to the membranes retaining the bacteria and viruses. Similarly, high O&M costs for MBRs due to lower oxygen transfer efficiency (lower alpha) for process air, membrane scouring, high rate of internal mixed liquor transfer, fine screenings removal, washing, compacting, and disposal are offset by lower O&M costs since the process is independent of sludge settling characteristics not affecting downstream units (often not accountable but very 28
APRIL 2010
important for operators), avoiding chlorine or UV as the main disinfection process and also avoiding the cost of operating sand filters. O&M costs can also be reduced by implementing simultaneous nitrification and de-nitrification. Again, membranes forming a physical barrier for bacteria and viruses means lower O&M costs in the disinfection stage where only post-chlorination is needed to provide the residual chlorine to the network. While there is a growing interest in using Reverse Osmosis (RO) for polishing TSE to high quality levels for district cooling and aquifer recharge, there seems to be little discussion on disposing the resultant brine. How should this issue be dealt with? Depending on the recovery rate of the RO system, the TSE constituents will become concentrated, may be 4-5 times or even more when they turn up at the brine end. For example, if 10 mg/l of total nitrogen and 2mg/l of phosphorous goes into the RO system, at the brine end, you will have 50 mg/l of total nitrogen and 10 mg/l of phosphorous. Most of the time, the nitrogen and phosphorous concentration in the brine will exceed marine discharge standards anywhere in the world. RO brine will either have to be trucked away or treated through advanced techniques. But depending on the final re-use objective, it should be possible to aim for very low total nitrogen and phosphorous standards like for example, 3 mg/l of total nitrogen and 0.01 mg/l of total phosphorous so that you get 10-15 mg/l of total nitrogen and less than 1 mg/l of phosphorous in the brine. However, concentrated brine is inevitable if you use RO and if dumped uncontrolled into the sea, it will be an environmental disaster. How you address this issue also depends on local regulations. There are also other issues with RO outlet such as highly corrosive pure water, which needs to re-carbonated and re-hardened before it is fed downstream into the industrial application. These issues should be taken care of in an appropriate manner and in the best engineering practice. What are the various options available for brine treatment? Post-RO brine has Chemical Oxygen
Demand (COD), phosphorous and total nitrogen apart from other constituents such as TSS, TDS and BOD. In the case of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), the part of the COD that ends up in the brine is of hard or non-biodegradable nature. You have to use costly advanced oxidation (through ozone or hydrogen peroxide) to remove the non-biodegradable COD. To remove phosphorous, you have to chemically precipitate it, though you will end up with sludge. You can also oxidise nitrogen using advanced oxidation. In the case of total nitrogen, it is better to target lower limits in the effluent in order to decrease the total nitrogen level in the RO brine. The amount or volume you get in the brine is in the low 20-25%, and with higher recovery rates, it is 15% with respect to the feed flow. This reduces the footprint and scale of brine treatment technologies. Are there regulations in the UAE for brine discharge? Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC) has marine discharge standards. Anything discharged as waste – brine is waste in my view – has to comply with these standards. Dubai too has sea discharge standards. Can we get MBR quality effluent from a conventional plant? You can get the same effluent quality going into RO by introducing additional steps in conventional treatment; you will end up with the same brine too. But if you are planning on feeding the RO on very low total nitrogen, I think the cost will be higher in a conventional system because you don’t have simultaneous nitrification and de-nitrification, high levels of biomass, longer sludge ages. I must also point out is that membranes have the capability to hold the colloidal COD (which is mostly un-biodegradable in nature) at the plant effluent, which I have managed to successfully demonstrate in my research through advanced COD fractionation of MBR effluent. This will result in lower unbiodegradable COD levels in the brine. If someone told me they want to use the treated sewage as district cooling feed or boiler feed, I would prefer MBR plus RO. An important point to clarify is that with MBR, we are talking about effluent of biological treatment. So the right approach
would be to compare effluent of biological treatment in an MBR to tertiary effluent of a conventional system. Otherwise, MBR effluent is superior to a conventional system effluent. How are MBR systems designed to handle peak flows? Modularity can be built into the MBR system to deal with peak flows. You can have offline balancing where you have an equalisation tank before the bio-reactor; alternatively, you can increase the wall height of the bio-reactor itself, so that when higher flow comes in, the level will automatically increase. This is called in-line balancing, which I personally do not favour because level fluctuations in the bioreactor will affect the biomass concentration and maybe morphology, stoichiometry and oxygen transfer are unpredictable, but still can be done. The third option is to put in membranes capable of handling peak loads. One advantage is increased membrane life because for the greater part of the year, these membranes will be subject to average flux rates that are much lower than the peak rates. Of course, this is a matter of capital investment, but there are plants that have been designed like this and I think this very advantageous in terms of any potential headaches that operators might face in the long run. Retrofitting existing conventional plants with MBR systems to handle excess flow is
also popular in many countries. It basically involves introduction of membrane cassettes to existing tanks. If there isn’t any place for cassettes, we can construct a new tank and put the membrane inside or go for an external membrane configuration. What are the key hurdles to MBRs reaching their full potential? There are areas where the design of the modules can be enhanced and is being done at present. But in most of the
Retrofitting existing conventional plants with MBR systems to handle excess flow is also popular in many countries
conferences and presentations I have been to, the talk always veers to operational problems. I think operators shoulder a very high responsibility when they operate an MBR plant. They have to be vigilant about overloading, not exceeding the flux rates, be aware of what is coming into the STP and careful about the level of MLSS sustained. In the US, for example, the MLSS level that I have seen is 10-12,000 mg/l. However, we have operated an MBR plant for nearly 300 days at 16-17,000 mg/l without doing a single chemical backwash. Operator skills are very important. Automation has significant benefits, but that shouldn’t mean forgoing visual inspection. During my training sessions, I always emphasise that the operator must inspect visually. To perform well, MBRs need nearperfect pre-treatment through fine screens with 80-90% capture rate. However, something which is often overlooked in this region is fats, oils and grease or FOG. If FOG gets into contact with the membrane, it blocks the pores, which leads to fouling. FOG has to be analysed and if not, a certain inlet value should be taken into consideration. In some countries, FOG is trapped at the point of generation. Some trends in the MBR space that you can leave us with.... I think the innovations will be focussed on aeration patterns to decrease the operation costs because the scouring of membranes consumes a lot of energy. There is also focus on improvements in the flux rates by introducing different pore sizes. Hollow fibre membranes can be improved because they have more frequent back flushing and regeneration on a daily basis with chemicals. Ceramic membranes are also making their way into the market, and are especially suitable for high temperature applications. Flat sheet membrane suppliers are focusing in decreasing the footprint allocated by the modules. Due to change of the floc structure and morphology at high biomass concentrations, MBRs still have undiscovered merits in terms of biological transformations which need further research. As an output from my research, I strongly believe that simultaneous nitrification and denitrification is one of them.
