Pretreatment, Chile, Seawater, Reverse Osmosis, Water Quality, Malta
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Severn-Trent wins Chilean mining desalination contract
US water and wastewater treatment company Severn Trent Services has been awarded a contract to provide a seawater desalination plant that will serve the potable and process water needs of the Minera Esperanza copper and gold mine in Antofagasta, Chile.
Doosan Enpure secures Escondida pretreatment contract
Doosan Enpure has secured a US$ 17 million contract to design, procure and supply the pretreatment plant for the desalination part of the Escondida Water Supply Project at the world's largest copper mine in Chile's Atacama desert.
Nirosoft to build small SWRO plant in Chile
Chilean regional water utility Aguas De Altiplano has awarded a contract to Nirosoft Industries for a small seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant.
EIS filed for SWRO desalination plant for Chile fishery
An environmental impact study (EIS) has been filed by Seven Seas Water Chile SpA for the Bahía Caldera Desalination Plant in Chile's Region III.
Escondida desalination is first Doosan job in Latin America
Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction announced its first seawater desalination plant project in the Latin American market on 25 August 2013.
Agbar subsidiary submits EIS for Chile desalination plant
An environmental impact study (EIS) has been submitted for the construction of a 1,000 L/s (86,400 ³/d) seawater reverse-osmosis desalination plant in the coastal town of Chañaral, near the city of Caldera in Chile's Region III.
Chilean mine SWRO gets environmental approval
An environmental impact study (EIS) for a 26,000 m³/d desalination plant for a mining operation in northern Chile is reported to have been approved by the regional office of the Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (environment ministry).
Aqualia wins SWRO contract in Chile
Spanish company Aqualia has been awarded a contract worth about € 17 million to design and supply seawater reverse-osmosis equipment for a desalination plant in Chile, its first work in that country.
New EIA submitted for Antofagasta desalination plant
A revised environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been submitted by Aguas de Antofagasta for the 86,000 m³/d desalination plant for Antofagasta in Chile's Region II, according to Business News America on 21 September 2011.
Bechtel contract for Escondida desalination project
BHP Billiton has contracted Bechtel to provide engineering, project management and construction services for the water supply to the Escondida copper mine in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
Acciona to build RO plant for Chile mines
Spain's Acciona Agua has been selected by Grupo CAP to design, build, bring into service and operate for 20 years a seawater desalination plant to service mining operations in the Copiapó Valley in Chile's Atacama Region III.
Doosan chooses BEL for Escondida pressure‑vessels
Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction has chosen BEL reverse‑osmosis (RO) membrane pressure‑vessels for its Escondida seawater RO project in Chile.

Chilean solar desalination demo precurses pilot project
A demonstration solar-powered desalination plant was installed in mid‑March 2013 in Arica, Chile, by Fundación Chile, in advance of a pilot project for irrigation purposes.
MBR/RO at heart of PepsiCo reuse plant in Chile
A membrane bioreactor (MBR), reverse osmosis (RO) and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection are all part of a wastewater treatment and reuse plant upgrade being completed by Siemens Industry Automation Division for PepsiCo in Chile.
Billiton clears finance for 216,000 m³/d Chile desalination
An investment of US$ 1,972 million was approved by mining giant BHP Billiton on 25 July 2013 for its 216,000 m³/d seawater desalination plant in Escondida, Chile.
Ministry reported to have rejected Chile desalination EIS
The Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (Environment Ministry) in Chile has apparently rejected the environmental impact study (EIS) produced by Suez subsidiary Agbar Chile for an 86,000 m³/d desalination plant in Northern Region III.
Abengoa to build power-plant RO project in Chile
Spanish contractor Abengoa has been selected by Chilean energy company AES Gener to develop a reverse-osmosis desalination plant for the Angamos power plant.
Chilean politicians launch mining desalination bill
A cross-party group of eight deputies in the lower house of the Chilean national congress has submitted a bill to require mining companies using more than 150 L/s of water for extraction purposes to install seawater desalination equipment.
License sought for seawater desalination plant in Chile
White Mountain Titanium Corporation announced on 26 April 2012 that it has applied for an access license to draw seawater for a planned desalination plant in Chile.
Seawater desalination plant for Chilean iron ore project
Chile's iron and steel producer CAP announced at the beginning of October 2009 that it will spend US$ 140 million to build a seawater desalination plant in Punta Totoralillo.
EIA submitted for 276,000m³/d RO plant in Chile
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) was filed in early September by Minera Escondida, operated by BHP Billiton, for its project Supplementary Desalinated Water Supply for Minera Escondida in Chile.
RO consumes 4% of Malta's electricity, says new group
Reverse-osmosis desalination plants consume almost 4% of Malta's electricity supply, according to a statement from the newly-formed Malta Water Association (MWA) on 22 March 2011. The group, made up of hydrologists, engineers and other water experts, warned that urgent action is needed to protect Malta's water resources, which "are among the scarcest in the world and under severe stress."

