ANanyang Technological University (NTU) start-up

company has established its first water treatment plant outside Singapore.

Based in Duc Hoa, Vietnam (near Ho Chi Minh City), it covers an area of 120 m2 (1292 ft2) and has an output of 1 million litres (264 172 gallons) of drinking water a day. NTU’s new start-up, Decentralised Membranes Pte Ltd, which designed and built the facility, says that compared with other plants in the area this high-tech, remotely-monitored facility supplies cleaner potable water at just two-thirds of current prices.

Furthermore, according to the firm, this unique facility is the first of its kind in South-East Asia because only one person is needed to operate it. It is linked wirelessly, via an NTU-designed network, to an office in Singapore which oversees and manages its daily operations.

This new plant, a joint venture between Decentralised Membranes and Vietnamese company GD Wasser, is backed by Singapore-based investment firm New Asia Investments, which has invested S$300 000 in Decentralised Membranes.

A subsidiary and partner of Membrane Instruments & Technology Pte Ltd (MINT),

an NTU spin-off company that supplies water-quality sensors for use in water treatment plants, Decentralised Membranes also operates the plant. It uses MINT’s patented membrane integrity sensor technology – developed at NTU’s Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute – to monitor the plant’s performance, enabling problems to be detected early, to ensure it operates at optimum levels.

Riding on the successful launch of this first plant, four more water treatment plants are being planned for Vietnam by the end of this year. These include a retrofit of an existing 2000-m2 (21 528-ft2) facility, which also will be a joint venture with GD Wasser and financed by New Asia Investments.

Contacts:

Singapore Membrane Technology Centre,

Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang

Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue,

Block N1-B3b-29, Singapore 639798.

Tel: +65 6790 6813, http://newri.ntu.edu.sg

http://smtc.ntu.edu.sg

Membrane Instruments and Technology Pte

Ltd, Innovation Centre, Unit 229, Nanyang

Technological University, 16 Nanyang Drive,

Singapore 637722.

Tel: +65 9745 8382 www.mintmembranes.com

NTU start-up builds its first water treatment plant outside Singapore

ISSN 0958-2118/13 © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reservedThis journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use:PhotocopyingSingle photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use.

News

NTU start-up builds its first water treatment plant outside Singapore 1

Nubian forms strategic partnership with Nirosoft 1 & 16

Desalination plant in Ghana uses Inge’s UF technology 2

Lockheed Martin receives patent for Perforene filtration material 2

Booster pump helps RO system keep production steady 3

Efficient filtration media reduces particulate emissions 3

DW & PS opens plant for Tequatic Plus filters and wins award 4

Hyflux signs MOUs for projects in China’s Yunnan Province 4

Report examines India’s wastewater reuse sector 5

Qua introduces FEDI-2Rx range of electro-deionisation systems 5

Membrane element efficiently removes contaminants from natural gas 6

SiC membranes now used in pool filtration systems in North America 6

Kruger XTREAM UF membrane system gains more surface area 6

Lanxess’ membrane elements approved for drinking-water applications 7

Sustainability Mark helps consumers identify ‘‘green’’ products 7

Contech Engineered Solutions acquires Imbrium Systems 16

Features

Funding initiates production of tunable nano-porous block copolymer membranes 8

Modified track-etching method produces membranes cost-effectively 9

Regulars

In Brief 3, 5 & 7

Research Trends 9

Patents 12

Events Calendar 16

Contents

membrane TECHNOLOGY

ISSN 0958-2118 June 2013 www.membrane-technology.com

Nubian forms strategic partnership with Nirosoft

Australia’s Nubian Water Systems Pty Ltd, a major provider of

sustainable water technology to the urban environment, has formed a strategic partnership with Nirosoft, an RWL Water Group company and supplier of water treatment systems and products for use in the industrial,

manufacturing, municipal, power-generating and resources sectors.

According to Nubian, this partnership is part of its strategy to build a facility-centric, end-to-end water technology company in Australia that will drive water balance and reduce the country’s water footprint.

Continued on page 16...

28–29 June 2013TUM Desal Conference 2013 – Desalination and Waste Water TreatmentMunich, GermanyContact: Dipl.-Ing. Burkhard Seifert, TU München, Lehrstuhl für Thermodynamik, Boltzmannstr. 15, D-85747 Garching, GermanyTel: +49 89 289 16237Email: seifert@td.mw.tum.dewww.mehrwasser.de

1–6 September 2013ECIS 2013 – 27th Conference of the European Colloid and Interface SocietySofia, BulgariaContact: Elena Mileva, Chair of ECIS 2013,Institute of Physical Chemistry, BulgarianAcademy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str, bl. 11,Sofia 1113, BulgariaTel: +359 888 194 410, Fax: +359 2 971 26 88Email: ecis13@ipc.bas.bghttp://ecis2013.org