WASTEwater sPecial: SEPTECH
Trickling alternative Aesthetic, low energy, low maintenance, cost-effective-Underground Trickling Bio-Filter (UTB) technology fulfils these attributes as an unconventional option for onsite domestic wastewater treatment and re-use. David Heffernan, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Septech, which provides turnkey water and wastewater solutions throughout the Middle East, spoke to H20 about the UTB plant that his company is setting up in a Dubai palace. Could you provide a general description of Underground Trickling Bio-Filter (UTB) and its applicability? Could you also elaborate on the treatment process? The underground trickling bio-filter is a hidden treatment process that is ideal for sites where the visual aesthetics of the immediate environment need to be retained. For this reason, the UTB system suits villa developments on islands, parks and gardens, for housing clusters in landscape areas and anywhere where the client may want to minimise the visual impact of the sewage treatment process. Our UTB system is suitable for treatment of domestic wastewater at flow rates of less than 200m3 per day. In terms of process description, raw sewage flows by gravity into the Primary sewage tank and into the Secondary sewage tank where the waste undergoes preliminary settlement and digestion during a retention period of more than 24 hours. The settled wastewater then flows into the pump well of the Trickling Contactor where it is mixed thoroughly and diluted with recirculation effluent, seeded, aerated and pumped via submersible non-clog pumps up to Trickling Contactor. The Trickling Contactor is filled with a high surface area polypropylene media onto which a rotary arm distributor continuously distributes the wastewater. The biomass develops as the wastewater travels downwards and through the polypropylene media. This biomass is responsible for the assimilation of nutrients and organic matter from the wastewater in an aerobic environment. Consequently, as the wastewater passes downward over these biological slimes a 30
APRIL 2010
rapid reduction occurs in the impurity content of the wastewater. The treated effluent from the Trickling Contactor is then collected into an under drainage system and re-directed back into the pump well in order to repeat the process and dilute any incoming wastewater from the Primary and Secondary sewage tanks. During normal daily inflow to the pump well in the Trickling contactor from the Primary and Secondary sewage
tanks, a corresponding amount of treated effluent is automatically redirected into the Clarifier by means of a specially designed ball valve. The movement velocity of treated effluent is dramatically reduced and settlement of the sludge particles occurs. The effluent from the Clarifier flows into the Chlorine Contact tank where it undergoes disinfection by the dosing of chlorine tablets. Depending on flow rates, multiple
David Heffernan
trickling contactors and clarifiers can be used. Upflow bio-filters or above ground pressure sand filters can also be incorporated to reduce residual suspended solids. Sludge return pump returns settled sludge each night from the Clarifier to the inlet of the Primary sewage tank. Because sludge is continuously recycled, sludge accumulation in Septech UTB is minimal; therefore sludge removal is normally done only once every year or even longer. This is contingent on the influent parameters meeting the specified design values. What are the benefits of UTB system? Septech has installed a large number of UTB
systems. The key benefits are as follows: • Low sludge volume - no need for frequent sludge removal by tankers as sludge removal is done on annual basis • No odour and no noise • Totally underground system • Very low power requirement and low chemical costs plus annual de-sludging frequency results in very minimal operating cost • Minimal above ground construction costs – rapid installation too • The UTB produces irrigation quality Treated Sewage Effluent which is suitable for watering and irrigation around the site.
What is the capacity of the UTB system at the Al Khawaneej site? The Al Khawaneej UTB is for sewage treatment at the Palace and processes wastewater up to 20m 3 per day. The system consists of six (6) x 3.5 metre diameter concrete tanks each buried to ground level thereby allowing convenient access for any servicing through access covers on the top of each tank. What are the different components (from a process flow approach) of the UTB system? Using a 35m 3 per day UTB system as an example, the main components in the process are as follows:
APRIL 2010
31
WASTEwater sPecial: SEPTECH
From the trickling contactor, wastewater flows into a clarifier where solids separation takes place. Settled sludge in the clarifier is continuously recycled back into the primary sewage tank while the supernatant (for a single clarifier UTB) flows into a chlorination tank where it is disinfected using chlorine tablets. As already mentioned above, continuous recirculation of the sludge results in minimal solids inventory.
• • • • • • •
• Primary sewage tank Secondary sewage tank Trickling contactor Feed and recirculation pumps Sludge recycle pumps Clarifier Upflow Biofilter Chlorine Contact Tank
Is the system operated in a single pass or re-circulating configuration? Our UTB system is configured with continuous re-circulation of both the sludge and the treated wastewater. What is the influent composition taken into consideration while designing the plant? Each UTB plant is designed as per the following influent characteristics taken from a typical domestic wastewater source. Parameter Unit - Maximum values • BOD5 mg/l 300 • TSS mg/l 300 • COD mg/l 500 • NH3-N mg/l 25 • pH Units 6.5 to 8.5 • Temperature Deg C 35 It is assumed that the incoming sewage is purely from domestic sources and free from toxic and other substances that can be harmful or inhibitory to the downstream process. Properly designed grease traps or grease interceptors should be installed upstream of the UTB packaged STP. Our UTB system at Al Khawaneej has achieved the following effluent quality: Parameter Unit - UTB Effluent values BOD5 mg/l 10 TSS mg/l 10 pH Units 6.5 – 8.5
32
APRIL 2010
From the UTB design perspective, could you also elaborate on: The filter medium, area and volume of the filter surface The UTB filter medium is made from polypropylene with a high surface area. Each polypropylene block contains around 60m2 surface area. Each trickling contactor has 10m3 of filter media. Organic loading rate for the plant Typical organic loading is less than 2g BOD/m2 of filter media or 0.5 kg BOD/m3 media The mechanism for spraying the wastewater The rotary arm distributor continuously distributes wastewater onto the filter media. Minimum wastewater flow rate to maintain an optimum environment for the bio-film to be effective Our UTB can handle as little as 5 metre cubed per day. System for collecting the solids and filtrate
The rotary arm distributor continuously distributes wastewater onto the filter media
Aeration for the micro-organisms External aeration is not provided; however, continuous recirculation (using submersible pumps) keeps the biofilm surface aerobic and ensures survival. Is the depth of the media an important design factor? Not in our UTB system; the media depth is fixed As in the larger plant, is there a need to precision manage the organic loading? Is there a risk of high BOD concentration in the plant? It is not necessary to precision manage organic loading for as long as the wastewater comes from domestic sources only. What are the energy friendly aspects of the plant’s operation? With the absence of air blowers, power consumption has been greatly reduced in our UTB system. The total power consumption for the UTB at Al Khawaneej is 1.15 kWh per m 3 of sewage treated for the total plant operation. Other types of sewage processes are at least 2 x this value. For the rotary trickling motor, the power draw is so low that a solar panel with regulator would suffice. How does the system handle no-flow and excess flow scenarios? By recycling effluent each night the biomass in the trickling contactor is being fed with stored organics from the Primary Sewage Tank. This keeps the microorganisms at maximum population levels and reduces the problems of the UTB plant not being used for extended periods, like for example, vacations. Consequently, untreated effluent is prevented from being discharged from the unit when persons return suddenly from extended periods of non-use.
Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashed Al Maktoum Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality
18 - 20 May 2010 | Dubai Airport Expo Centre
A $1 investment in water and sanitation can bring about as much as a $30 return in economic prosperity.* ...view other facts at www.wastesummit.com
H2O readers save US$ 200 The Middle East Waste Summit invites you to join municipalities, waste experts, environmentalists, building developers, consultants and investors in the 2010 event in Dubai. You are eligible to register for the 3-day Summit, from 18 – 20 May 2010, at a discount. Simply visit www.wastesummit.com/register and follow these steps to save US$ 200 on the conference rate:
1. Click to register as a conference and exhibition attendee 2. Enter this discount code: H2O2010 3. Continue the registration process Your registration will include entry into the VIP opening ceremony, all conference sessions and roundtable debates, the delegate luncheon area and the international exhibition.
Visit us and register at
www.wastesummit.com or call Sam Patel at
+ 971 (0) 2 406 4561 *Source: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Supported by
Organised by
WASTEwater sPecial: TSE
Re-use proposition As the district cooling industry sets up new plants or expands capacity of existing ones, reclaimed water can cater to the industry cooling water needs as a costeffective substitute says Bassam Halabi
T
he Arabian Gulf is known to have one of the warmest climates on earth with hot summer conditions prevailing for over six months a year. With deserts comprising more than 77% of its land, or 2,330,000 m2, it is also one of the most arid zones in the world. Modern living in the region necessitated the provision of indoor climate control and thereby, extensive use of air conditioning. Up to the end of the last decade, individual or central heat pump type air conditioning systems were provided in dwellings, but these consumed a lot of power, almost 50% of the peak power load, and used environmentally
harmful gases such as Freon. The search for more energy efficient and environmentally friendly solutions resulted in the development of District Cooling Plants (DCPs). In district cooling, the cooling energy is produced in centralised manner, which enables greater unit sizes. As a result, energy can be utilised in a more cost effective way. Compared to buildingspecific cooling, district cooling is a more environmentally friendly alternative and is an easy and reliable source of cooling energy. Water-based cooling systems follow either once-through or closed-cycle designs. Once-through cooling systems 34
APRIL 2010
use large volumes of water, typically in the range of thousands of cubic metres per day from a water source. Water is pumped through the condenser in a single pass and returned to the same source. Although the water withdrawal rates are very high, most of the water is subsequently returned to the water body. Closed-cycle cooling systems, on the other hand, receive their cooling water from a cooling tower and basin, to which it is subsequently returned. In such a system, it is mandatory to periodically discharge part of the recirculating water to remove the build-up of undesirable solids. As a result of evapouration and planned cooling tower blowdown, regular addition of ‘makeup’ cooling water is needed. Makeup volumes are much lower than daily once-through volumes and may go up to hundreds of thousands of cubic metres per day. Although makeup water withdrawal volume is lower, virtually all of the water is consumed without being
returned to the water body. As such, there is a continuous demand for fresh makeup water, which puts stress on fresh water resources. Reclaimed water is a viable alternative source of water available throughout the UAE. Unfortunately, only one per cent of the wastewater generated in the country is currently being reused, which makes Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) an unexploited water resource. Reuse of water, including reclaimed water, has been the central focus of several governmental bodies. Reclaimed water is treated at municipal wastewater treatment plants to secondary treatment standards in order to comply with environmentally safe disposal limits. In some cases, reclaimed water is treated to tertiary treatment levels. The starting treatment levels and additional treatment required for reclaimed water used in district cooling ranges from secondary to tertiary. The additional treatment steps may include chemical addition, clarification, disinfection, pH adjustment, and membrane filtration.
An effective water re-use scheme After water is polished through a membrane system its quality becomes
as good as desalinated water but far less Blow down discharge to irrigation expensive than the latter. Technically Potable Polished water water speaking, after this stage of treatment, water is suitable for human consumption. Make up water TDS ppm 250 50 But religious and psychological barriers prevent its use for such applications. These Approximate TDS ppm 1,200 400 discharge limit barriers or hurdles must be overcome when considering the use of recycled water, and Allowable sycles 3-6 16-22 people need to be educated on the facts and not the perceptions. Even with such barriers, Blow down discharge to sewer line Potable Polished secondary treated water can be effectively water water used in a multiple of applications including Make up water TDS ppm 400 100 irrigation, industrial, and cooling purposes.
An innovative polishing scheme Advanced water treatment technologies such as MBR (Membrane Bio-Reactor) and ZLD (Zero Liquid Discharge) have made the use of recycled water increasingly feasible and viable. The use of TSE has a positive impact on the number of cycles in a cooling tower. In discharging the blowdown though, careful consideration must be given to the point of discharge in terms of irrigation or sewer lines, as the quality required by each dictates the number of blowdown cycles, as shown below: The advantages of implementing TSE polishing may be summarised thus: • Environmental benefits of re-use • Eliminating the disposal of reject and blowdown by employing ZLD Technology • Polished water quality meets and exceeds potable water standards, allowing for equivalent or higher cycles of concentration for district cooling • Economic feasibility ensures cost savings compared to the use of desalinated water and disposal of reject Typical cost savings resulting from the use of TSE in district cooling applications are
Approximate TDS discharge limit
ppm 2,500
Allowable sycles
6.25
2,500 16.6
shown far right: There are some key challenges in opting for an innovative polished water scheme. These are: • Availability of sufficient TSE for polishing with the increasing pressure on requirement for irrigation purposes • Area availability for the sewage treatment and polishing plants. Area required is approximately 20 - 30 m2/m3 of treated water
Cycles limited for blow down to meet irrigation requirement Unit No. of cycles Estimate make up water requirement Unit cost
GPD/ TR Dhs/ GPD
Estimate make up Dhs/ water cost TR
Potable Polished water water 3
6
22
22
0.04
0.022
0.88
0.48
• Fluctuations in winter and summer for makeup water requirements • Disposal of blow-down and reject from the polishing plant (though less than reject from desalination process) • Employment of the proper ZLD process Reclaimed water represents a valuable water resource with many potential applications. As the district cooling industry sites new plants or expands capacity of existing ones, it must identify sufficient supplies of water for cooling. Reclaimed water can help meet that need. However, it needs to be treated for process reasons as its chemical composition may create problems of scaling, corrosion, bio-fouling, or stress cracking of some metal surfaces. To conclude, although reuse of reclaimed water is not a new practice, it is likely to become increasingly popular throughout the GCC in the near future. Benefits of the use of TSE in the DC process may be summarised as follows: • Environmental: Using innovative polished (recycled) water is in line with Dubai’s vision. Applying the optimum ZLD process is a recommendation for future improvement to minimise impact on the environment • Technical: High quality polished water allows for higher cycles of concentration for blowdown, and enables the reduction of potable water consumption • Economic: The use of polished water results in significant cost savings when compared to potable desalinated water The author is Group business Development Director, Metito. APRIL 2010
35
Interview