New Chile office and country chief for IDE Technologies
IDE Technologies has opened a new office in Chile and appointed Rodrigo Turra as country sales director.
Chile's copper mines will turn to desalination for half their water
Desalination will provide half the water demand of Chile's copper mining industry by 2026, according to findings in a report by the Chilean state copper commission, Cochilco.
ERI Q Series chosen for Acciona project in Chile
Spanish contractor Acciona Agua has chosen Energy Recovery Inc (ERI) energy-recovery equipment for its contract for the Minera CAP expansion desalination project in the Copiapó Valley in Chile's Atacama Region III, ERI announced on 16 July 2013.
Chilean mining firm strikes desalination deal with water protesters
Chilean copper mining company, Antofagasta, has struck a deal with demonstrators from the town of Salamanca in the Choapa River Valley who had been blocking access to its Los Pelambres mine in Chile, in protest against the mine's consumption of water amid severe water scarcity in the region.
Aqualogy starts up copper mine desalination plant in Chile
Aqualogy has inaugurated the operation and maintenance of a US$ 100 million reverse osmosis desalination plant built for the Mantoverde copper mine.
IDE sells more MVC desalination units to Chile
Austria's Andritz Energy & Environment has placed a purchase order for two more Mechanical Vapor Compression (MVC) desalination units from IDE Technologies for AES Norgener, a 280 MW coal-fired power station in Chile.
Chile mulls desalination for drought-blighted regions
Chile's chamber of deputies has approved a resolution calling for an investigation into the feasibility of building desalination plants and prioritizing regions hardest hit by drought.
Black & Veatch to engineer Escondida desalination work
Black & Veatch has been selected as the engineer of record for the marine works and desalination components on the US$ 3.43 billion Escondida Water Supply (EWS) project in Chile.
Private players are reshaping desalination says report
Private water companies are "reshaping global desalination" with nine of the top ten capacity additions in 2015 coming from private sector players according to market researcher Bluefield Research.
ERI to supply two S American mining desalination plants
Two large contracts in desalination projects for the mining industry in South American were announced on 1 March 2012 by Energy Recovery Inc (ERI), which will be supplying its PX Pressure Exchangers to both projects.
Acciona extends Chilean desalination contract work
Spanish group Acciona has been awarded an extension to its existing contract for the Copiapó desalination plant in the Atacama III region of Chile.
Acciona forecasts Chilean desalination surge on back of revitalized copper mining
Spanish clean energy and water company, Acciona, has forecast a surge in demand for desalination plants in Chile as the country's copper mining industry expands.
FCC Aqualia bags Chile deals
Water management company FCC Aqualia, has won two water supply and purification contracts in Chile's mining and petrochemical industries worth a total of € 27 million (US$ 30.7 million).

Bundamba wastewater reuse plant passes second quality test
The second Water Quality Report for the Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant in Queensland, Australia, has confirmed the excellent quality of the purified water it produces and proved that the water is safe to add to the drinking supply, says government agency WaterSecure
Municipal desalination plant planned for Chile's Copiapó
Construction of a municipal desalination plant will form part of urgent measures to address water shortages in the region around the Chilean city of Copiapó.

