Inge Genné, WG leader of the WssTP WG ‘Nanotechnologies for water treatment’ represented WssTP at the MEDRC Technical Workshop conference, which took place under the theme “Latest Water treatmentTechnologies: Improvements on Membranes Elements ” on the 17th of January. Inge Genné delivered the first speech of the workshop on ‘Produced water treatment by membranes’. Two distinguished speakers from Singapore and Cyprus gave also presentations on the following topics:
- “Use of the Next Generation of Membranes in Desalination by Forward Osmosis FO/ Reverse Osmosis RO and Wastewater Treatment”, Mr. Mark Perry, VP of BD & Sales, Aquaporin Asia Pte. Ltd.
- “Pretreatment Cartridges & Filters and how they increase the Membranes lifetime with case studies from Dhekelia Desalination Plant in Cyprus”, Ms. Olga Sallangos, Plant Manager
The workshop helped highlight how the development of synthetic membranes has contributed in solving many problems related to water demand and water disposal. But it’s not only in desalination where membrane-based technology is applied. Wastewater reclamation; water purification for food manufacturing; and increasingly, energy generation also require highly efficient and durable membranes.
Membrane technologies represent a major market in water and wastewater, for both municipal and industrial sectors, worth US $3.9 billion in 2015 and expected to reach US $5.0 billion in 2019, according to GWI. On the other hand, better understanding of the complex interactions at the produced water/membrane interface is essential to achieve more efficient applications to treat water.
Membranes are going to play an increasingly important role in desalination and wastewater treatment. Challenges on membrane systems were discussed and solutions for those challenges were presented.
The participants got the opportunity at the end of the workshop to visit MEDRC facilities (MEDRC RO Pilot Plant, laboratory, evaporation ponds, Falaj System, solar panels, etc.).
For more information, please visit MEDRC’s website.