Aeon’s future Headquartered in the UK, with strategically sited production facilities in Poland and Dubai, Aeon is a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced valves for the water and gas sectors. Derek Watson, Group Chief Executive, Aeon spoke to H20 on his long term plans to make the company a global player in the water and gas valve markets. As turnaround specialist, how did you get involved with Aeon? I have worked on turning around companies that technically could go into receivership or administration. However, I took up Aeon under a totally different model – basically, to get it ready to float. Aeon is unusual in that we don’t have borrowings. We have the benefit of a big investor who has been very supportive of what we are doing. This has proved valuable, especially when one is developing the business during a global recession. When we got involved, I found that Aeon didn’t quite have the product range or the market penetration or the supply chain we thought it had. So I put it up to the shareholders that they need to give me funds to re-design and rebuild the key bits and pieces of our valves, so that we can develop a more consistent approach to the range of products we had, and also set up different lines of manufacturing. We were fortunate to be in water and gas – two growing sectors. As I haven’t quite failed at anything, I thought I would stick with this. We started making modifications to our products in 2007, and then spent 2008 building up stocks into 2009, so that we would have adequate stocks to service our customers. How has it been so far? The team that we have in Aeon is very good and, of course, our investors have put in a lot of money. It is a satisfying work – 12 hours a day or more, seven days a week and travelling most of the time. This is what I have all done most of my life in one form or the other. At present, we have about 50 employees spread across the UK, Poland and China. Do you manufacture in the UK and 36
APRIL 2010
ship products out? Do you have manufacturing sites elsewhere? We don’t manufacture anything in the UK. We only have our main offices and two storage sites with distribution in order to cater to the local UK market as well as France, Germany and Italy. Our assembling and testing facility in Poland services the UK, Russian and East European markets. We have a number of suppliers located in different parts of the world manufacturing components and products using our design and pattern equipment. These are sampled and tested in Dubai and in Poland as well. We are now developing a central facility in China as we have become very comfortable with the quality of the components we get from that country. In fact, we are quite spread out. But what appears to be simple is never so. Something that looks competitive in Turkey could actually double the price structure of your product, depending on which part of Turkey you are sourcing from. What about your operations in this region? In the Middle East, we are just finalising the appointment of some agents in Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Again, we have taken the time to go through this. I didn’t make a big push in any of our markets until we had sufficient stocks and the supply chain established. This was one of the weak points of the earlier management. We have got a much enhanced range, and we will actually be adding more products this year. We have different strategies for different marketplaces, which has served us well. The Middle East tends to be projectdriven. In the UK, we have OEMs and major utility companies whom we deal with directly. The rest of the market is
serviced by distributors. In the UK, we have almost 15 distributors. But we have a different approach in Germany where exclusivity matters. Since you source globally, how do you ensure quality control? We have a group Quality Assurance (QA) system. We have got our own engineers inspecting on a full-time basis, and we have got third-party inspectors. Every product has a daily report. Every gas valve has its own individual test certificate. We also welcome customers to visit and check while we are doing the testing. We are audited every year by the main players. We also pay close attention to discrepancies in reports. If something isn’t reported properly, it is picked up and investigated. We have conference calls for an hour each week for each location involving the quality manager and the team relevant to the commercial operations. The senior management meets up once a month. We follow best practices and processes to ensure best quality. None of our products ever go out that haven’t been assembled, tested and double-checked by everybody. Between gas and water markets, which is more important for Aeon? Between gas and water, it is more or less a 50-50 split. While the water market is certainly bigger, the gas market is more specialised. I think health and safety is far more serious subject in gas than in water as you don’t just make a gas valve and sell it. You need to have all the important certifications in place. The market has been very receptive to our gate valves, which I believe, are far superior to anything competitors can offer in the range we have. Aeon started off as a relatively small company, but we have
Tel: +44 (0)1740 â– Fax: +44+971 (0)1740 661237 Tel: +971 661236 4 8859225 Fax: 4 8859224 Email: Email: contact@aeon-online.com contact@aeon-online.com â– www.aeon-online.com www.aeon-online.com
(also offices in Poland and Dubai)
(also offices in UK and Poland)
AEON (Gulf) LLC AEON International Ltd, LionInternational Court, Hanzard Drive, P.O.Box- 115069, ArabTS22 Emirates Wynyard BusinessDubai, Park, United Billingham 5FD
BS750 type 2 fire hydrant Mueller US fire hydrant
Fire Hydrants
swing check (optional lever & weight) wafer dual plate check
Non-Return Valves
wafer or fully lugged actuation, lever or gear operated
Resilient Seated Butterfly Valves
with dual seal technology & low operating torque
Resilient Seated Gate Valves
Valve Innovation
Interview
been tendering worldwide. We have got customers in Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Europe and Egypt. We just signed big contracts in Russia and Scandinavia. We are in discussions with major gas players in Russia. The gas market is something that I personally pay attention to. If anything, the differential between selling to water and gas sectors is that the former is commoditised segment. In the case of gas, the engineers will bite only if the product fits their needs and specification, which gives us the opportunity highlight the advantages of our valves. Do you get requests for customisation? We cannot get excited about someone asking for six of something. However, what we will do is take time to talk to the client in order to understand whether there is are long term opportunities beacuse we have a full technical department that can design a component or product from scratch. In that sense, we always try to meet the customer’s requirements. Equally, we try to tell customers that they will get the best service and the best deal if they can design their systems around our products. For example, we have got arrangements with OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], who only use our product in skids used to bring down high-pressure gas to distribution-level. We have skids going into Abu Dhabi, Egypt and Nigeria. This arrangement is good for us because we are selling a product, while OEMs are selling technical know-how. How do you intend to expand your product offerings? We will be adding some new products to our gas valve range soon through an exclusive distributorship for three major international companies. Other manufacturers with products that we don’t have can plug into our distribution network as the customers are the same. For example, recently, we signed an exclusive arrangement with a British company that makes testing equipment for chlorine gas, which is targeted at both water and gas markets. We will be launching the new products under our gas range after May 2010. Since these are pretty specialised equipment, our team is undergoing training to sell the same. 38
APRIL 2010
Derek Watson
How is the project pipeline shaping up? The project pipeline varies from country to country. At our end, we try to plan ahead by talking to the main players. For example, we are part of the framework agreement for National Grid in the UK which keeps us updated on how many valves they buy, the sizes, when, where and how. We have tried to do something similar in other markets as well. In Egypt, I know who is going to buy what for the next 12 months, we know which projects are coming along. Recently, we became part of a worldwide consortium in the gas
sector which will undertake entire projects right from the design stage. We spend a lot of time researching our customers and talking to them in order to have a better relationship. We will bend to provide the service they want, and they help us by sharing in advance their requirements and schedules, so that we can make sure we have got stock rolling through. For example, we are having a major exercise in one of the new countries we have taken on. We just agreed on the first order, and now, they are all set to give us the next six potential orders.
