The world’s only commercial manufacturer of forward-osmosis (FO) membranes, modules and systems, Hydration Technologies Innovations LLC (HTI), reached an international distribution, services and cooperation agreement for FO technology with Chinese company Tri-Tech Holding Inc.
Tri-Tech provides turnkey solutions in China for water resources, water and wastewater treatment, industrial safety and pollution control. The company announced only on 7 October 2010 an award for a major drinking water treatment plant, including ultrafiltration and nanofiltration, with a capacity of 96,000 m³/d for the city of Ordos in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
HTI supplies FO technology to customers within the industrial sectors of oil and gas exploration, algae biofuels, landfills, chlor-alkali, food processing, methane digesters, nuclear wastewater, membrane bioreactors and several others.
According to the agreement, in addition to the distribution in China of HTI’s personal hydration products, Tri-Tech will sell and integrate the HTI licensed technology in the country. Typically, FO modules will be integrated into complete system packages with related ancillary services including, but not limited to, engineering, management, construction, design and consulting, and incorporation into Tri-Tech products as well as the products of other companies.
“Tri-Tech is the leading provider of integrated solutions for the protection, control and enhancement of China’s water resources, and we are looking forward to a great relationship introducing FO to the Chinese market,” said Mark Lambert, corporate development director for HTI.
Tri-Tech and HTI are currently working together to prepare a proposal for a landfill leachate treatment project in North China. Both companies will work closely and develop technology and engineering expertise in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment and reuse, water purification, seawater desalination, and sludge concentration and dewatering.
The parties anticipate that it will be necessary for the purposes of testing, sales demonstration and customer evaluation that Tri-Tech construct and operate one or more FO pilot units incorporating the licensed technology. Tri-Tech is authorized and licensed to construct and operate such pilot units in both municipal and industrial sites for wastewater treatment testing, demonstration and evaluation.