"We're now at more than $100 million revenue." Doug Brown, AquaVenture chairman and CEO
AquaVenture chief executive Doug Brown has a track record of delivering shareholder value. When he joined water technology and engineering firm Ionics as chief executive in 2003, the struggling business was trading at $16 a share.
CaribDA to sponsor Chile desalination seminar
The Caribbean Desalination Association (CaribDA) announced on 14 October 2010 that it would be a sponsor of a seminar on Desalination, Innovations & Sustainable Development to be held in Antofagasta, Chile, during 29 November - 1 December 2010.
ALADYR conference in Antofagasta in October
Chile's desalination association, La Asociación Latino Americana de Desalación y Reuso del Agua (ALADYR), which was formed in 2010, is holding its third International Desalination Conference on 1‑2 October 2012.
Mining firm strikes funding deal for desalination plant at planned mine
Mining firm, White Mountain Titanium, has agreed a deal with US private equity company, Nexo Capital Partners, to fund, construct and manage a desalination plant to form part of White Mountain's planned Cerro Blanco mining project in Chile.

Maltese desalination test-bed shows SalTec energy-recovery advantages
Throughout the desalination industry, plant operators are looking for long-term solutions with lower lifecycle cost because of the link between water costs and energy costs. In order to meet operators' demands and requirements, equipment manufacturers are investing considerable resources in the development of new technologies that will reduce energy costs. The Water Services Corporation in Malta is one example of a forward-looking operator of a seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) plant seeking to ensure the production of high-quality drinking water at an affordable price. Established in 1993 to produce and distribute potable water on the islands of Malta and Gozo, WSC has an annual production target of 35 million m to satisfy the needs of its 400,000 residents and in excess of one million tourists. With the drive to produce greater efficiencies and water quality WSC has taken an opportunity to investigate and monitor the potential of a new technology from KSB, the SalTec pressure boosting and energy recovery system. The SalTec DT pressure exchanger in combination with KSB's HGM RO high-pressure pump creates a highly attractive proposition for RO plant designers and operators. The SalTec DT system provides a nominal capacity of 250 m /h, giving it the capability to operate in plants with train sizes ranging between 4,400 m /d and 5,000 m /d of permeate at common recovery rates.
AWC in full production at new Tampa factory
American Water Chemicals (AWC) has resumed full production of its membrane water treatment chemicals following its recent move into a new 41,000 ft² (3,800 m²) building.
Tunisia and Malta to share desalination expertise
Tunisia has signed an agreement with the Mediterranean island of Malta involving sharing of expertise on desalination plants.
Ceramic nanofiltration company gets big investor
ItN Nanovation AG, a start-up company in Saarbrucken, Germany, making nanofiltration ceramic products for the water industry, announced on 9 December 2010 a framework investment agreement with the US investment fund YA Global Master SPV Ltd, part of the Yorkville Group.