3–7 September 2013EWM 2013 – Engineering with Membranes 2013: Towards a Sustainable FutureSaint-Pierre d’Oléron, FranceContact: Susana Luque, University of Oviedo, Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Julian Claveria 8, 33006-Oviedo, SpainTel: +34 985 102998Email: sluque@uniovi.eswww.unioviedo.es/EWM2013

5–7 September 2013CEST 2013 – 13th International Conference on Environmental Science and TechnologyAthens, GreeceContact: Conference Secretariat, Voulgaroktonou Str. 30, GR 11472, Athens, GreeceTel: +30 210 649 24512, Fax: +30 210 649 2499Email: cest2013@gnest.orghttp://cest2013.gnest.org

12–13 September 2013Fluoride Removal from Drinking Water: Health and Technology Implications (interdisciplinary research workshop)Arusha, TanzaniaContact: Professor Andrea Schäfer, William Rankine Building, Room 3.19, The University of Edinburgh, The King’s Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UKTel: +44 131 650 7209, Fax: +44 131 650 6554Email: andrea.schaefer@ed.ac.uk

15–19 September 2013Permea 2013 – 6th Membrane Conference of Visegrad CountriesWarsaw, PolandContact: Marta Bojarska, Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Room 183, ul. Wary�skiego 1, 00-645 Warsaw, PolandTel: +48 22 234 64 53 or Tel: +48 22 234 63 10www.permea2013.eu or www.ichip.pw.edu.pl

CALENDAR/NEWS

16Membrane Technology June 2013

...Continued from front pageCommenting on this partnership, Barry

Porter, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nubian, said: ‘Nubian is now the only company in Australia that can claim to provide total water ‘‘solutions’’. We can now take water from its source, optimise its value through recycling, and see it through to its environmentally sustainable discharge.’

‘Nirosoft is a leader in providing membrane-based water treatment systems, and combining its expertise with Nubian’s leadership in recycling and disinfection will enable us to offer the market a truly unique proposition.’

Owned by the RWL Water Group, Nirosoft specialises in the design, manufacture and operation of water treatment systems. Its membrane technology is used to create ultra-pure water, essential

to the manufacturing industry, especially in the food and beverage, electrical and pharmaceuticals sectors, where it is needed to create safe products and consumables.

Avi Bonibay, CEO, Nirosoft, added: ‘We are in the business of providing advanced water treatment technology and systems wherever they are needed. Nirosoft is focused on creating a global water business that will meet the growing need for clean water.’

‘We feel the best way to bring our technology to the Australian market is to partner with a local company that has the same ideals and objectives as Nirosoft. It is clear to us that not only is Nubian a leader in providing innovative systems and products to the local market, but it is also committed to providing water wherever it is needed.’

Gary Zamel, Executive Chairman, Nubian, said: ‘This partnership between Nirosoft and

Nubian strengthens economic ties between Israel and Australia. We are glad to work together in protecting the world’s most precious resource – water.’

‘Nubian appreciates the introduction to Nirosoft through an initiative provided by the Australia–Israel Chamber of Commerce. This initiative is designed to improve trade links between Israeli and Australian companies.’

Contacts:

Nubian Water Systems Pty Ltd, Unit 3, Gateway

Business Park, 63–79 Parramatta Road, Silverwater,

NSW 2128, Australia. Tel: +61 2 9647 2633,

www.nubian.com.au

RWL Water Nirosoft, 16 HaNapach Street,

Karmiel 2101, Israel. Tel: +972 4 988 3311,

www.nirosoft.com

Contech Engineered Solutions acquires Imbrium Systems

In the USA, Contech Engineered Solutions Llc, which supplies

site products and services to the civil engineering industry, has acquired Imbrium Systems Group, an engineered storm-water treatment systems specialist, from clean technology company Monteco Ltd.

The acquisition includes Imbrium’s Jellyfish storm-water filtration product line. A Jellyfish filter features pretreatment and membrane filtration units in a compact stand-alone system that removes a wide variety of high-level storm-

water pollutants. This technology has gained numerous regulatory approvals and is available in multiple configurations.

Contech says that it will market its broad portfolio of storm-water management products, including the Stormwater Management Stormfilter, in conjunction with the Jellyfish filter.

‘This is a key strategic move for Contech as we continue to strengthen our position as the market leader in the storm-water industry. The addition of the Jellyfish filter to our portfolio provides our customers with expanded options

for their storm-water needs,’ said Ron Keating, President and Chief Executive Officer, Contech.

Contacts: Contech Engineered Solutions Llc, 9025 Centre Point Drive, West Chester, OH 45069, USA. Tel: +1 513 645 7000, www.ContechES.com

Imbrium Systems Corp, 7564 Standish Place, Suite 112, Rockville, MD 20855, USA. Tel: +1 301 279 8827, www.imbriumsystems.com

Monteco Ltd, 2 St Clair Avenue West 2100, Toronto, Ontario M4V 1L5 Canada. Tel: +1 416 960 9968, www.monteco.com

EVENTS CALENDAR