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DECEMBER 2014 - JANUARY 2015

December 2014 - January 2015

WATER & WASTEWATER INTERNATIONAL


VOLUME 29, ISSUE 6

2014 Year Review: Recapping


Waters Landmark Projects

Keeping Pace With Chinas


South-North Water Transfer

Can Greater Colombo Plug


Sri Lankas Sanitation Gap?

WATER SOLUTIONS THAT IMPACT LIVES


Hyflux is dedicated to delivering solutions for a sustainable and secure water future.
With a fully-integrated platform and proven membrane technologies in water and process streams, Hyflux is the
partner of choice for cost-effective and environmentally responsible solutions in seawater desalination, water
recycling, wastewater treatment and potable water treatment.
Over the years, Hyflux has amassed in-depth experience in designing, developing, testing and commissioning,
operating and maintaining industrial and municipal water treatment plants of various sizes and functions.
Through its projects across the world, Hyflux has left an indelible imprint on the communities that it serves, driven
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Hyflux Ltd
Hyflux Innovation Centre, 80 Bendemeer Road, Singapore 339949
enquiries@hyflux.com | www.hyflux.com

CONTENTS

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

16

ST

28

RS

IN

10

P 25

TO

RY LEA

REGULARS

R E G I O N A L S P O T L I G H T - A S I A PA C I F I C

EDITORS NOTE

NEWS

TECHNOLOGY ROUNDUP

42

PRODUCT REVIEW

43

DIARY /AD INDEX/WEB PROMO

44

UPFRONT

WWIS TOP 25 INDUSTRY LEADERS

10

The water industry is full of innovators and leaders. Find out


who our readers have voted as the top 25, concluding with a
full interview with the winner.

2014 YEAR REVIEW: WATERS HIGHS & LOWS

16

Although 2014 could be seen as relatively quiet on the


municipal contract front, industrial water treatment really
picked up. Read our year review of the biggest contracts
signed, sealed and delivered around the world.

THE BIG QUESTION: PUMPS

22

35

To ensure problems are minimised during the operation


of water plants, the commissioning phase should not be
underestimated. This article provides practical advice and
outlines the procedure in Australia.

PINPOINTING LEAKS IN MANILLA

38

Rather than spending over $40 million to recover 5,000 m3/


day of water lost through leaks, instead a Philippines-based
utility instead used hydraulic modelling to identify and
repair the leak, at a fraction of the cost.

40

At a cost of $100 million, the Greater Colombo Wastewater


Management Project is hoped to help the nation meet
its Millennium Development Goals. Find out the latest
developments in this article.

PRODUCT FOCUS: TANKS AND STORAGE

25

The San Diego city council has voted unanimously for a


multi-billion dollar plan to recycle over 300,000 m3/day of
water. How will this ft in with desalination plans?

New mining discharge regulations and water access


challenges are creating opportunities for the application of
new water technologies. Which will emerge as successful?

WATER TREATMENT PLANT COMMISSIONING

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

TECHNOLOGY CASE STUDIES

UNEARTHING MINING WATER TECH

28

Totalling a century from conception to completion, at nearly


$70 billion, Chinas South-North Water Transfer Project will
be one of the greatest engineering feats of the modern era.
But at what environmental cost?

PLUGGING SRI LANKAS SANITATION GAP

In the ongoing WWi technology series, we ask pump


manufacturers: how can pumps help meet the growing
environmental concern of food alleviation?

WASTEWATER REUSE

CHINAS GREAT WALL MARK II: SNWT WT

PRODUCT FOCUS: MEMBRANES

32

42

Tension fabric buildings with rigid frame design; US tanks


used to expand Saudis potable water supplies; sludge cake
storage contract awarded in the UK and pre-stressed concrete
tanks used for potable water.

47

A digital modeling tool launched for evaluating water


treatment components from DW&PS; upgrade for Palls
lube oil flter element range; Applied Cleantech gets positive
results from fne flter trial in Scotland; novel activated
sludge cake fltration bags grant in Singapore & Lanxess
steps up production of weak acid cation exchange resin in
Germany.

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

Dissolved Ammonia Monitor


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pH/ORP Monitor

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Keep Chemical Costs Under Control

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The Q46P/R Monitors enhance


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Total Chlorine Measurement


Amperometric Measurement
The Q46H/79 provides highly
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Automatic Sensor Cleaner

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Direct Reading Membraned Amperometric Iodine Sensor
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Toxic & Combustible Transmitter


Internal Data Logger
Model D12 Gas Transmitters provide the
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Loop-powered or 3-wire models with
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measurement using either optical or membrane sensors. The Q-Blast D.O. System is ideal
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Installation is simple and maintenance is lower than any competitive system.

Portable Gas Leak Detector


Interchangeable Smart Sensors

*This system also works with our NEW Q46P/R monitor with reliable pH/ORP measurement.
PortaSens II C16 Detector provide a fexible
tool for locating the source of toxic gas leaks
from storage cylinders, process machinery, gas
generation equipment or piping systems. Smart
interchangeable sensors allow one instrument
to be used for a variety of gas detection
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Interchangeable Smart Sensors for Over 30 Gases
Internal Sample Pump and External Sampling Wand
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2

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

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DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

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Published by PennWell International Publications Ltd


The Water Tower, Gunpowder Mill, Powdermill Lane,
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DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

EDITORS NOTE
Tom Freyberg, Chief Editor

CONQUERING MOUNTAINS

J
THE SAN DIEGO
CITY COUNCIL IN
THE US VOTED
UNANIMOUSLY FOR
A MULTI-BILLION
DOLLAR PLAN TO
RECYCLE OVER
300,000 M3/DAY OF
WATER

Follow

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

WWi celebrates 25 thought leaders in the global industry, all of whom


have made a difference in the provision of water and wastewater services,
or the research and technology used to do so.
anuary is a funny month. A time when gym owners cash in on new members
trying to undo calorifc damage from the festive period. A time when New Years
resolutions are made and broken within days. Yet rather than trying to give
something up, instead I always try and use this time to take on something new. This
normally takes the form of a physical challenge.
For 2015 Ive lined up, with a group of friends, a 20 mile obstacle run, a couple
of half marathons and also a Man Vs Mountain event. The latter is 23 mile run/
hike/crawl up to the top of Mount Snowdon and back. To some this sounds like
hell. To me? Pure joy!
The message Im trying to get across is that we should never be content with just
getting by. We should always be trying to better ourselves to self improve, develop
and continue to take on and conquer new challenges. And its this continued
journey of development that we are celebrating in this issue of WWi (here comes the
tenuous link).
As the cover concept suggests, we have put together a list of 25 top leaders in
the global water/wastewater industries. Together with an advisory committee, we
came up with 25 individuals and then asked our readers to vote on who they think
deserves to take the top spot. Turn to page 10 to read our six-page special, counting
down from 25 and fnishing with an interview with the winner Neil Palmer, CEO
of the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia (NCEDA).
Australias desalination industry has come under fre recently. Infrastructure
built during a period of drought is now not needed after the rains have returned.
Between 2004 and 2012, six large scale desalination plants were delivered. As you
can read from our interview on page 14, Palmer is adamant that the droughts will
return and built plants will be used. With a AUD$12 billion price tag hanging over
the projects, lets hope so. Boasting a career spanning 40 years, Palmer has played a
key role in helping the country to secure water supplies for years to come.
On the topic of multi-billion dollar investments, Chinas South-North Water
Transfer project is progressing. The central route of the mammoth engineering
project was completed towards the end of last year. As you can read from our
in-depth article on page 28, the project is having wide environmental and political
implications for a country that will be reliant upon the transfer as a water lifeline.
Nor was it just the Asia/Australasia region that sparked headlines towards the
end of 2014. In November the San Diego city council in the US voted unanimously
for a multi-billion dollar plan to recycle over 300,000 m3/day of water (read page
25). This new addition will see reused water go to a reservoir, before further
treatment to allow direct addition to the water grid.
Whether its making direct potable reuse more publically acceptable, completing
Chinas water transfer or climbing Mount Snowdon, we should all be setting our
own mountains to conquer, no matter the size. So heres to 2015: taking on new
challenges and celebrating successes, both personally and professionally.

on

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

Demand improved efciency

The Quest for


energy savings
Did you know that your water supply system could
hold signifcant unrealised energy savings potential?
Worn or incorrectly sized pumps or changes in the
well conditions over the years typically lead to energy
waste and with Grundfos new online SP Energy Tool
you can easily fnd out if a pump replacement would
beneft your system and reduce you energy bill. Check
your potential at www.grundfos.com/quest.html

Try the
SP Energ new
www.gru y Tool at
ndfo
quest.htms.com/
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For more information, enter 5 at wwi.hotims.com

NEWS

WORLD NEWS

US:TEXAS
The Texas Research & Technology Foundation has launched a Texas Water
Technology Accelerator called AccelerateH2O. Designed to help develop
Texas $9 billion water technology market, AccelerateH2O will bring together
the states 18 academic research centers, 4,300 water entities, 5,000 mediumand large-scale corporate facilities.

US: WASHINGTON
The Safe Drinking Water Act
(SDWA) has reached a 40year milestone, frst passed
by Congress in 1974. At the
time, more than 50% of water
facilities surveyed were
diagnosed with conditions
that posed potentially serious
public safety hazards. Under
the SDWA, the EPA has
regulations in place for more
than 90 contaminants, including
microorganisms. There remains
a $384 billion gap in drinking
water infrastructure needs.