interview: DIT
Hub of excellence As one of the most ambitious of Economic Zones World (EZW) initiatives, Dubai Institute of Technology (DIT) was set up in 2008 to boost the UAE’s innovation capabilities and contribute to the nation’s long term economic progress. Hamad Al Hashemi, Managing Director, DIT/TechnoPark and Dr Samir Hamrouni, Senior Advisor, DIT/TechnoPark updated H20 about ground covered so far and some of the key achievements in this journey. Mobility (WHEEL)? What has been the ground covered so far? We undertook an extensive exercise 2008 onwards, by developing a very detailed and comprehensive business plan, followed by the implementation phase of the same. These activities were supported by two different tools: • A sector-wise survey • Strategic Forums: DIT organised two forums during 2009 and two more have been planned for 2010 where leaders and professionals within these sectors as well as the academia will be deeply involved
Hamad Al Hashemi
What are the attributes that make Dubai a Research & Development (R&D) hub? Dubai has historically earned its reputation as an international commercial centre with an innovative, dynamic and entrepreneurial business culture. It is an ideal gateway to access markets that span the Middle East, North and South Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and the CIS. Dubai has also developed a world-class infrastructure, air connections and port facilities, making it the best-connected city in the region. Further to the UAE vision for 2021, knowledge has became one of the most important pillars of Dubai and the UAE economy. The establishment of Dubai Institute of Technology (DIT) in early 2008 40
APRIL 2010
Dr Samir Hamrouni
had as its main goal supporting Dubai to become a knowledge economy via the establishment of a local innovation system including technology transfer. DIT will provide support to master the following future challenges of Dubai (Strategy 2015): • To diversify the economy and to create new jobs for the post-oil era • To create knowledge-based industries and society to ensure sustainable economic development and growth • To lead Dubai to technology leadership, acting as the region‘s role model for knowledge economy. Why did DIT choose to focus on the strategic areas of Health, Water, Energy, Industrial Engineering and Logistics/
What is DIT’s approach towards fostering R&D in these areas? One part of DIT’s mission is to focus on a limited number of research areas corresponding to major fields of progress of knowledge and technology and come up with solutions that answer market needs and major socio-economic challenges facing the region. We focus on issues and global S&T trends and work on finding the most appropriate ones for the UAE and the region. In the events we had organised so far, the involvement of specialists from the UAE and GCC has been very high, which re-affirms the relevance of the subjects to the region’s needs and concerns. What kind of support can new ventures and entrepreneurs expect from DIT? DIT developed two different mechanisms to attract funding and to channel the same into R&D. The Dubai Research Framework (DRF) is our R&D initiative (strategy & tools) with a detailed description of the allocation process of financial support for R&D in Dubai. Financial grants are provided to: • Private and public companies in Dubai
• Private and public organisations in Dubai • Individual researchers working in Dubai • Researchers, organisations and companies from abroad cooperating with entities here or coming here There are three different types of funding available. Each funding type itself provides various funding opportunities for R&D activities. • Project related funding • Funds for individual researcher • Institutional funding Through the initiative of ‘Dubai for Innovation,’ individuals and established organisations have the opportunity to contribute towards a fund aimed at supporting the development of R&D in the region, as a cornerstone for creating a sustainable knowledge society. ‘Dubai for Innovation’ is intended for all public and private bodies that are willing and able to collaborate with the aim of improving the economic, scientific and research structure of Dubai and the region, especially in the five Strategic Research Areas of DIT (WHEEL) R&D and Intellectual Property (IP) protection are closely intertwined. How is DIT addressing this area? DIT is working on the establishment of its Intellectual Property Office. This office will work mostly on technology transfer and on creating the right awareness and improvement of IP registration. DIT is in the process of finalising ways of collaboration with potential partners to work on the IPR and commercialisation. It will create incubators that will result in commercialisation of their products. What are the different ways in which DIT is fostering and developing local talent? DIT is developing local talent through partnerships with local universities, organisations and government structure through academic programmes, onsite as well as tailor-made training. What is the role you see for DIT in solving the key water and energy issues facing the region? What have been the steps taken by DIT in this regard? During the International Desalination
Association (IDA) World Congress 2009, DIT organised the Environment & Water Workshop, which dealt with ground level issues. The following recommendations emerged from this workshop: • Establish a national regulatory body under the UAE Federal government to monitor and regulate the desalination industry and address all related issues. • Ensure sustainability through integrated water resources management zooming on water desalination. • Enhance existing environmental legislations dealing with pollution and work with regional and international organisations in this regard. • Conduct scientific research to explore innovative solutions for desalination problems, improve energy utilisation and adapt best practices in the desalination industry.
One part of DIT’s mission is to focus on a limited number of research areas corresponding to major fields of progress of knowledge and technology and come up with solutions that answer market needs and major socio-economic challenges facing the region
• Strengthen co-operation among the GCC countries in the field of water desalination and share expertise and information as the applied desalination technologies, types of feed water, prevailing climatic conditions and environmental impacts of desalination plants are similar. • Provide training programmes dealing with the impact of desalination plants on the environment. • Initiate an efficient monitoring programme at the national level in order to obtain baseline data, assess the impacts of desalination industry, minimise public health risks and protect the environment. • Construct data banks including expert profiles, data, case studies, publications, workshops, short courses and training activities in water desalination. • Encourage the private sector to produce certain parts and spare parts of desalination plants in order to reduce the cost and thus develop national industries supporting desalination. • Investigate the Red Tide phenomenon in terms of causes, species involved, toxicity, impact on desalination plants and marine environment, and precautionary measures to minimise its harm and control algal blooms. • Enhance the environment-friendly impact of desalination industry through the use of renewable energy sources and achieving zero brine discharge. • Reduce energy cost of water desalination through improvement of energy utilisation, increasing efficiency and the use of renewable energy. • Conduct a study on nuclear desalination as regards its advantages (low cost, immense reserves, cleaner than fossil fuel) versus disadvantages (high capital investment, technical challenge, nuclear safety and nuclear waste) What are the technologies or research activities in water and energy that DIT is excited about? In area of water, we are looking at desalination, water treatment and Integrated Water Management. On the energy front, we are looking at renewable resources, sustainable fossil fuels and energy efficiency. APRIL 2010
41
TENDERS Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description
Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories
PROJECTS