Using UF to pretreat Chile's SWRO mining desalination plants
Two desalination plants are described in this article to illustrate the use of ultrafiltration (UF) as pretreatment to seawater reverse-osmosis (RO) desalination in Chile. One plant (Gas Atacama) was commissioned in June 2011 and has since been operated successfully. A second plant is currently under construction. This article first appeared in the August/September 2012 issue of Desalination & Water Reuse magazine.
Pretreatment adaptation for Namibian SWRO plant
A 400 m³/d seawater reverse-osmosis desalination plant in Walvis Bay, Namibia, is to be upgraded under a contract announced at the end of September by Aqua Services & Engineering (ASE).
Xylem provides DAF pretreatment for Fujairah 1
Xylem Inc has won a contract to provide a dissolved air flotation (DAF) pretreatment system for the Fujairah 1 Independent Water & Power Plant (IWPP) in the UAE to help ensure an uninterrupted potable water supply from the desalination plant to Abu Dhabi emirate and the east coast.
Hyflux given loan for membranes and high‑pressure pumps
Singapore's Hyflux Ltd announced on 14 June 2012 that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Hydrochem (S) Pte Ltd, has agreed a US$ 14.4 million loan with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for the purchase of key components for the Tuaspring Desalination Plant in Singapore.
Pentair X-Flow UF pretreatment for Ashdod desalination
The giant Ashdod seawater reverse-osmosis desalination (SWRO) plant under construction in Israel is to have ultrafiltration (UF) pretreatment supplied by Pentair X-Flow.
X-Flow UF pretreatment chosen for Al Zawrah SWRO
Cadagua SA has chosen ultrafiltration (UF) pretreatment from Pentair X-Flow for the Al Zawrah seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant in Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
Australians win Cape Verde desalination agreement
A letter of intent involving a desalination plant with an initial capacity of 4,000 m³/d has been given to Water Resources Group (WRG) of Perth, Australia, from the Municipality of Santa Caterina in Cape Verde.
Amiad disc filters in Chennai desalination pretreatment
Arkal disc filtration technology made by Amiad Filtration Systems has been selected as part of the pretreatment system for the seawater desalination plant currently being built for the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewage Board on India's east coast.
Ras Az Zawr to have DAF/DMF pretreatment from Enpure
Pretreatment for the reverse osmosis (RO) section of the world's largest seawater desalination plant at Ras Az Zawr (or Ras Azzour) in Saudi Arabia is to be by dissolved air flotation (DAF) and dual-media filtration (DMF).
CaribDA pretreatment workshop set for Antigua
A workshop on pretreatment for seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants is being held by the Caribbean Desalination Association (CaribDA) on the island of Antigua on 7-8 April 2011.
Wabag JV lands Oman port desalination contract
Chennai-based Wabag Ltd, in joint venture with fellow Indian contractor Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC), has been awarded a contract for the completion of a seawater treatment plant, which will supply desalinated water to various industrial production plants in the Sohar International Port Complex.
Berman joins D&WR/IDA online symposium team
Tom Berman, research professor emeritus of the Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel, who is a leading expert on biofouling and transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) in reverse osmosis, has been added to the speakers for the International Online Symposium on Pretreatment for Seawater Reverse-Osmosis Desalination.

UF modules ordered for UAE steelworks' RO pretreatment
Ultrafiltration modules from Germany's inge watertechnologies AG have been ordered for a 80,000 m³/d seawater reverse-osmosis desalination plant at the Emirates Steel Industries steelworks in Mussafah, UAE.
Chennai II desalination to have Norit UF pretreatment
Norit X-Flow is to supply, install, commission and start up the ultrafiltration (UF) pretreatment package for the Nemmeli seawater reverse osmosis plant in Chennai, India. It will be the first advanced membrane desalination pretreatment system in the country.
Second Chennai SWRO plant commissioned
The Nemmeli desalination plant in Tamil Nadu, India, was commissioned on 22 February 2013 by the state's chief minister, Selvi J Jayalalithaa. It is the second seawater reverse-osmosis (RO) plant to provide drinking water for the city of Chennai.
CH2M Hill poised for Kalba desalination mobilization
Civil work on the 3.0 MIGD (13,368 m³/d) Kalba seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates has almost been completed by the Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority (SEWA).

Q&A: Peter Nicol, CH2M global market director, on Brazil's reuse policy
Peter Nicol, global market director for CH2M, outlines how the firm is helping to develop Brazil's action plan for a national water reuse policy

Malta tenders Euro 10 million desalination project
The Water Services Corporation of Malta has issued a tender for a reverse osmosis plant at Hondoq Bay on the Island of Gozo.
Qingdao desalination plant starts commercial operation
Spanish company Abengoa has begun commercial operations at the 100,000 m³/d desalination plant in Qingdao in Shandong province, the second largest commercial port in northern China.
Australian SWRO firm signs MoU for Saudi pilot
Australian desalination start-up Water Resources Group (WRG) announced on 4 December 2012 that its subsidiary Water Resources International (WRI) had signed a memorandum of understanding with Knowledge Industry Company (KIC) of Saudi Arabia.