2
1

PANAMA
The Panama Ministry of Health has awarded a 65 million contract
to maintain and operate the wastewater collection systems, pumping
stations and other networks in Panama City over a period of four
years. Suez Environnement subsidiary Degrmont will operate and
maintain the 162 km system of pipes that is due to be extended to 248
km in 2016. The contract includes the repair of certain infrastructures
and the supply of equipment.

SAUDI ARABIA
Consultancy Black &
Veatch has won the fourth
phase expansion of the
Jeddah desalination plant,
awarded by Saudi Arabias
Saline Water Conversion
Corporation. A 400,000 m3/
reverse osmosis (RO) plant
will be added as part of
the engineering and design
contract.

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

QATAR
Qatar Public Works Authority
(Ashghal) has awarded a 300 million
contract to Spanish frm FCC Aqualia
to manage the sewerage system in Al
Dhakhira (Qatar) for the next 10 years.
Representing the companys frst entry
in Qatar, FCC Aqualia won the tender
against several companies, including
Spanish rivals Cadagua and Acciona
and multinationals such as Daewoo,
Samsung and Marubeni.

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

TUNISIA
Tunisias national water
company, Sonede, is expected
to launch a tender for the
construction of its 150,000
m3/day desalination plant
in Sfax in May 2015. Funded
by the Japanese International
Cooperation Agency, the new
facility would supply potable
water to the coastal city and
industrial centre, Sfax.

NEWS

12

AUSTRALIA
Neil Palmer, CEO of the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia
has claimed top spot in a new WWi Top 25 Leaders feature, voted by readers. He
was competing against industry leaders from Nobel Laureates, to engineers who
have grown multi-million dollar empires. With 40 years experience, he played a
key role between 2004 to 2012 in Australia when the country delivered six large
seawater desalination plants, worth AUD$12 billion of investment. Turn to page
10 to read the full article.

11

SINGAPORE
A S$1.4 million (US$1.1m)
grant has been awarded by
the Singapore Environment
and Water Industry
Programme Offce to
develop a novel wastewater
fltration process that turns
activated sludge into a
fltration medium. Global
pump company Grundfos
will use the grant to focus on
the industrial treatment of
wastewater using a cake flter
made from activated sludge.

10

CHINA
Beijing Drainage
Construction Company has
awarded a second contract
for the use of Thermal
Hydrolysis Process (THP),
following an initial contract
awarded in September. The
contract at Xiaohongmen
follows the recent contract
award to Cambi for
Gaobeidian WWTP, Beijings
largest. Beijing Drainage
Group will use the THP
process to upgrade the
Xiaohongmen WWTPs fve
large egg-shaped digesters to
advanced sludge treatment.

POLAND
The Pollet Water Group
Belgium has acquired Alamo,
a domestic water treatment
company in Poland. The
takeover follows PWG
taking over Watertec at the
beginning of 2014 and the
move is expected to add 10
million to the groups current
150 million annual turnover.

9
6

10

5
4
7

11

12

GHANA
The 60,00 m3/day RO
desalination project in
Nungua, Ghana, has been
completed. Local sources
quoted deputy minister
of communications, Felix
Kwakye-Ofosu as confrming
the $125m project had
been completed. Abengoa
is undertaking the project
under a DBOT basis.

UK
Water industry regulator Ofwat ruled
that water bills in England and Wales
will fall by 5% by 2020. This could
see a saving of 20 in average bills,
coming into effect in April 2015. The
news generated mixed reactions. The
Consumer Council for Water said
utilities can still add infation to bills that
could hurt households. Meanwhile
Anglian Water said it was good news for
its customers.

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

NEWS

WORLD NEWS
HYFLUX HOPES TO SPRINGBOARD OFF OMAN
$250M PROJECT ACROSS REST OF MIDDLE EAST
Singapore frm Hyfux has been
awarded a US$250 million contract
to design, build, own and operate the
Qurayyat 200,000 m3/day desalination
project in Oman.
Hyfux fought off stiff competition
for the reverse osmosis (RO) project,
with bids from six groups including
Abgengoa and Acwa Power. Together
with the National Power and Water

Co, Hyfux is scheduled to commence


operation of the plant by May 2017
under a 20-year water purchase
agreement with the government owned
Oman Power and Water Procurement
Company (OPWP). Hyfuxs role
includes turnkey engineering,
procurement and construction (EPC) as
well as operation and maintenance of
the plant.

The frm expects demand in the Middle


East to accelerate after this frst major
municipal contract in the region.
Group CEO Olivia Lum told Nikei
Asian Review: Pent-up demand in the
Middle East and Africa is driving the
revival of water infrastructure projects.
The project is not expected to have
a fnancial impact on Hyfux for the
fnancial year ended 31 December 2014.

TRIPLE EUROPEAN CONTRACT WIN HELPS


AQUALIA ENTER TWO NEW MARKETS
Spanish frm FCC Aqualia has been
awarded three new contracts in the
cities of Madrid (Spain), Vrsac (Serbia)
and Prizren (Kosovo), worth a total

of 21.6 million. The contract won


through Aqualia Infraestructuras for a
drinking water plant in Vrsac in Serbia
is Aqualias frst in the Balkan country.

The 5.6 million contract will consist


of building a treatment plant with a
capacity to produce 26,000 m3/day for
the city of Vrsac, in Voivodina province.

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WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

NEWS

In Kosovo, regional water company


Hidroregjioni Jugor has pre-awarded
a contract to Aqualia, again through
Aqualia Infraestructuras, for the
construction of the Prizren treatment
plant.
The 10.5 million contract is scheduled
to be signed in January 2015 and is
another frst in the country for Aqualia.
Once completed, the plant will treat the
citys wastewater with a capacity in the
initial stage of an equivalent population
of 50,000.
The Spanish frm is currently building
treatment plants at Niksic and Pljevija
(Montenegro) and in Konjic (Bosnia),
under contracts worth a total of 30
million. In Spain, Aqualia will be
responsible for operation & maintenance
tasks at 28 wastewater treatment plants,
owned by the Canal de Isabel II water
authority.
The plants are located in 28 municipal
districts in the Madrid region, in the
catchment area of the river Alberche.
This new contract, worth nearly 5.5
million, is for two years, extendable for a
further two years.

the second major municipal desalination plant in the country.


In June 2010, the UK opened its frst municipal desalination plant in Beckton,
East London, operated by utility Thames Water and capable of supplying 150,000
m3/day of water. Although Thames Waters Beckton site is considered the frst
major municipal desalination plant in the UK, the Scilly Isles 227 m3/day facility
has been operating since the early 1990s.
A report from the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) predicted that at
least four major plants and up to 800 smaller units could be in operation in the UK
by 2050.

For more news visit us at

wwinternational.com

CONCRETE
WATERPROOFING BY
CRYSTALLIZATION

42M DESAL
PLANT
MUSED FOR
SOUTH
ENGLAND
A 40 million desalination plant
producing 200,000 m3/day could be in
operation along Englands south coast by
2028, according to utility Southern Water.
Southern Water told WWi: Currently,
a desalination plant is being considered
for construction in Southampton by
2028 but comprehensive planning
with the regulators, local authorities
and environmental and community
groups would be required if it was to be
pursued.
The desalination option which we
have outlined would run alongside
other regular resources and would only
typically be used during periods of
drought.
In its draft Water Resources
Management Plan the utility outlined a
range of water resource improvements,
including desalination. This would be

EXTEND THE SERVICE LIFE OF WATER TREATMENT STRUCTURES


Leaks, cracking, joint failure, chemical attack and surface deterioration
are problems common to water treatment systems. Whether for new or
rehabilitated structures, Xypex Crystalline Technology is a proven and
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www.xypex.com
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DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

WWIS TOP 25 LEADERS

P 25

ST

RS

IN

CELEBRATING THE WATER


INDUSTRYS HIGH FLIERS

TO

RY LEA

The global water/wastewater industries have spoken! From Nobel Laureates, to water reuse pioneers
and engineers who have grown billion dollar businesses in less than a decade: the water industry is full of
innovators and thought leaders. Here we take a close look at the top 24 before an interview with the winner.

LI GUOYING, FORMER COMMISSIONER,YELLOW RIVER CONSERVANCY


COMMISSION, CHINA (NOW VICE MINISTER OF WATER RESOURCES)
From 2001 to 2011, as commissioner for the Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC), he helped
to transform Chinas second longest river. YRCC overcame natural and man-made challenges through
innovative and sustainable policies to enable the Yellow River to fow unabated over the last 10 years.
Improved water supply from YRCCs efforts are said to have beneftted and enhanced the quality of life
for over one hundred million people. Life and vitality were cited to be restored to the river, according to
the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize nominating committee, who awarded YRCC the 2010 prize in Singapore.

