Chinese desalination plant to use Norit technology

Norit X-Flow has been selected to supply the ultrafiltration (UF) pretreatment technology for the Qingdao desalination project facility. Qingdao is the second largest commercial port in northern China, located in the Shandong Province along the Yellow Sea. The desalination plant is designed to process 100,000 cubic metres of water per day. This is enough to supply drinking water for a population of 500,000 people. The plant uses reverse osmosis treatment technology with Norit’s innovative ultrafiltration membrane pretreatment of the water.

The UF pretreatment is used to prevent clogging of the reverse osmosis membranes. The company’s UF membranes remove all fine silt and turbidity (suspended particles) and will reduce contaminants such as microorganisms. Norit X-Flow is claimed to be the first membrane manufacturer to supply a membrane specifically designed to pretreat seawater.

The Qingdao desalination project will be the largest such plant in China to date. Additional desalination plants are expected to follow. This also marks the first privately financed desalination facility in China, with funding provided entirely by local banks. The project is expected to be commissioned in 2012.

Norit X-Flow signed an agreement with Befesa to supply the UF pretreatment technology for the project. Befesa, headquartered in Spain, is responsible for the design, construction and operation of the plant under the terms of a 25-year contract. Norit X-Flow is providing the membrane technologies and products to support the desalination operation. The products include the Norit X-Flow Seaguard ultrafiltration technology that uses the company’s SMART intelligence control for system optimisation. The Qingdao plant will contain 2280 Seaguard membrane modules arranged on 20 skids, each with a 120 UF module configuration.

Norit X-Flow is part of the Norit Group headquartered in The Netherlands. The group provides expertise and experience in water purification, ranging from producing potable water to treating process and wastewater. The membranes that will be used in this project are claimed to have a record of reliability under severe conditions and stringent quality requirements.

For more information, visit www.xflow.com.