8W/2009 Ductile Iron Pipelines Installation Project Northern Emirates Name: Federal Electricity & Water Authority FEWA (Dubai) Address: Al Nahda Road City: Dubai Postal/Zip Code: 1672 Country: United Arab Emirates Tel: (+971-4) 231 5555 Fax: (+971-4) 280 9977 Email: cs@fewa.gov.ae Website: http://www.fewa.gov.ae Supply, installation, testing, disinfection and commissioning of ductile iron pipelines varying in diameter from DN100 to DN250, with fittings, valves and meters, including laying of fibre optic cable and related instrumentation works for a total length of approximately 33 kilometres. 820 April 28, 2010 Tender No. 8W/2009 This project is in Fujairah. The tender is open to bona fide firms who are qualified and licensed by concerned authorities. The tenderer must be a U.A.E National, individual or a company owned by nationals or a company in which 51% of the share capital is owned by nationals or Free Zone Company. Tender documents can be obtained from: Purchase Office, Federal Electricity & Water Authority Dubai, UAE. The last date to purchase tender documents is April 21, 2010. Offers should be accompanied by an unconditional Bid Bond of 5% of the total value of the offer, valid for (180) days from the last date of tender submission. The said Bid Bond should be issued by a bank operating in U.A.E. Offers to be submitted in one original and two duplicates in a plain sealed envelope and are to be deposited in Tender Box at the Authority’s head office in Dubai. The tender opening (commercial part) dates for technically accepted tenderers will be informed later. Communications/ Telecommunications Potable Water Works TPR9283-E Crane, Water Pumps & Valves Egypt Name: Potable Water Company of Greater Cairo (Egypt) Address: 42 Ramses Street City: Cairo Country: Egypt Tel: (+20-2) 574 3092 / 574 3025 Supply and erection of an electric overhead crane complete with carriage, also (3 Nos.) horizontal filtered water pumps with valves for a water company. 55 April 11, 2010 This tender supply is at Al Madabegh in Egypt. Tender documents can be obtained from: Contracts & Purchases Department, Potable Water Company of Greater Cairo Cairo, Egypt. Tel: (+20-2) 2574 3092/ 2574 3025 Bid bond is E£ 14,000 and performance bond is 5% of the contract value. Industrial & Special Projects Potable Water Works
Project Number YM/R/M/126-SA Project Name Pipe Cleaning System Replacement & Rehabilitation Project Territory Saudi Arabia Client Name: Saline Water Conversion Corporation SWCC (Saudi Arabia) City: Riyadh 11691 Postal/Zip Code: 85369 42
APRIL 2010
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories
Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-1) 463 1111/ 463 4546/ 463 0503 Fax: (+966-1) 464 3235 Email: info@swcc.gov.sa Website: http://www.swcc.gov.sa Carrying out replacement and rehabilitation of pipe cleaning system for a water conversion company. 135 April 25, 2010 Tender No. YM/R/M/126 This project is in Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: Procurement Department, Saline Water Conversion Corporation Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Potable Water Works
Project Number CW/715/09 Project Name Chlorine Dioxide Dosing System Installation & Associated Works Project Territory Dubai Client Name: Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) Address: Head Office, Near Wafi Shopping Mall, Zabeel East City: Dubai Postal/Zip Code: 564 Country: United Arab Emirates Tel: (+971-4) 324 4444 Fax: (+971-4) 324 8111 Email: contracts@dewa.gov.ae Website: http://www.dewa.gov.ae Description Design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of chlorine dioxide dosing system at reservoirs, including all chlorination lines, interconnection with existing chlorination lines, all associated earthworks, civil, electrical and drainage works, automation system and safety equipment. Tender Cost $ 275 Closing Date April 5, 2010 Remarks Tender No. CW/715/2009 This project calls for installation of chlorine dioxide dosing system at Mushrif Reservoir - Phases 1 to 6 in Dubai. The tender cost is payable in cash or on-line through the website http://www.dewa. gov.ae under the title e-services. Tenders must be valid for acceptance for 120 days from the closing date. The Master Tender Document must be accompanied by a Tender Bond for an amount not less than 5% of the total tender price and valid for 150 days from the tender closing date. Completed sealed tender documents should be addressed to: The Chairman, Board of Directors, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority and deposited into the Tender Box at Authority’s Head Office near Wafi Shopping Mall in Zabeel East, Dubai. Participants in the tender should submit the names of their Local Partners/Sponsors, having a valid Dubai Trade Licence along with a photocopy of their current licence. Public Works, Roads & Earthworks Tender Categories Potable Water Works Power Generation & Distribution Sewerage & Drainage 112/1431/1432-SA Potable Water Networks Execution Project Saudi Arabia Name: Ministry of Water & Electricity (Saudi Arabia) Address: King Fahd Road City: Riyadh 11127 Postal/Zip Code: 5729 Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-1) 205 6666/ 205 2981 Fax: (+966-1) 205 0557 Email: info@mowe.gov.ae Website: http://www.mow.gov.sa Execution of potable water networks for a water & Description electricity authority.
Project Number Project Name Territory Client
middleeasttenders.com / +971 2 634 8495
FREE subscription to
Tender Cost $ 270 Closing Date April 24, 2010 Remarks Tender No. 112/1431/1432 This project is at Southern Najran Districts in Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: Tenders & Procurement Department, Ministry of Water & Electricity Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Tender Categories Potable Water Works Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories
114/1431/1432-SA Water Purification Stations O&M Project-3 Saudi Arabia Name: Ministry of Water & Electricity (Saudi Arabia) Address: King Fahd Road City: Riyadh 11127 Postal/Zip Code: 5729 Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-1) 205 6666/ 205 2981 Fax: (+966-1) 205 0557 Email: info@mowe.gov.ae Website: http://www.mow.gov.sa Carrying out operation and maintenance of two (2) water purification stations for a water & electricity authority. 400 April 26, 2010 Tender No. 114/1431/1432 This project is at Yadma and Alkhadra in Najran of Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: Tenders & Procurement Department, Ministry of Water & Electricity Najran, Saudi Arabia. Potable Water Works 88/2010-O Nizwa Water Supply System O&M Project Oman Name: Public Authority for Electricity & Water (Oman) Address: Ministries Road, Al Khoweir Area City: Muscat Postal/Zip Code: 106 Country: Oman Tel: (+968) 2460 3906 / 2460 3800 Fax: (+968) 2460 7076 Carrying out operation and maintenance of Nizwa water supply system for an electricity & water authority. 580 May 5, 2010 Tender No. 88/2010 This project is in Oman. Tender documents can be obtained from: Public Authority for Electricity & Water Muscat, Oman. The last date to purchase tender documents is April 07, 2010. Potable Water Works 6/431/432-SA Wastewater Treatment Project-1 Saudi Arabia Name: Water Directorate (Saudi Arabia) City: Riyadh 11195 Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-1) 476 1377 Fax: (+966-1) 401 2365 Execution and study of wastewater treatment for a water directorate. 1,335 April 12, 2010 Tender No. 6/431/432 This project is in Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: Procurement Department, Madina Water Directorate Madina, Saudi Arabia. Potable Water Works
H2O is available on subscription basis. To qualify for FREE annual subscription, please fill the form, below, and fax to +971 4 4341906 or e-mail to purwanti@cpi-industry.com. Should you have any colleagues who would want to receive the magazine, please copy and pass on this form. If you do not qualify for a free annual subscription, the following rates will apply: UAE: GCC: Middle East (non GCC): Outside Middle East:
$70 $80 $90 $100
Name: job title: Company: Industry sector:
No. of employees:
my purchasing below US$10,000 authority is: between US$10,000 and US$50,000 above US$50,000
Address: PO Box:
City:
Country: Tel. No.:
Fax No.:
E-mail: Mobile No.:
Signature:
Date:
APRIL 2010
43
TENDERS Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories
PROJECTS
MEW/32/2008-2009-K Power & Water Desalination Plant Project Kuwait Name: Ministry of Electricity & Water (Kuwait) Address: Al-Riqie City: Safat - 13001 Postal/Zip Code: 12 Country: Kuwait Tel: (+965) 489 6000 Fax: (+965) 489 7484 Design, build, operation and maintenance of a power and desalination plant for an electricity & water authority. 17,245 May 30, 2010 Tender No. MEW/32/2008-2009 This project is in Kuwait. The tender is open to pre-qualified contractors only. Tender documents can be obtained from: Purchases & Supplies Department, Sixth Ring Road, First Floor, Ministry of Electricity & Water South Surra, Kuwait. A pre-bid meeting will be held on April 12, 2010. Potable Water Works Power Generation & Distribution TPR9226-SA Water Leakage Detection Works-1 Saudi Arabia Name: Jizan Municipality (Saudi Arabia) City: Jizan Postal/Zip Code: 3354 Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-7) 322 1413 Carrying out detection of water leakage for water networks for a municipality. 535 April 27, 2010 This tender service is in Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: Alaardah Governorate, Jizan Municipality Jizan, Saudi Arabia. Potable Water Works