25

24

HON EK SONN CHAN, CAMBODIA UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WATER (FORMER


GENERAL DIRECTOR, CAMBODIA WATER SUPPLY AUTHORITY - PPWSA)
Decades of confict left Cambodias capitals water supplies running low. In 1993 Chan was appointed
as general director of PPWSA. He oversaw the utilitys dramatic turnaround. A total of 1,500 kilometres
of new pipelines were laid, helping to expand water output by 600%. By confronting VIP nonpayers and
cutting supplies after refusal to pay, he achieved a collection rate of 99% by 2003. Water losses due to
leakage in pipes and pumps declined from 72% in 1993 to 6% in 2008.
DR JIM BIRKETT, PROPRIETOR (RETIRED) WEST NECK STRATEGIES, US
Widely considered one of the desalination industrys most respected professionals, Dr. Birkett
has more than four decades of experience in the study of desalination, advanced water treatment and
membrane separation industries and technologies. He was the frst elected President of the International
Desalination Association (IDA). He later served as Treasurer and was a director for many years. From
2009-2013, he served as Chairman of the Editorial Boards for the IDA Journal of Desalination and Water
Reuse.

23

22

NEIL MACLEOD, FORMER CEO, ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY, SOUTH AFRICA


Macleod demonstrated how to turn a struggling utility into a proftable business. Since 2000, he
oversaw eThekwini Water & Sanitation to connect 1.3 million to piped drinking water while helping to
generate $520 million per year. This is as well as connecting over 700,000 citizens to wastewater services.
Winner of the 2014 Stockholm Industry Award, he was credited with helping eThekwini to serve as a
sterling example for the many communities worldwide facing similar challenges. Not content with fully
retiring, Macleod is now travelling the world to promote driving down water losses.

21

PADDY PADMANATHAN, CEO, ACWA POWER INTERNATIONAL, UAE


A civil engineer with 30 years of experience, Padmanathan built ACWA Power to become a
leading developer of privately fnanced power generation and desalination water production plants in
the GCC and MENA region. Over eight years, he grew the business into a $1.3 billion company to deliver
2.4 million m3/day of water and 13,000 MW of power. An engineering graduate from the University of
Manchester, UK, he started his career with a British Consulting Engineering practice, before moving onto
Black & Veatch.

20

LEON AWERBUCH, PRESIDENT, LEADING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES, US


Known as the hybrid desalination pioneer, Awerbuch has been involved in the desalination
business for 40 years. He was also one of the early pioneers of desalination aquifer storage and recovery.
Past president of the IDA and chairman of six IDA World Congresses, he holds 23 patents including
the MED-MSF-RO-NF integrated hybrid technologies and has published over 80 technical papers. He
received a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from Warsaw Technical University.

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CHOOSING THE TOP 25 HOW WE DID IT


You may be thinking that selecting only 25 individuals out of the
thousands, millions that work in the global water industry was a tough
job. It was. So to help we put together a small advisory committee of
experts to submit their nominations.
With the list of 25 compiled, we then surveyed WWi readers to vote
on who they think deserves to top this list of 25. After two rounds of
voting, the results (and the winner) were clear. Readers from Canada
all the way to Australia voted. We would like to thank the following
individuals for their help on the committee:

Jean-Michel Herrewyn, CEO, Veolia Water


David Lloyd Owen, managing director, Envisager
Yeo Sheng Wei, assistant director, PUB (Singapore)
Jim Southworth, CEO, Jim Southworth Consulting
Ann Seamonds, president, Seamonds & Company
Patricia Burke, director general, IDA (International Desalination
Association)
Dr Graeme Pearce, principal, Membrane Consultancy Associates
Angela Godwin, chief editor, WaterWorld magazine
Peter Cartwright, president, Cartwright Consulting.

19

MUNIR CHERYAN, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, MUNIR CHERYAN, US


Dr. Munir Cheryan is founder and president of consultancy Munir Cheryan LLC which provides
consulting services in bio-separations, particularly membrane technology. He has been a consultant
to and/or served on technical advisory and/or management boards of over 55 companies, from
multinational giants to start-ups, as well as government organisations and the UNDP-FAO. He has been
founder, chief scientifc advisor and/or president of three start-up companies since 2001. He has 16 issued
US and Canadian patents and is the author of the best-selling Ultrafltration Handbook.

18

KAZUO YAMAMOTO, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO, JAPAN


Yamamoto was the inventor of the submerged membrane bioreactor concept in 2008 and led
research and development into membranes for advanced water treatment and reclamation. He received
the Sidney Loeb Award from the European Desalination Society for invention of the submerged
membrane bioreactor concept. He graduated from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the
University of Tokyo in 1979.

17

KHOO TENG CHYE, FORMER CEO, PUB, SINGAPORE


Chief executive of Singapore utility PUB from 2003 to 2011, Khoo can be credited with turning
Singapores water utility into a world leader: reducing its reliance on water imports from Malaysia and
making direct wastewater reuse publically acceptable. Beginning his career at the Urban Redevelopment
Authority, he helped transform Singapores urban planning and regulatory regime. A graduate in civil
engineering from Monash University in Australia, he also holds a Masters of Science in Construction
Engineering from the National University of Singapore.

16

NEIL MCDOUGALL, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, MODERN WATER, UK


A qualifed chartered accountant, Neil McDougall co-founded Modern Water and was jointly
responsible for helping to bring a university R&D project on forward osmosis through to commercialisation
and installation in Gibraltar and Oman. A chartered accountant, McDougall was formerly chairman of
Mid Kent Water Group and chairman and CEO of Cascal NV and a director of Biwater. He has worked
extensively with private equity investors and infrastructure funds.

15

DR ANDREW BENEDEK, CEO, ANAERGIA, HUNGARY


A leading authority on global water issues, Dr Benedek founded Zenon Environmental in 1980,
growing the business to become a leader in membrane treatment before being sold to GE. With over 30
years experience in wastewater treatment, he won the Stockholm Water Industry award in 2003 and the
Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize in 2008. Chairman and CEO for Anaergia, Dr Benedek graduated from McGill
University with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and PhD from the University of Washington.

14

BORIS LESJEAN, R&D PROGRAM MANAGER, BERLIN CENTRE OF COMPETENCE FOR


WATER, GERMANY
A well-respected researcher in Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology, Lesjean has been working since
1997 in R&D related to urban water management. For the past 10 years he has been with the Berlin
Centre of Competence for Water, where he initiated, developed and coordinated applied research and
development projects, with a focus on membrane technologies. He has coordinated several European
projects, including the FP6 project AMEDEUS, dedicated to the development of membrane-activated
sludge processes. Since 2006 he has been developing the MBR-Network.

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PROFESSOR TONY FANE, DIRECTOR, SINGAPORE MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY CENTRE,


SINGAPORE
A chemical engineer with a PhD from Imperial College in London, Professor Fane has developed
membrane theory and application since 1973 when he joined the University of New South Wales in
Sydney, Australia. He is a former director of the UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology
and the director of the Singapore Membrane Technology Centre (SMTC) at Nanyang Technological
University in Singapore. SMTC has a group of over 80 researchers dedicated to applied research into
membranes for the water cycle.

12

OLIVIA LUM, CEO, HYFLUX, SINGAPORE


It was in 1989 when Olivia Lum left her corporate life as a chemist with Glaxo Pharmaceutical to
start up Hydrochem, the precursor to Hyfux. Managing the group for 25 years, she has helped Hyfux
expand into an international business, winning major projects in Singapore and overseas in Algeria and
recently Oman. A true entrepreneur, Lum won the Nikkei Asia Prize for Regional Growth 2006 and the
Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year 2011. She holds an Honours degree in Chemistry from the
National University of Singapore.

11

DR WILLIAM MUHAIRWE, SENIOR TEAM LEADER, 2ML CONSULTING (FORMER CEO,


UGANDAN NATIONAL WATER & SEWERAGE CORPORATION - NWSC), AFRICA
Having managed public companies in Uganda and abroad for more than 19 years, Professor Muhairwe has
received many international awards, including from the International Water Association in 2010. In 1998 he
took over the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) as managing director a state organisation
that was almost collapsing due to mismanagement. He was then responsible for one of the African water
industrys greatest success stories. Over the course of 13 years he grew NWSC to become one of the most
successful and proftable utilities in Africa.

10

LISA HENTHORNE, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, WATER STANDARD, US


Holding three patents in water treatment, Henthorne has more than 25 years of experience in the
desalination and water treatment industry. The frst female president of the International Desalination
Association from 2007-2009, while heading the desalination business for CH2M Hill, she acted as technical
advisor on many challenging projects in the Middle East, Australia, US and Asia. Henthorne graduated
from the Colorado School of Mines with a Masters of Science in Chemical Engineering and Missouri State
University with a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry.

AMARTYA SEN, PROFESSOR, INDIA


A Nobel Prize winner in 1998 for his contributions to welfare economics, Sen is seen as one of
the key thinkers in international development and helped to shape the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). Educated at Presidency College in Kolkata, he went on to receive a B.A, M.A and PhD from
Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1998 he was appointed master of Trinity College, Cambridge - a position he
held until 2004, when he returned to Harvard as Lamont University Professor. His views and published
work have helped shaped policy makers decisions.

DR BORIS LIBERMAN, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, IDE TECHNOLOGIES, ISRAEL


Active in the feld of desalination for 20 years, Dr Liberman developed the Pressure Centre
desalination concept, Direct Osmosis Cleaning, 16 membrane arrangement in a vertical position and has
overseen some of the largest projects in the world. He has pending applications in reverse osmosis for
power generation. A graduate of the Institute for Scientifc Research in Water Supply, Moscow, he holds
several granted patents in the feld of reverse osmosis desalination.