Tuaspring SWRO desalination plant opens in Singapore
Singapore's second large seawater desalination plant was officially opened on 18 September 2013 by the prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong.
LG Chem bags five orders worth US$ 8 million
LG Chem has acquired new orders for water purification filters totalling US$ 8 million under exclusive deals with five desalination projects. The projects are at sites in Israel, Spain, Malta, Egypt and Mexico, the company said.
Siemens membranes to pretreat Perth II plant
Siemens is to provide a 95 MGD (360,000 m³/d) pressurized membrane treatment system for Water Corporation's Southern Seawater desalination plant in Binningup, south of Perth, Australia.
Lamberts Bay seawater desalination goes to Veolia
A 1,700 m³/d seawater desalination plant, upgradeable to 5,000 m³/d, is to be built in Lamberts Bay in South Africa for the Cederberg Municipality by Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies South Africa.
TEP expert dies in Galapagos fall
Professor Tom Berman, best known in the desalination world for his work on transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs), died last week after a fall during a vacation in the Galapagos Islands.
MF/RO plant may be Santa Clarita salt solution
A microfiltration/reverse-osmosis (MF/RO) advanced wastewater treatment plant is one of several options being considered by the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District (SCVSD) in California, USA, to deal with excessive chloride levels in the wastewater it discharges to the Santa Clara River from its two treatment plants.
Gulf red-tide early-warning system funding 'soon'
A new early-warning system in the Gulf for harmful algal blooms (HABs), also known as red tides, using satellite imagery, remote sensing, and modeling could be one result of a conference on HABs held on 16‑17 April 2014 by the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC).

Finance agreed for Camarillo regional desalter studies
Two water districts and two - possibly three - cities in southern California have agree to finance studies for a regional brackish-water desalination plant to be located near Camarillo.
GE expands HERO licensing agreement
GE Power & Water announced on 1 February 2011 that it has completed a new expanded licensing agreement to allow it to continue offering High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis (HERO) systems to help more of its industrial customers increase their water usage efficiency and reuse capacity.
Pretreatment course scheduled by EDS for May 2010
The European Desalination Society (EDS) on 15 January 2010 announced a four-day course on Pretreatment, membrane fouling and scaling to be held in Genoa, Italy, on 31 May - 3 June 2010.
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.
Membrane 'summit' will precede AMTA conference
The 2nd Osmosis Membrane Summit will precede this year's annual conference of the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) in San Diego.

Interview: IDE Technologies CEO Avshalom Felber
Above all, IDE is a solutions provider. So says chief executive Avshalom Felber, the former financial whizz turned water industry leader, as he outlines the company's unique mix of thermal and reverse osmosis (RO) technologies, operational expertise, and contractual nous.
Three desalination workshops follow IDA World Congress
Three different aspects of desalination will be covered in workshops announced on 10 September 2009 by the International Desalination Association (IDA), which will follow its upcoming World Congress in Dubai.
Desalination capacity increasing by 50% in 2013 says IDA
Desalination plants with a total capacity of 6 million m³/d are expected to come on line during 2013, a 50% increase on 2012, according to new data from the International Desalination Association and GWI DesalData.
Veolia to build Saudi Arabia's largest UF/RO plant
The largest ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant in Saudi Arabia is to be built for Marafiq, the country's leading water and electricity services operator, by Veolia Water.

IDE to supply desalination for Teck copper mine
IDE is to design and supply a modular desalination plant for Teck Resources' Quebrada Blanca copper mine extension project in northern Chile.

Almar Water Solutions signs MoU with ENAPAC project, Chile
Almar Water Solutions has become an equity investor in ENAPAC, a proposed solar-powered desalination project in Atacama, Chile.

Piedmont signs new supply and distribution contracts
Piedmont, a producer of corrosion resistant equipment for desalination plants, has signed a roster of new supply and partner distribution agreements globally.

