Papermaker ups water performance with Desalitech reverse osmosis

Arizona-based papermaker, Doubletree Paper Mills, said it has increased its purified water recovery by 20% at its Gila Bend plant since replacing its reverse osmosis water treatment system in 2014 with Desalitech’s ReFlex RO system. The modification has also cut wastewater output by almost two thirds and lopped 25 % off energy consumption said Doubletree.

Doubletree purifies groundwater and recycles wastewater with reverse osmosis for use in its paper production processes. The new water treatment system has doubled the plant’s water production capacity to 2,000 litres a minute.

Doubletree previously treated groundwater pumped from a well to the plant with a conventional reverse osmosis system at a water recovery rate of 75%, producing 250 l of wastewater from every 1,000 l of raw water.

“This is a solid upgrade to the water treatment system that has enabled us to increase water production without any additional stress on the existing facility,” said Doubletree’s vice president of finance, Samir Kanuga.

Desalitech says the installation brings its number of project wins to over 30, solidifying the its place as a new but serious contender in the water treatment industry.