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MIRIAM BALABAN, SECRETARY GENERAL, EUROPEAN DESALINATION SOCIETY, US


A chemistry graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, Miriam Balaban has served as the
secretary general of the European Desalination Society (EDS) since its founding and has authored more
than 9,000 papers over 40 years of desalination research. In 1966 she founded the journal Desalination: The
International Journal on Science. In 2009 she was awarded the EDS Lifetime Achievement award for her
contributions to the feld. She also helped establish the School for Science Communication, Mario Begri
Institute for Biomedical Research in Italy.

DR ADIL BUSHNAK, CEO, BUSHNAK GROUP, SAUDI ARABIA


Dr Bushnak helped establish the International Desalination Association (IDA) and led the private
Saudi effort to commercialise the use of direct seawater for irrigation to produce food crops. He has
played a key role in promoting water desalination technologies such as reverse osmosis, ultrafltration
and membrane fltration for seawater desalination, helping the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) become
the largest desalination country worldwide. He is chairman of Bushnak Group headquartered in the KSA,
which has several companies active in water, environment and energy services.

PROFESSOR SIMON JUDD, PROFESSOR OF MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY, CRANFIELD


UNIVERSITY, UK
Professor Judd lectures at Cranfeld University in the UK and Qatar University in the Middle East.
He has 22 years experience in teaching the fundamentals of water and wastewater technologies and
has completed over 30 post-graduate research student project programmes. He has managed over 15
large industrially-funded projects for UK and overseas water utility and technology suppliers, and has
provided consultancy and training to clients in North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

MIKE MARKUS, MANAGER, ORANGE COUNTY WATER DISTRICT (OCWD), US


Markus joined OCWD in 1988, overseeing construction of many water facilities. In 2002 he was
tasked with managing a $481 million Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS). As a result, he has
helped OCWD pave the way for public acceptance of water recycling for indirect potable use, replicated
in countries such as Australia and Singapore. Under his leadership, GWRS won 21 awards, including the
Stockholm 2008 Industry Award and Lee Kuan Yew Prize 2014.

DR JAMES BARNARD, GLOBAL PRACTICE AND TECHNOLOGY LEADER, BLACK &


VEATCH, SOUTH AFRICA
Winner of the 2011 Lee Kuan Yew Prize in Singapore for revolutionising used water treatment,
technologist Dr James Barnard was recognised for his ground breaking invention of Biological Nutrient
Removal (BNR) technology, an environmentally sustainable, biological method to treat used water.
Internationally recognised as the Father of BNR, Dr Barnard began exploring the possibility of removing
phosphorus and nitrogen from used water when faced with water quality challenges in his native South
Africa and arid Namibia in the 1970s.

PROFESSOR ASIT BISWAS, FOUNDER,THIRD WORLD CENTRE FOR WATER


MANAGEMENT, INDIA
Acknowledged universally as one of the worlds leading authorities on water management, Professor Asit
K. Biswas has been a senior advisor to 19 governments, six heads of the United Agencies and secretary
general of OECD. Professor Biswas also advises four multinational companies in the top 50 of the Fortune
500 companies. He is a past president of the International Water Resources Association and co-founded
the World Water Council. Author of over 80 books, his work has been translated into 37 languages.

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WWIS TOP 25 LEADERS

LEADER OF THE PACK

Australias Desalination Guru Claims Top Spot

WWi readers have had their say. Your votes have been added up to decide the winner of this years Top 25
Industry Leaders. Please step forward, Neil Palmer, CEO, National Centre of Excellence in Desalination
Australia (NCEDA). Tom Freyberg caught up with the CEO while on his travels across the US.

Neil Palmer: The NCEDA has been


established fve years now. It is now
completing its 50th project of a wide
range of activities in order to improve
desalination effciency and provide
solutions for people, particularly in
remote and outback areas of Australia.
The achievements have seen a big
international recognition of the centres
work. Weve made good progress within
this period. One of the interesting
challenges is to continue the work given
the fnancial constraints in Australia.
NCEDA comprises 13 Australian
universities and CSIRO and our base
is at Murdoch University in Western
Australia.
p Top spot: Out of 25 nominated leaders in the global water

industry, Palmer was voted number one by WWi readers

Water & Wastewater International


magazine (WWi): Congratulations on
taking frst place in WWi magazines
25 Industry Leaders. How do you feel
about that accomplishment?
Neil Palmer, CEO, National Centre of
Excellence in Desalination Australia
(NCEDA): Im very humbled. I would
consider it a very signifcant honour to
be regarded as one of the industrys top
leaders. Ive been in the water industry
for 40 years now. One does try to make
sensible decisions, recommendations
and fndings. Ive met a lot of people
in that period and Im delighted and
humbled that people feel that Ive
achieved some recognition for my work
in water.
WWi: No need to be so humble
youve clearly had a fruitful career.
We last spoke to you at the IDA
World Congress in Perth about the
formation of the NCEDA. How is this
developing?

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WWi: But youve just travelled 36


hours to be in America? Thats a long
way from home
NP: Correct. Im now in Tucson
(Arizona) with Professor Wendell Ela
of the University of Arizona, who has
accepted the position of desalination
and water treatment professor at
Murdoch University. He starts in
January. Were very excited to see this
establishment of desalination research

and teaching at Murdoch University as


a direct outcome of the activities of the
NCEDA.
WWi: Desalination is gearing up in
the US, particularly California.There
are perhaps some similarities with
Australia before your big desalination
push in 2004?
Tomorrow Ill actually be in California.
Theres been a lot of scaremongering
and wildly inaccurate statements about
desalination in California. Im here to
provide some factual information. Its
important that people understand.
WWi: So youre sharing lessons from
Australia on how to deal with negative
publicity?
NP: We have some experience to
share we had to build plants quickly.
Between 2004 to 2012 we delivered six
large seawater desalination plants over
the eight year period. Thats AUD $12
billion dollars worth of investment. So
we were able to fast track them because
we were facing the drought. Had the
drought continued, we could have run

WHILE THE MELBOURNE DESALINATION


PLANT IS NOT BEING USED NOW, IN ITS
DESIGN LIFE - WHICH IS MORE THAN
50 YEARS - IT WILL BE RELIED UPON
TO PROVIDE WATER SECURITY AND
AVOID FUTURE RESTRICTIONS IN
WATER SUPPLY

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BIO BOX - NEIL PALMER


Palmer has degrees in civil and public health engineering. His professional experience includes
the South Australian Engineering and Water Supply Department, the Fiji Public Works
Department, the South Australian Environment Protection Authority, United Utilities Australia
and general manager, technical services at Osmofo, the largest Australian desalination
company. He is currently the CEO of the National Centre of Excellence in Desalination
Australia, a partnership of 14 Australian universities conducting desalination research. Palmer
is the vice president of the Asia Pacifc Desalination Association, a director of the International
Desalination Association and life member of the Australian Water Association.

a major city out of water, it was that


serious. No government can stand back
and do nothing when that scenario
is approaching. There will be more
droughts and [desalination] provides
tremendous security. And frankly, the
cost for Melbourne residents for this
insurance is AUD$0.40 per day per
person. Thats not an unaffordable cost.
Its probably a lot less than you pay
for house and contents insurance. Its
small price to pay for no future water
restrictions.

to provide future water security,


particularly to Sydney and Melbourne.
Melbourne is growing rapidly and
is expected to double in population
by 2050. Theres no other new water
supplies that are available. So while
the Melbourne plant is not being used
now, in its design life - which is more
than 50 years it will be relied upon to
provide water security and avoid future
restrictions in water supply. This is as
well as making sure Melbourne remains
one of the worlds most liveable cities.

WWi: When you wrote an article


for WWi three years ago, the theme
was desalination has come of age
in Australia.Things have changed
considerably since. Whats the current
situation with the built desalination
capacity?

WWi: Talking about the future,


how important is leadership in the
water industry to attract younger
generations of engineers?

NP: In the eastern states, it seemed to


follow a pattern: build a desalination
plant and then the rains fell. However,
Australia has a very variable climate
and two things are certain: there will be
droughts in the future and population
and water demand will grow. So some
of the desalination plants that arent
being used at the moment are essential

NP: One of the exciting aspects of


water and desalination is the use of
renewables to power desalination and
provide fresh water in places where
they never had it before. I think the use
of renewable desalination will attract
young minds. I think it has already.
All the Australian desalination plants
have their energy completely offset by
wind energy. You could argue that the
desalination plants are carbon neutral in
their operation phase. Thats something

p Teamwork: Palmer (right) with Professor Wendell Ela (left), who has accepted the position of desalination and water

we are proud of. Its more expensive but


it is something that people are conscious
of and the utilities that built the plants
recognise this. Certainly for myself,
its not the desalination process thats
fascinating, its creating the fresh water
and the possibilities this brings.
WWi: How is the Desalination
Discovery Centre helping to spread
the word on some of this work youre
doing?
NP: Over the years, the Desalination
Discovery Center has reached out to
more than 6000 children. Its been a
very effective means of explaining
desalination issues such as energy usage
and the impact on marine environment.
For example, we have a desalination
plant in Perth thats been operating for
eight years at 100% fow into Cockburn
Sound a confned body of water. There
has been no adverse impact on the
environment on the intake or the outfall.
WWi:You say youve had 40 years in
the business I cant imagine you will
want to eventually retire quietly with
all your desalination knowledge. What
are your plans?
NP: Ill be around for a few more
years yet Tom! There are many new
adventures to be had. What Ive learned
over the 40 years has been put to good
use with sensible decisions. And in
that case a sensible decision means
that places like Perth have a number
of supplies, but desalination is part
of the portfolio to make sure you get
optimum use of the water and you get
water security. Thats a message Ive
learned. Also, weve had some of the
technical research projects, which may
bring water security to indigenous
communities in Australia. Thats a very
worthwhile objective. There are health
benefts for the people in the long-term.
To be involved in projects that beneft
local people who have had unreliable
and poor quality water supplies is
something I would like to continue to
help with.
WWi:That sounds like a worthy cause.
Thanks for your time Neil and again,
congratulations on being crowned
the winner of WWi magazines Top 25
Industry Leaders series.

treatment professor at Murdoch University

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GLOBAL WATER YEAR REVIEW: 2014

WATERS
HIGHS & LOWS:
2014 YEAR
REVIEW
Although 2014 may have been
quiet on the municipal contract
activity, its the industrial activities
providing room for growth. WWi
provides an overview of the major
contracts won over the course of
2014, region by region.

