Tate-Monroe Water to Use Koch Membrane Systems
Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. of Wilmington, Mass., a developer and manufacturer of membranes and membrane systems, has been selected to provide reverse osmosis (RO) equipment under a contract with the Tate-Monroe Water Association of Ohio for its US 52 Water Treatment Plant.
The project, which was awarded to the Burgess & Niple engineering firm, will provide potable water from a groundwater source in a bedrock aquifer. Dugan & Meyers Construction Co., of Cincinnati, Ohio will conduct all site work, concrete work, and process equipment installation.
Burgess and Niple selected a two-train MegaMagnum® RO system from KMS. Each train is configured in a 4:2 array that includes six 18-inch-diameter vessels with five elements per vessel.
GE, Algeria Open Africa's Largest Seawater Desalination Plant
A persistent shortage of potable water in Algiers, Algeria was eased Feb. 24 as the $250 million Hamma Seawater Desalination Plant was officially opened by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Jeff Garwood, president and chief executive office of GE Water & Process Technologies.
Completed on time and on budget in 24 months, the plant uses GE's advanced ecomagination-certified reverse osmosis membranes to purify up to 53 million gallons of seawater per day -- providing as many as 2 million residents of Algiers with a reliable and drought-proof supply of fresh water.
For many years adequate water supplies in Algiers were nearly unattainable, as residential and industrial demand has significantly outstripped supply. More than 2.5 million rural dwellers have resettled in Algiers over the past half-century, inflating the population and severely straining the city's water supplies and infrastructure. As a result, residents faced serious water shortages, and often received water for only a few hours each day or sometimes only once every three days.
The plant is North Africa's first large-scale reverse osmosis desalination plant to be funded by a joint venture that combines public and private equity investment. The special project company, Hamma Water Desalination SpA, combines 70 percent funding from General Electric and 30 percent from the state-owned Algerian Energy Company. The Overseas Private Investment Company, which helps U.S businesses invest in new and emerging overseas markets, financed $200 million toward the project. GE was awarded a 25-year contract to operate and maintain the plant.