KMS supplies first large-diameter SWRO system
The port facilities for Chile's Minera Esperanza copper/gold mine will soon be provided with drinking water from an innovative new seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) system supplied by Koch Membrane Systems (KMS). The system is the first full-scale large-diameter membrane RO system for seawater that KMS has developed. The system uses KMS MegaMagnum high capacity seawater membranes, made from a unique thin-film composite developed specifically for seawater applications. The original pilot operates at a rate of 20 m /h. Upon completion of the installation of the second phase of the project, this unit will be removed and will be replaced by the permanent RO system consisting of two new MegaMagnum MM2 units, which will provide the port facilities with a capacity to store about 80 m /h (1,900 m /d). This article was first published in the May/June 2010 issue of Desalination & Water Reuse magazine.

Interview: Juan Miguel Pinto, ALADYR president
The new president of ALADYR, the Latin America desalination and water reuse association, sees his organisation as a window onto the region for international companies. His big aim is to step up events during 2018, taking knowledge of desalination and reuse out to the market.
NanoH2O membranes chosen for Canaries SWRO retrofit
High-rejection QuantumFlux seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) membranes manufactured by NanoH2O Inc have been chosen to retrofit one of two first-pass trains at the Puerto del Rosario IV desalination plant located on Fuerteventura, one of Spain's Canary Islands.
Metito lands Bechtel SWRO desalination in Australia
Dubai-based Metito has landed two new seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) desalination plants in Australia and is currently nearing completion of one in Qatar.
Agency approves W Australian desalination plant
Western Australia's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 13 February 2012 announced conditional approval for Grange Resources Ltd's proposal to construct and operate the Cape Riche Desalination Plant.
Huntington Beach desalination project get NPDES permit
The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board (SARWQCB) in California, USA, on 10 February 2012 unanimously approved an amended National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit for the Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Project.
Toray announces two Chinese SWRO membrane orders
Toray Industries Inc has received orders to supply reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to seawater desalination plants in Qingdao (Shandong) and Caofeidian (Tangshan, Hebei) in China.
West Basin desalination demo could begin next year
Construction could begin in 2010 on the Ocean-Water Desalination Demonstration Project at Redondo Beach near Los Angeles, California, the West Basin Municipal Water District announced on 30 July 2009.

Poseidon signs two VPs and construction director
Three experienced US water industry personnel have joined Poseidon Resources, following the departure of Nikolay Voutchkov earlier this year, the company announced on 20 July 2009.
Santa Cruz pilot desalination results in 3-4 months
The Water Department of the City of Santa Cruz (SCWD), California, USA, confirmed on 23 March 2009 that its year-long seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) pilot plant test will be ended in mid-April with a report due in June or July 2009.
Nine desalination studies bag US$ 1.4 million funding
Nine research projects and pilot studies will share US$1.4 million in funding under a desalination and water purification research programme set up by the US Bureau of Reclamation.

GS Inima and Claro Vicuna win Atacama desalination plant contract
A consortium of Spain's GS Inima and Claro Vicuna Valenzuela of Chile have won the engineering and construction contract for a desalination plant in Atacama, Chile, reports Diaro Finaciero.
Torishima wins pump deal for Chilean reverse osmosis desalination
Japanese pump manufacturer Torishima Pump has received an order for high-pressure pumps and booster pumps for a new reverse osmosis desalination plant being built in Copiapo, Chile.

Chile project envisions multiple mining clients for solar-powered SWRO
Energias y Aguas del Pacifico (ENAPAC), a proposed solar-powered seawater desalination plant and water transport project aims to support expansion of mining operations in Chile's Atacama region.
ALADYR affiliates to International Desalination Association
The Asociación Latinoamericana de Desalación y Reuse del Agua (ALADYR) has become the newest affiliate organization to join the International Desalination Association (IDA), bringing to 15 the number of regional and association IDA affiliates around the world.

Bidding heats up for Atacama desalination project
Nine consortia of local and international companies are bidding for a desalination plant project in Atacama, Chile, reports Diaro Financiero.