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he global picture for water and


wastewater projects reveals
some key markets starting to
make good on their promised potential
and various interesting niches being
exploited, while activity in some of the
more mature markets remains relatively
fat.
Consultancy Envisagers David Lloyd
Owen, who for many years produced
the much-missed Pinsent Masons Water
Yearbook, notes that it has been a fairly
quiet year for water and wastewater
contracts. There doesnt seem to have
been any great change in recent trends
on the municipal side, he observes.
There has been a little bit of progress in
size and scope in the private sector.
Much of the action has been taking
place outside Europe, he adds, although
the giant French players, Veolia and
Suez Environnement, have been very
active and continue to expand. India and
China are a strong focus for water and
wastewater activities, and he sees more
impetus coming from locally-based
companies.
The industrial sector is also more
active, Lloyd Owen notes, and it is

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

In the UK, Thames Waters massive and


controversial London Tideway project is
undoubtedly the largest around

here that innovation is taking place.


It has been a waiting year, generally
speaking, he says.
However, quiet ground is often an
ideal place for interesting developments
to take root. Lloyd Owen observes:
At the development stage, there is a
remarkable amount of innovation taking
place: things like smart water and low
energy wastewater treatment. This
makes 2014 an interesting year, he adds
somewhat lacking in major headlines
but exciting behind the scenes.
He observes: We are living in most
exciting times, but whether utilities
will be adopting these technologies is
another question altogether.
EUROPE
In this extremely mature marketplace,
Lloyd Owen tips Ireland as a market
to watch. There have been massive
demonstrations against paying for
water. There doesnt seem to be any give
and take from the government if they
had said yes, you must pay for your
water but we will take something off the
tax bill, that would have worked, but
they havent.

GLOBAL WATER YEAR REVIEW: 2014

The worlds largest chocolate factory in Veghel, the


Netherlands will soon have 99% of its organic pollution
turned into biogas, using MBR technology

There has already been signifcant


investment on the wastewater side,
but smaller schemes for smaller towns
- comprehensive refurbishment and
extension - are needed. The practical
emphasis has to be on smaller schemes,
Lloyd Owen says. If they are going to
charge for water, people will want to see
better services for their money.
A number of signifcant contracts have
nevertheless come through elsewhere in
Europe. In April Suez Environnement,
via its subsidiary Safge, won a fveyear, 17 million ($21.3 million) contract
to project manage long-term partner
Syndicat des Eaux dIle de Frances
(SEDIFs) drinking water supply
structures. Safge will project manage
potable water plants and recovery,
storage and transfer facilities, and
will also project manage long-term
programmes to renew distribution
pipelines between 2015 and 2017 in the
Oise and Marne areas, representing
102 municipalities and 60 million ($75
million) worth of work.
A municipal contract for Nova Gorica
on Slovenias Italian border awarded in
January sees rival Veolia undertaking
a $20.98 million contract to provide
an EU-fnanced wastewater treatment
plant using its Biosep MBR treatment
plant with a sludge dryer treatment
line capacity of 52,000 PE. The main
consultant is Slovenias Projekt.
Veolia has also won a contract to
supply an anaerobic wastewater
treatment plant for a new Paulaner
brewery on a greenfeld site in
Langwied, near Munich - by far the
largest project for a brewery in Germany
for the next few years. The plant
capacity is 2800 m/day, with a COD
load of 23,500 kg/day.

A $20.9 million contract in Slovenia will see


Veolia deliver MBR municipal treatment
technology

In the Netherlands, the company


recently commissioned a sweet contract
for the Mars plant in Veghel, the worlds
largest chocolate factory. The solution
involved building and operating
a wastewater treatment facility
equipped with Veolias Memthane
anaerobic MBR technology (combining
Veolias Biothane anaerobic biological
wastewater treatment and Pentairs
X-Flow ultrafltration membrane
separation process), which can turn
99% of organic pollution into a source
of biogas. The solution in its frst use

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in Europe - will cut the Veghel plants


energy bill by 10%. Veolia was main
contractor on the project.
In the UK, Thames Waters massive
and controversial London Tideway
project is undoubtedly the largest
around. Thamess key contracts
commissioned in 2014 support its
ambitious strategy to minimise
wastewater discharges to the tidal
Thames.
These include the 712 million
($1116 million) Lee tunnel, which was
scheduled to complete in December,

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GLOBAL WATER YEAR REVIEW: 2014

double RO system. This contract will be


followed by a 29 million ($36.3 million)
contract for the plants operation and
maintenance, awarded to Degrmont by
the Mirfa International Power & Water
Company.
In Morocco, Biwater International
recently commissioned a new
wastewater treatment works for the
city of Khenifra, incorporating trickling
flters to improve odour control and
the quality of the effuent discharged.
The client was the Offce National de
lElectricitet de lEau Potable Branche
Eau (ONEE), and the project benefts
around 150,000 residents.
Top brew:Veolia will supply a 2800 m3/day AD plant for a new Paulaner brewery on a greenfeld site in Langwied, near Munich

and major upgrades to its Beckton


and Crossness wastewater treatment
works, worth 222 million ($348 million)
and 220 million ($344.8 million)
respectively.
Black & Veatch provided its services
to another recently commissioned major
contract, helping United Utilities unlock
a valuable source of renewable energy
at its massive Davyhulme wastewater
treatment works. The upgraded
Manchester facility uses biogas to
generate green energy - enough to meet
its own power requirements and export
to the National Grid.
Somewhat further south, a Modern
Water Services/Northumbrian Water
joint venture won preferred bidder
status in October for a new wastewater
treatment plant serving Gibraltar.
The 22 million ($35 million) DBFO
project will treat urban wastewater and
stormwater fows for the entire territory.
MENA
The Middle East North Africa
region will once more be a key area
of interest in the near future, Lloyd
Owen predicts. We are forecasting a
big uplift from next year onward, he
says. Desalination may be losing some
of its favoured status while wastewater
recycling gains favour as a less resourceintensive option for irrigation, but
activity is by no means at an end.
For example, in Saudi Arabia, the
Saline Water Conversion Corporation
recently announced plans to increase
desalination capacity to cope with
rising demand, and contracts coming
on stream soon in the kingdom include
Jubail 3 and the Jeddah 3 desalination
facility. The country is also increasingly

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turning towards membrane solutions,


and there are a few solar desalination
trials taking place. Its all a question of
scale and cost, in the long run it could
be very interesting, says Lloyd Owen.
Once the capex spend is over, it could
have quite an interesting impact on
operating costs.
One important traditional project
in the region teams Japans Hitachi
with Veolia Environnement through
its subsidiary OTV. Together with
Egyptian engineering frm Arabco, the
consortium recently won an engineer,
procure and construct (EPC) contract for
a pre-treatment system and ancillaries
including the river water intake
and water transport facilities for a
desalination plant in Basrah, Iraq.
The order, from the Iraqi Ministry
of Municipalities and Public Works, is
worth Y24 billion ($203 million) in total,
of which the Hitachi/Veolia share is
around Y10 billion ($84.5 million).
Construction was set to begin in
October and completion is scheduled for
April 2017.
Suez subsidiary Degrmont won
a major contract to design, construct
and operate the desalination element
of the new Mirfa independent water
and power project, 160 km west of Abu
Dhabi city, which is worth a total of 146
million ($182.8 million). South Koreas
Hyundai Engineering & Construction
chose the Suez subsidiary to build the
RO plant as part of an Abu Dhabi Water
and Electricity Authority (ADWEA)
contract.
Mirfa will have a 140,000 m3/day
capacity and will use SeaDaf fltration
technology to pre-treat the algae-rich
Arabian Gulf water, followed by a

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

AMERICAS
What has been happening in the
American market is most interesting
it has seen the development of much
more focused contracts, with companies
taking on aspects of water management
rather than the whole, says Lloyd
Owen.
On the municipal side it has been
business as usual he says, with more
progress on the specifc outsourcing
side. The reason, he notes, is that there
is less political risk involved. It is
simpler.
America remains a fascinating place,
he adds the bastion of free enterprise,
but with attitudes towards water that
run counter to this principle. It is a big
challenge for the water industry, he
says.
The signifcant projects for MWH
Global this year are good examples
of the move towards more focused
solutions, as they include some major
environmental creation and restoration
activities and a signifcant CSO
alleviation contract.
MWH is providing engineering
and design services for the Easterly
tunnel dewatering pump station
project, one of the largest CSO pump
station projects in the US and a critical
element in addressing CSOs for the
city of Cleveland and surrounding
communities in northeast Ohio.
The 605,000 m3/day project for the
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
will involve constructing a massive
pump station 240 ft underground to
house nine pumps. This will enable the
citys stormwater storage tunnels to
capture fows in a controlled way - these
would otherwise have been discharged
to surface waters, causing urban

