Norit to supply UF pretreatment for Qingdao desalination

Norit X-Flow has signed an agreement with Befesa to supply the UF pretreatment technology for the Qingdao Desalination Project in Shandong province, China.

Qingdao is the second largest commercial port in northern China, and the reverse-osmosis (RO) plant is designed to process 100,000 m³/d to supply drinking water for 500,000 people. It will be the largest such plant in China to date.

Spanish contractor Befesa is responsible for the design, construction and operation of the plant under a 25-year contract. Netherlands-based Norit X- Flow is providing SeaGuard UF technology that uses Norit Smart intelligence control for system optimization. The Qingdao plant will contain 2,280 membrane modules arranged on 20 skids, each with a 120 UF module configuration.

This is the first privately financed desalination facility in China, with funding provided entirely by local banks. The project is expected to be commissioned in 2012. Additional desalination plants are expected to follow.