Project Number YM/R/M/148-SA Project Name Drinking Water Treatment Plant Rehabilitation Project - Phase I Territory Saudi Arabia Client Name: Saline Water Conversion Corporation SWCC (Saudi Arabia) City: Riyadh 11691 Postal/Zip Code: 85369 Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-1) 463 1111/ 463 4546/ 463 0503 Fax: (+966-1) 464 3235 Email: info@swcc.gov.sa Website: http://www.swcc.gov.sa Description Carrying out rehabilitation of drinking water treatment plant for a water conversion company - Phase I. Tender Cost $ 135 Closing Date April 26, 2010 Remarks Tender No. YM/R/M/148 This project is at Yanbu Medina in Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: Procurement Department, Saline Water Conversion Corporation Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Tender Categories Potable Water Works Project Number JB/R/E/344-SA Project Name Chlorination Production System Upgrade & Replacement - Phase I Territory Saudi Arabia Client Name: Saline Water Conversion Corporation SWCC (Saudi Arabia) City: Riyadh 11691 Postal/Zip Code: 85369 Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-1) 463 1111/ 463 4546/ 463 0503 44
APRIL 2010
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description
Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Fax: (+966-1) 464 3235 Email: info@swcc.gov.sa Website: http://www.swcc.gov.sa Upgrade and replacement of chlorination production system of seawater intake for a water conversion corporation - Phase I. 135 April 21, 2010 Tender No. JB/R/E/344 This tender supply is at Jubail Station in Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: Procurement Department, Saline Water Conversion Corporation Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Potable Water Works 4EW/2010 Al Zawrah Desalination Plant Project Northern Emirates Name: Federal Electricity & Water Authority - FEWA (Dubai) Address: Al Nahda Road City: Dubai Postal/Zip Code: 1672 Country: United Arab Emirates Tel: (+971-4) 231 5555 Fax: (+971-4) 280 9977 Email: cs@fewa.gov.ae Website: http://www.fewa.gov.ae Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant at Al Zawrah with capacity of 10 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD). 1,365 April 22, 2010 Tender No. 4EW/2010 This project is in Ajman. The tender is open to bona fide contractors who are qualified and licensed by concerned authorities. The tenderer must be a U.A.E National, individual or a company owned by nationals or a company in which 51% of the share capital is owned by nationals or Free Zone Company. Tender documents can be obtained as of March 7, 2010 up to April 13, 2010 from: Purchase Office, Federal Electricity & Water Authority Dubai, UAE. Offers should be accompanied by an unconditional Bid Bond of 5% of the total value of the offer. The said Bid Bond should be valid for (180) days from the last date of tender submission and the same should be issued by a bank operating in U.A.E. Offers to be submitted in one original and two duplicates in a plain sealed envelope and are to be deposited in Tender Box at the Authority’s head office in Dubai. The date of opening of commercial offer will be informed later. Potable Water Works 84/2010-O Desalination Plant Construction Project-2 Oman Name: Public Authority for Electricity & Water (Oman) Address: Ministries Road, Al Khoweir Area City: Muscat Postal/Zip Code: 106 Country: Oman Tel: (+968) 2460 3906 / 2460 3800 Fax: (+968) 2460 7076 Design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of desalination plant for an electricity & water authority. 580 April 26, 2010 Tender No. 84/2010 This project is at Al Kahel in Wusta region of Oman. Tender documents can be obtained from: Public Authority for Electricity & Water Muscat, Oman. The last date to purchase tender documents is
middleeasttenders.com / +971 2 634 8495
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
March 24, 2010. Potable Water Works HS/99-K Sanitary Drainage Network Renovation Project Kuwait Name: Ministry of Public Works (Kuwait) Address: Murgab, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Street City: Safat 13001 Postal/Zip Code: 8 Country: Kuwait Tel: (+965) 539 4479 / 538 5520 Fax: (+965) 539 4419 Carrying out sanitary drainage network renovation for a ministry. 8,625 May 2, 2010 Tender No. HS/99 This project is at Al-Reggae in Kuwait. Tender documents can be obtained from: Ministry of Public Works Safat 13011, Kuwait. Tel:. (+965) 240 1200 Fax:. (+965) 241 6574. A pre-bid meeting will be held on April 04, 2010. Bid bond is KD 280,000. Sewerage & Drainage PWA/ITC/051/09-10-Q Consultancy Services-931 Qatar Name: Public Works Authority - ASHGHAL (Qatar) Address: Ashghal Tower City: Doha Postal/Zip Code: 22188 Country: Qatar Tel: (+974) 495 0000 Fax: (+974) 495 0999 Email: info@ashghal.com Website: http://www.ashghal.com Provision of consultancy services of surface and ground water master plan for public works authority. 210 May 9, 2010 Tender No. PWA/ITC/051/09-10 This project is at Doha, Wakrah and Khor in Qatar. The scope of work is to prepare a Drainage Master Plan for Surface Water and Ground Water for the specified location as a basis for provision of drainage infrastructure, which will satisfy current and future needs of the project areas. Tender documents can be obtained from: Contracts Affairs, Public Works Authority (Ashghal) Doha, Qatar. Fax:. (+974) 495 0777 Bid bond is QR 150,000. Sewerage & Drainage 10/31/32-SA Wastewater Treatment Station Expansion Project Saudi Arabia Name: Water Directorate (Saudi Arabia) City: Riyadh 11195 Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-1) 476 1377 Fax: (+966-1) 401 2365 Expansion and boosting sufficiency of 4th and 5th wastewater treatment station for a water directorate. 4,000 May 2, 2010 Tender No. 10/31/32 This project is in Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: Procurement Department, Alqassim Water Directorate
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Number Project Name Territory Client
Description Tender Cost $ Closing Date Remarks
Tender Categories Project Name Tender Cost ($) Posting Date Period Tender Type Territory Client
Description Status Last Updated Tender Categories Remarks
Alqassim, Saudi Arabia. Sewerage & Drainage 606-SA Water Drainage Networks Uprgrade Project Saudi Arabia Name: Saudi Ports Authority - SPA (Saudi Arabia) City: Riyadh 11422 Postal/Zip Code: 5162 Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-1) 405 0005 Fax: (+966-1) 405 3508 Email: info@ports.gov.sa Website: http://www.ports.gov.sa Carrying out upgrade of storm water drainage networks for a port authority. 800 May 22, 2010 Tender No. 606 This project is at Deba’a Seaport in Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: General Ports Corporation Jizan, Saudi Arabia. Sewerage & Drainage 79/1431/1432-SA Wastewater Networks Execution Project Saudi Arabia Name: Ministry of Water & Electricity (Saudi Arabia) Address: King Fahd Road City: Riyadh 11127 Postal/Zip Code: 5729 Country: Saudi Arabia Tel: (+966-1) 205 6666/ 205 2981 Fax: (+966-1) 205 0557 Email: info@mowe.gov.ae Website: http://www.mow.gov.sa Execution of wastewater networks for a water & electricity authority. 1,335 May 1, 2010 Tender No. 79/1431/1432 This project is at Fayfa Town in Saudi Arabia. Tender documents can be obtained from: Tenders & Procurement Department, Ministry of Water & Electricity Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sewerage & Drainage District Cooling Plant Expansion Project Mohammed Bin Zayed City 0 April 6, 2010 14 months Project Abu Dhabi Company Name: National Central Cooling Company - TABREED (Abu Dhabi) Address: Abu Dhabi Mall, Tower West, 13th Floor, Tourist Club Area Pin: 29478 City: Abu Dhabi Country: United Arab Emirates Phone: (+971-4) 645 5007 Fax: (+971-4) 645 5008 Email: gmail@tabreed. com Website: http://www.tabreed.com Carrying out expansion of an existing district cooling plant within Mohammed Bin Zayed City area. New Tender April 6, 2010 Industrial & Special Projects This project is in Abu Dhabi. Interested contractors can contact: Mr. Mohamed Shazli Procurement Manager Tel: (+971-2) 6455007 Fax: (+971-2) 6455008 E-mail: MShazli@tabreed.com The Project Manager is Mr. Tan Hock Hai. A consultant is yet to be appointed.