GLOBAL WATER YEAR REVIEW: 2014

fooding and discharges of sanitary


sewage to the environment. This
project is due to complete in late 2016.
Engineering design cost on the project is
$6.94 million, and the total construction
budget is $73.2 million.
Several high profle environmental
improvement projects have also
started up: the South Florida Water
Management District awarded the highprofle Everglades restoration project
in mid-June, for which MWH will
provide construction management and
engineering services to help implement
the $880 million Restoration Strategies
Regional Water Quality Plan.
Californias drought has led to much
tighter restrictions on groundwater use,
and this is also generating opportunities
for projects. For example, CH2M Hill
was awarded a $141.2 million contract
by the Woodland-Davis Clean Water
Agency for the cities of Davis and
Woodland to develop and operate a
system to treat surface water from the
Sacramento river. The project, which has
a 2016 deadline, will replace existing
groundwater sources.
A number of interesting contracts
have been awarded in South America,
including Degremonts 30 million
($37.6 million) EPC contract to provide
water treatment facilities for Klabin,
Brazils biggest packaging paper
exporter. Degremont will provide a
5900 m3/hour process water plant
equipped with its Densadeg technology
followed by Aquazur flters, and a boiler
feedwater plant with an ion exchange
system.
ASIA
China is clearly the place where things
are happening, says Lloyd Owen.
It stands out above all others. Water
problems there are now at the point
where they are affecting development,
which provides the incentive to make
progress.
The country also now has a true
national player, Beijing Enterprises
Water Group (BEWG), which provides
water and environmental services to
around 70 million people. Three to four
years ago there were no Chinese players
serving more than 13 to 14 million
people. BEWG is the frst company with
customers across China rather than a
regional player, Lloyd Owen says.
The company has also expanded its
activities to Portugal and Malaysia,

Ecopetrol Americas Castill oilfelds in Colombia will see a $73 million


contract remove and recover oil from produced water

The Everglades project was awarded in South Florida to help implement a $800m restoration plan

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GLOBAL WATER YEAR REVIEW: 2014

Teamwork: Labelled as one of the most signifcant water projects in Asia, Phase 2 of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage
System (DTSS) was awarded to a B&V+AECOM jv

and recently announced it has won


preferred bidder status for the second
Changi NEWater plant DBOO project in
Singapore.
China has a national strategy to
improve wastewater treatment by
90% over fve years, which has given
tremendous impetus to improvements.
BEWG recently signed a $288 million
B-loan agreement with the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) to upgrade
and operate wastewater treatment
plants across the country to meet the
1A standard, the countrys strictest
requirements for wastewater treatment.
Treated wastewater will be reused
for industrial and urban environmental
uses including machine cooling, boiler
operation and construction site cleaning.
The countrys Water Pollution
Prevention and Control plan is expected
to be introduced this year or next, and
investment in the water sector is forecast
by analyst Barrons to increase to CNY2
trillion ($326.7 billion) between 2016 and
2020, with tighter policy enforcement
and government monitoring as well as
stricter discharge standards.
Underlining the markets buoyancy,
the joint venture Yangzhou Sino
French Environment Company won
a 20-year contract in February worth
24 million ($30.1 million) to operate
the Yangzhou sludge drying plant in
Jiangsu province. The contract will
start in 2015 and involves drying 300
t/day of sludge, rising to 500 t/day,
mainly from Yangzhous Tangwang and
Liuwei facilities, which serve 4.5 million
inhabitants.
Sembcorp has been carving its own
niche in the burgeoning industrial
wastewater treatment market it was
chosen by the Jiangsu Environment
Protection Department to acquire and
upgrade a 20,000 m3/day industrial
wastewater treatment facility for

20

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

the Lianyungang Lingang chemical


industrial park in Jiangsu province.
The upgraded plant will be able to
treat highly concentrated industrial
wastewater and will serve as a model
for other industrial parks in the
province.
Meanwhile, Veolia has also been
making inroads in China. In the oil and
gas market, it signed a key project in
May for the Veolia/Sinopec operating
jv, Beijing Yanshan Veolia Water. For
this project, Veolias proprietary OPUS
technology will be used to reclaim 200
m3/hour of brine and enhance recovery
from an existing UF/RO refnery
wastewater recycling system. Main
consultant on the project is Sinopec
Ningbo Engineering Company and
the main contractor is Beijing Yanhua
Construction Engineering Company.
In Singapore, a joint venture between
Black & Veatch (B&V) and AECOM was
chosen in June by PUB, Singapores
national water agency, to provide
engineering services for Phase 2 of the
Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS).
The B&V+AECOM jv will work with
PUB to shape one of the most signifcant
and anticipated water projects in Asia.
The Drainage Services Department
(DSD) of the government of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region
(HKSAR), has awarded Black & Veatch
(B&V) a feasibility study project to
relocate Sai Kung wastewater
treatment plant to caverns.
The effort is part of the
HKSAR governments
policy to boost land
supply for long-term
development needs.
The company is
also celebrating
completion
of a 10-year
programme

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

to improve drainage works in East


Kowloon. Construction of the 46,000
m3/dayPasay wastewater treatment
plant in Manila was a January win for
Veolia that involves a $25 million DBO
contract with a one-year O&M period
(for process proving).
The plant design and layout take into
consideration a future upgrade to meet
future standards, which are expected
to be stricter. The plant will incorporate
Veolias primary settlement - activated
sludge UV solution.
The main consultant was Arup at
tender stage and OEC at construction
stage, which started in May.
Commissioning is due in early 2015.
The Indian market is also fnally
taking off in spectacular fashion. We
often forget about India, says Lloyd
Owen. One of the most interesting
things is a culture shift a lot of utilities
until recently said that as long as we
deliver water regularly we dont need to
deliver it continuously.
Wastewater contracts are also fnally
beginning to appear Prime Minister
Narendra Modi recently made a
swatcha (cleanliness) pledge that aims
to create a clean India, a concept that
includes ending open defecation by the
150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi on 2
October 2019.
Austrias Va Tech Wabag won a Rs250
Cr (40 million) JICA-funded contract
from BWSSB at the beginning of the
year to design and construct a 90MLD
wastewater treatment plant at Bellandur
Amanikere in Karnataka, with a seven
year O&M period.
SPML Infrastructure has picked
up a number of contracts across the
country. One example of the companys
impressive workload being a recent
R372.70 Cr ($60.2 million) order from the
Public Health Engineering Department
(PHED), Jodhpur, for a water supply
scheme for 256 villages and the town
of Bhinmal, with a

Construction of the 46,000 m3/day Pasay wastewater


treatment plant in Manila will include primary settlement activated sludge UV solution.

GLOBAL WATER YEAR REVIEW: 2014

Leak detection: TaKaDu won a contract extension Quensland utility UnityWater. The trial installation in 2013 claimed to
have saved nearly a billion litres of water (equivalent to AUD$2 million)

10-year operation and maintenance


phase. Other recent awards include a
Rs164.60 Cr ($26.6 million) order from
Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage
Board (BWSSB) to improve the citys
water distribution system, reduce
unaccounted-for water and undertake
leakage control, topped by a fve-year
O&M phase.
AUSTRALASIA
Municipal desalination has lost its
impetus in most urban areas apart from
Perth with the easing of Australias
big dry with more abundant rains.
Many of the countrys landmark projects
including the Melbourne, Sydney
and Gold Coast plants (and shortly
Adelaide, when its two-year trial period
is completed in January) have been
mothballed.
The practicalities remain pretty
unimpressive, Lloyd Owen remarks.
Now that dams are flling up again,
the one area of change may well be
in considering private investment in
maintaining and managing dams as well
as pondering new ones.
On the industrial side, he notes that
Queensland is pondering offering
50-year leases for 16 industrial water
pipelines operated by Sun-Water.
Some of the biggest contracts this
year have involved supplying water
to remote mining and industrial sites.
GHD undertook a key element of a
major AUD$300 million ($258.3 million)
contract to construct the Mundaring
water treatment plant in Western
Australia, a 165,000 m3/day facility
expandable to 240,000 m3/day.
Helena Water will operate and
maintain the plant for 35 years, and
further contracted Acciona and Trility
to design, construct and commission the
facilities, with the design undertaken
in collaboration with GHD. State utility

Hunter Water Corporation also awarded


Veolia a contract this year to operate and
maintain 25 of its water and wastewater
treatment plants in New South Waless
Hunter region.
The 193 million ($241.8 million)
contract is the largest ever awarded by
the utility and involves Veolia operating
and maintaining the plants, which
supply services to over half a million
people in the region.
In New Zealand, Mott MacDonald
won a contract from Watercare Services
to design the NZD63 million ($49.5
million) expansion of Aucklands
Rosedale wastewater treatment plant,
one of a series of projects intended to
cater for predicted population growth.
The expansion includes a new 3
km pipeline and pump station, an
additional primary sedimentation tank,
digester and feed tank system, and a
modifed Ludzac k Ettinger reactor to
treat wastewater. The project is due to
complete in 2019.
Meanwhile, TaKaDu won a contract
extension from Queensland water
utility Unitywater on an expansion of
a trial project to improve the utilitys
operational visibility and effciency
and reduce costs and water losses.
Jacobs, TaKaDus Australian technology
partner, managed the deployment.
The contract extension will increase
the amount of network being monitored
by the TaKaDu solution since its trial
installation in 2013, nearly a billion litres
of water (equivalent to AUD$2 million,
or $1.7 million) has been saved, the
company reports.

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The article was produced by WWi magazine


with assistance from David Lloyd Owen,
managing director of consultancy Envisager.
The article can be found online at www.
wwinternational.com. For more information,
email: tomf@pennwell.com
For more information, enter 10 at wwi.hotims.com
DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

21

THE BIG QUESTION PUMPS

THE

BIG QUESTION

In the next instalment of WWis technology series, we tackle the key industry product of pumps. With winter in
full swing in Europe and headlines circulating about fooding threats, we ask the question: How can pumps help
meet the growing environmental concern of food alleviation?

Post-food measures
By Kenth Hvid Nielsen, group vice president, water utility Grundfos.

looding is not just the most


common cause of disaster in the
world; it is also by far the fastest
growing. At the same time, not all foods
are alike. Some foods develop slowly,
while others can develop in just a few
minutes even without visible signs of
rain. Some foods are local, impacting a
neighbourhood or community; others
are very large, affecting entire river
basins and multiple countries.
That means that for reliable food
control theres a lot at stake. Initially,
the protection of people, their homes,
production facilities, crops and livestock
is a priority. And in the longer term,
proper food control solutions that can
prevent contamination of drinking

22

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

water supply systems, damage to


infrastructure and the potential risk of
famine are required.
Limiting the potential damage of
coastal and inland fooding requires
among other necessary aspects - a
pumping solution that is dependable.
And that is as true for preventive
food risk management as for food
event management (during an event
of fooding) and as well for post food
measures.
Preventive food risk management
requires dependable pumping
solutions. These range from house
drainage pumping stations and
stormwater solutions, to network
pumping stations that handle rainwater

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

in scattered settlements and urban


areas. Also required are solutions
ranging from main pumping stations
in rainwater systems with associated
stormwater basins. This is as well as
mega stations for handling water fows
in tributaries to larger rivers and outlet
to the receiving waters or the sea.
Flood event management requires
reliable pump solutions where effcient
control and monitoring plays a major
role in securing effective operations
during the fooding occurrence.
Concepts for service, preventive
maintenance and preparedness for
existing installations are central to this.
Post-food measures are needed.
Immediately after a food, a
community faces great challenges.
The population is at risk, as drinking
water supplies may be infected. To
get the infrastructure back on track,
sewage must be removed and entire
areas cleaned up. Pumping of excess
water requires suitably portable pump
solutions as well as mobile disinfection
solutions to maintain a drinking water
supply.
The amount of food scenarios has
increased over the past decades and
at the same time populations have
also become more vulnerable, due to
increased settlement in low-lying areas
and near river deltas. This is partly
due to climate changes and an increase
in population and urbanisation. We
cannot make fooding disappear, but
we can prepare ourselves to act in the
best possible way. Reliable pumping
solutions are defnitely one of the key
aspects in doing so.

THE BIG QUESTION PUMPS

Smartphone
applications
Colin Sabol, senior vice president and
president of Xylems dewatering business

looding is one of the most universal and destructive


challenges facing communities. World Bank research
suggests that foods are the most frequent of all natural
disasters and that the number of food events is rising rapidly.
In 2010, 178 million people were affected by foods, with losses
exceeding $40 billion.
It is now widely accepted, including as part of the United
Nations Hyogo Framework for Action, that the private
sector has an essential role to play in disaster risk reduction.
Companies are working to help communities anticipate,
prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters,
and to ensure continuity of basic services.
We believe increasing the resilience of urban areas is one of
the most complex challenges facing public leaders around the
world. Innovative pump technologies working in tandem with
early warning systems can help cities to prepare for, minimise
damage and recover from food losses.
Real-time situational awareness and control of wastewater
networks allow city managers to manage capacity through
lift station networks and lower the probability of dangerous
sewer overfows.
Dewatering pumps play a critical role in 24/7 disaster
response and resilience planning. Our Godwin pumps played
a key role in the response to Hurricane Sandy after the super
storm hit New York in 2012.
To counteract Kuala Lumpurs notorious fash fooding
problem, the Malaysian government introduced the SMART
(Storm Water Management and Road Tunnel) project. This
ingenious food control measure uses a diversion tunnel for
storm water, which doubles as a motorway link during the
drier periods. A total of 76 Flygt pumps were used in this
ambitious project.
Rental business models enable cities to contract for
emergency, 24/7 dewatering pump services allowing them
to avoid capital expenditure on dewatering equipment while
securing access to vital food control services in times of crisis.
Dewatering pumps designed to work in any environment
on a range of power sources, including gas, diesel, and even
car batteries help to ensure resilience even in the event of
power failure. Dewatering smartphone applications now
allows cities to locate the nearest service provider and
calculate requirements based on friction loss, pressure, power
and fow conversion.
The best time to build resilience to a natural disaster is
before it strikes. As cities learn from past disasters, water
technology experts need to work with urban planners and
community leaders to build both the physical and social
infrastructure needed to reduce risk exposure and create more
resilient cities.

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DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

23

THE BIG QUESTION PUMPS

Updating pump station capacity


Lucy Ogden, marketing manager, Bedford Pumps

s we head into the depths of


winter, food alleviation becomes
once again paramount in our
minds. The long hot days of summer
become a distant memory and we recall
with clarity the devastating foods that
affict our country on a too regular basis.
Flooding can have devastating
consequences. It affects our food supply
and sadly too often our shelter. In the
past we had the luxury of leaving areas
of land uninhabited for the express
purpose of directing the water away from
our dwellings, however with an ever
growing population and the demand for
more housing many of our traditional
food plains are being lost.
The objective of Flood Alleviation is to
remove high volumes of water as quickly
as possible before it is allowed to do any
damage. When the water levels rise it is
critical that we can use our waterways
and rivers as conduits in order to channel
the water to designated food plains
and/or to sea. This is where pumping

is crucial. Strategically placed pumping


stations within the infrastructure serve
to raise the water levels in low lying
drains and ditches into the main rivers
which then act as high level carriers that
discharge to sea.
Pumping stations installed on our
rivers offer protection from the risk of
fooding to towns and cities as well as
Grade A agricultural land. Unfortunately
however, many of the pumping stations
throughout the UK, for which we rely
on for our protection, are between 40
and 80 years old. These stations are
predominantly diesel driven, therefore
high on emissions and maintenance and
low on effciency.
When called to action, all too often
the pumping capability at the station is
insuffcient to deliver the fows required
to stem the food. This leads to the type
of situation which sadly afficted the
West Country last year in the UK and
which hit the headlines worldwide.
It is imperative that these pumping

stations are brought up to date.


Replacing the diesel driven pumps
with electric pumps will increase the
resilience of the station. Removing the
diesel drives will reduce the carbon
footprint and adding a pump of a Fish
Friendly design will ensure that the
pumping station is no longer a barrier
to eel migration, thus ensuring that the
station is fully compliant with the Eel
Regulations of 2007.

Asking the right questions


Duncan Jackson, business manager Autoprime, SPP Pumps

s recent events have shown,


pumps are essential in our
defence against fooding.
Investment in pumping equipment has
been a relatively low priority for local
authorities and other land managers in
the past, but today we know that pumps
must form an integral part of regional
plans.
To ensure that equipment is well
matched to its circumstances and has the
maximum effect where it really matters,
the right questions must be asked
before buying or hiring. Consultation
with trusted pump suppliers and
manufacturers will help address the
important key issues.
Should the pumps be mobile or
fxed? Where are they most needed?
Where will they pump to? Important
and vulnerable elements of the

24

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

areas strategic infrastructure, such


as hospitals, fre stations and power
transformers, will need high protection.
Access and deployment should be
considered. Who will operate the
pumps, how will they be trained and
who will maintain the equipment? Are
framework agreements and partnerships
involved?
There is a lot to consider and levels
of investment by central and local
government can have a major bearing
on the choices available. Specifcation
questions include whether to go for
diesel or electric power, for large or
small pumps, and for compact and
manoeuvrable versus higher volume.
Noise levels, fuel consumption and
sustainability are other relevant issues.
In some cases remote monitoring
may be needed. All of the necessary

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

ancillaries, like hoses, should be


specifed and kept with the pumps.
Some pumps are for general use while
others are specifcally designed for
dealing with foods. Their advantages
may include an integral, reliable,
automatic priming system, good suction
lift characteristics and the ability to
handle solids. Engine selection in such
machines is matched to the pumps
hydraulic characteristics. Quality
materials and easy access for quick onsite repairs are also a must.
When planning a purchase, note
should be taken of manufacturers lead
times. It is best to avoid mixing pump
sets from multiple manufacturers, as this
can create logistical support, service and
parts supply problems. It is also sensible
to choose tried and tested equipment
over less well known products.