APRIL 2010
45
eventsCALENDAR APRIL April 11-14, 2010, Riyadh
Arwadex 2010 Water Desalination Conference in Arab Countries (Arwadex) aims at encouraging exchange of expertise among the parties and bodies in the Arab countries concerned with the desalination industry and the environment, encouraging the private sector to invest in desalination projects, technology transfer opportunities, enhancing the performance of employees in the desalination domain and evaluating the feasibility of using alternative energies in desalination. The conference will also host two workshops on pumps in the desalination plants - design, materials, problems and Design of pipelines and water transportation systems. The venue of the conference is Intercontinental Hotel, Riyadh. Contact: Basim El Zahab The Specialist Group Tel: +966 1 460 2332 ext. 116 Fax: +966 1 460 2316 Mobile: +966 50 341 1003 Email: bassem@specialist.com.sa
46
APRIL 2010
April 25-27, 2010, Bahrain
GWPF 2010 The first Gulf Water & Power Forum (GWPF) will be held at Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Manama in partnership with the Federation of GCC Chambers. GWPF will bring government, power and water project developers, contractors and suppliers together to discuss investment opportunities in the Gulf Water & Power sectors, which is expected to attract an estimated $120 billion over the next 10 years. Contact: BME Global Tel: +44 207-023-9240 Fax: + 44 207-022-1722 Email: eidriss@bme-global.com URL: www.bme-global.com April 26-27, 2010, Paris
GWI/IDA Global Water Summit 2010 The GWI/IDA Global Water Summit 2010 Transforming the World of Water will take place at the Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel & Conference Centre. This event is expected to include 80 speakers or round table participants covering most of the major markets for desalination. The lively program will focus on cutting edge –
and sometimes provocative – strategies designed to transform the landscape of the industry as it relates to sustainability and the tightening relationship between water and staples of energy, food and money. Topics will include: • Finance: what are the new financial models that are galvanising change in the water sector? • Management: how have water agency leaders revolutionised service while dramatically improving financial sustainability? • Technology: which technologies are changing the shape of the international water industry? The keynote will be delivered by Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. Contact: International Desalination Association 94 Central Street, Suite 200, Topsfield, MA 01983 USA Tel: 1- 978-887-0410 Fax: 1- 978-887-0411 Email: info@idadesal.org URL: www.watermeetsmoney.com
MAY May 24-26, 2010
Gulf Water Week 2010, Dubai The 3-day event is designed
2010 to give attending delegates the benefits of a comprehensive discussion on issues of water conservation and integrated water resource management, wastewater treatment and reuse, as well as water distribution and loss management. All these will be delivered through practical case studies and interactive forums. Key speakers for the event include Dr. Ahmed Ali Murad, Head of Geology of UAE University; Tim Waldron, Chief Executive Officer of Wide Bay Water Corporation, Australia; Abdul Ghani Khalaf, Director of Water Distribution, Electricity & Water Authority, Bahrain; Colin Hannan, Director of Water Services, Regulations & Supervision Bureau of Abu Dhabi, UAE; Dr. Mohamed Raouf, Program Manager – Environment, Gulf Research Centre, UAE; Dr. Nurul Akhand, Irrigation Specialist of International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), UAE; and Kevin Samson, Manager- Wastewater of City of Cape Town, South Africa. Contact: Mandy Lee Abdullah Marketing Manager Tel: +603 2600 6000 Mobile: +6012 270 2076 Email: mandy.lee@jfpsgroup.com URL: www.jfpsgroup.com
! A Q U A LY N G ! t h e l at e st e v a h t s u m y e 1. T h t e c h n o l og y & e co n o m i c t n e i c i f f e r e f f 2. O s o l ut i o n s ve r a l l o u r i l e d o t e l b a e 3. B ds f re s h wat e r n e e t o p ro v i di n g d e t t i m m o c e 4. B st ro n g s u ppo rt pa bilit i e s a c l a b o l g r e f f 5. O
- t h e-a rt y f o e t a t s g n i r e f Of t e c h n o l og s i s o m s o e s r e v re rg y s a v i nyg e n e e v i t a v o n n I c h n o l og e t r o t a r e p u c e R e ci a li st De s a li n at io n s p Ex pe ri e necdeds e&rv ice s co m m itt Glo ba l reae rcthi s, e loca l ex p
Desalination with an edge As a global water solutions provider addressing diverse water needs for a variety of concerns, Aqualyng is carving a unique trail in the desalination industry. Our spectrum of successful, state-of-the-art products & services deliver vital, timely water solutions for communities and corporations alike. From solving freshwater scarcities and feeding the growth of heavy industry to revolutionising the desalination sphere through cutting-edge innovations, Aqualyng’s desalination water systems get the job done – time after time. * The Recuperator is our patented energy-saving device which allows recycling up to 98.5% of the energy contained in the reject of the desalination process, which lowers operating costs.
501005 Aqualyng Ad FAW.indd 1
www.aqualyng.com
1/29/09 2:01:43 PM
The perfect valve choice for District Cooling applications
AVK Saudi Valve Manufacturing Co. Ltd. PO Box 10830 21443 Jeddah Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Tel.: +966 (02) 637 1570 Fax: +966 (02) 635 4750 www.avksvmc.com sales@avksvmc.com
AVK Middle East F.Z.E. P.O Box 293870 Dubai U.A.E Tel.: +9714 2998 110 Fax: +9714 2998 113 www.avk.ae avkme@avk.ae
Listed
Approved