WASTEWATER REUSE

WASTEWATER REUSE

SAN DIEGO TO
SPEARHEAD
DIRECT POTABLE
WATER REUSE

In the history of wastewater


reuse, 2014 will probably go down
as a landmark year, when direct
potable reuse took off in the US.
In November the San Diego city
council voted unanimously for a
multi-billion dollar plan to recycle
over 300,000 m3/day of water.
By Robin Wiseman.

or all the media prompting about


toilet to tap, when faced with
the threat of prolonged drought
and water restrictions, communities in
Texas and California have proved to be
happy to trust their water utilities to
make the right decision.
Last year saw a number of forward
steps in providing alternative
technologies, mostly involving new
combinations of microfltration/
ultrafltration (UF)/reverse osmosis
(RO) membranes, which have been
the mainstay of most advanced reuse
projects to date. These have been
driven partly by drought, but mostly
by the lucrative contracts available for
providing cheaper ways of dealing with
wastewater resulting from new types of
oil and gas exploration.
PAST WASTEWATER REUSE
Most water reuse prior to the last
decade was primarily of secondary
quality for industrial or agricultural
purposes. These will still provide
major uses for lower grade reused
wastewater. However, for potable and

some industrial purposes, a high level of


treatment is required.
The techniques for potable water
reuse usually involve membranebased techniques such as UF and RO,
and using ultraviolet (UV) light or
ozone for disinfection. Lately, these are
fnding other applications in industry.
Engineers and scientists are also fnding
new uses for other techniques such as
electrodialysis, ceramic membranes and
advanced oxidation in wastewater reuse.
POTABLE REUSE
For potable purposes, the industry has
split wastewater reuse into indirect
(IPR) and direct (DPR) reuse, the
latter requiring much more stringent
standards and approvals than the
former. DPR is the planned introduction
of recycled water either directly into a
public water system or into a raw water
supply such as a reservoir. DPR has
inherent risks that differ from treatment
of traditional source waters and from
conventional IPR.
The city-state of Singapore has
long been the pathfnder in reusing

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

25

WASTEWATER REUSE

its frst large 189,000 m3/day (50 MGD)


seawater desalination plant in Carlsbad,
principally to supply San Diego just to
the south of it.

p Bottling progression: Singapore has had success with wastewater reuse, branding it as NEWater

wastewater for potable purposes NEWater, as the government terms it.


Yet the small cities of Big Spring and
Wichita Falls in Texas and the much
larger city of San Diego in California
will probably be better remembered as
ushering in DPR across the world.
The US already hosts a world-leading
example of IPR in the Orange County
Groundwater Replenishment System
in California, which next year will
complete its expansion project, adding

of the country are full. Queensland


premier, Campbell Newman said in
April 2014 that the plant along with
the Gold Coast desalination plant,
also mothballed, could be sold to the
private sector or shut down completely.
This year also saw Africa celebrate the
continents frst advanced water reuse
plant in Windhoek, Namibia. Although
Windhoek claims to be the frst city to
try a potable water reuse system back
in 1968.

IRONICALLY, THIS PROJECT, LIKE MOST OF


THE DESALINATION PLANTS BUILT
WHEN AUSTRALIA FACED A SEVERE
DROUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
LAST DECADE, HAS SINCE BECOME A
POLITICAL FOOTBALL
113,550 m3/day (30 MGD) to its existing
264,950 m3/day (70 MGD) capacity.
The membrane-based plant supplies
agriculture and industry. It also helps
maintain an aquifer buffer against
seawater intrusion, while also supplying
three aquifer recharge basins.
Australia boasts an equally large
project, the 232,000 m3/day Western
Corridor Recycled Water Project in
Queensland. This has three advanced
wastewater treatment plants, which
contribute reused water to industry and
agriculture.
Ironically, this project, like most of the
desalination plants built when Australia
faced a severe drought in the middle
of the last decade, has since become
a political football and is currently
producing no water to save running
costs - as all the dams on the east side

26

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

DROUGHT IS THE DRIVER


In a different phase of the drought cycle,
the recent failure of rains in California
and Texas is leading both states down
the twin roads of desalination and
water reuse. Water reuse in particular
is popular because of its perceived
economic advantage due to the high
energy cost for desalination.
The two states are of course very
different, with Texans far more willing
to do what has to be done, while the
environmental sensitivity of many
Californians makes the implementation
of any project a much more complicated
business.
Nevertheless, as pointed out above,
southern California has the template
of the Orange County project and
examples of small-scale desalination
already exist in the state. It is building

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

SAN DIEGO WATER REUSE PLAN


The 3.1 million residents of the San
Diego region have historically imported
most of their water supply, from far
away sources, including the California
Bay-Delta between San Francisco and
Sacramento, and the Colorado river,
conveyed via massive piped aqueducts.
Currently, 80% of the San Diego
regions water supply is imported.
Both these major import sources are
becoming subject to considerable
restrictions, forcing San Diego to look
for other sources. The privately owned
Carlsbad desalination plant, now under
construction, and its twin at Huntington
Beach, still to be approved, will provide
some of the answer. Yet, looking at a
service population of 3.9 million by
2030, the city has always known it
would need more.
San Diego began looking at water
reuse in 2004 to evaluate all options for
increasing its water supply. That study
led to the San Diego Recycled Water
Study, which reported in July 2012. In
addition to its supply needs, the city
also faces a crucial date in 2015, when
it has to renew its National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
permit for the Point Loma Wastewater
Treatment Plant.
The Environmental Protection
Agency in 2010 extended the NPDES
renewal date on condition that the city
undertook this study. The fundamental
focus of this study was to develop water
reuse alternatives and then weigh the
alternatives against other options with
particular focus on the water supply
benefts and the cost savings through
reduced wastewater systems operations
and improvements. Initially, because of
fears about public reaction to DPR, the
study concentrated on IPR.
The city conducted a demonstration
project from 2009 to 2013 to explore the
feasibility of implementing the same
three-step water purifcation process
that has been used successfully by the
Orange County Water District since
2008. One million gallons (4500 m3/day)
of recycled water were purifed every
day for a year at San Diegos Advanced
Water Purifcation Facility.
The California Department of Public

WASTEWATER REUSE

p Fine fltration: potable water reuse usually involves membrane-based techniques

Health and the San Diego Water Board


approved the citys concept of sending
the treated wastewater to the San
Vicente reservoir prior to treatment at a
drinking water plant. The purifed water
met all federal and state drinking water
standards.
On 18 November 2014, the city
council voted unanimously for a
US$2.5 billion plan to recycle 56,700
m3/d (15 MGD) by 2023 and 314,000
m3/d (83 MGD) by 2035. Initially,
the reused water will go to the San
Vincente reservoir, but further work
will be done on additional treatment/
barriers to allow direct addition to the
water grid.
BIG SPRING AND WICHITA
FALLS REUSE
It is interesting to speculate whether
San Diegos citizens would have been
so united in their verdict on DPS, if
the plunge had not already been taken
in Texas by the cities of Big Spring
and Wichita Falls. Driven by longterm drought and the absence of other
options, these two cities both opted to
blend reused wastewater with their
existing supplies.
Big Spring (the spring dried up 90
years ago) opened its 6,800 m3/d (1.8
MGD) DPR plant in 2013, blending
the treated wastewater with reservoir
water. The larger Wichita Falls project
uses 28,400 m/d (7.5 MGD) of
wastewater to provide 18,900 m/d (5
MGD) of drinking water (one-third of
the citys daily demand) and was given

conditional approval for a six-month


startup period in May 2014. Treated
wastewater will go to the Cypress
Water Treatment plant to be blended
for treatment with water from Lake
Arrowhead and Kickapoo.

energy for membrane treatment, much


research funding is being spent on new
ways of providing suitable water quality
without the consumption of so much
energy.
So far, no one method has stood
out from the rest and, particularly in
industrial reuse, no project is alike
when choosing the most appropriate
technology.
In fracking for oil and gas, for
instance, a number of different
technologies, from evaporation to
centrifuging, are employed to treat
the various wastewaters the industry
produces for an equally varied selection
of reuses.
Many companies are aiming to claim
niche markets in industry. GE, for
instance, has rediscovered anaerobic
membrane bioreactor (AnMBR)
technology for concentrated organic
wastewater, also reclaiming methane
energy. It has also found a ready market
for its evaporation systems in produced
water treatment.
Meanwhile, Desalitech is promoting
its Closed-Circuit Desalination system
as a way of treating reverse osmosis

WHY REUSE WASTEWATER: THE


OBVIOUS ANSWER IS YOUVE ALREADY
PAID FOR IT ONCE, SO WHY NOT
STRETCH IT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE?
WHEN TO REUSE?
In the two cases above, there was no
other option: the drought was fast
drying up all existing sources. But
where, say, seawater can provide a
natural feed for desalination, why reuse
wastewater? The obvious answer is
because youve already paid for it once,
so why not stretch it as far as possible.
However, reuse is still expensive
as with desalination, because of the
energy required. UNESCO estimated
in 2014 the following rough energy
demand for different water sources:
Lake or river: 0.37 kWh/m3
Groundwater: 0.48 kWh/m3
Wastewater treatment: 0.620.87
kWh/m3
Wastewater reuse: 1.02.5 kWh/m3
Seawater: 2.588.5 kWh/m3.
Along with the drive to use renewable

reject water using less energy. Oasys


Water has a contract in China to use its
forward osmosis technology to treat fue
gas desulfurisation wastewater from a
coal-fred power plant.
If anyone was keeping score for water
reuse, as the International Desalination
Association does for desalination
capacity, we would probably fnd that it
has already overtaken its twin advanced
treatment sector.
As it is, global fgures are all guesses,
but undoubtedly advanced reuse is
accelerating fast, both in water utilities
for drinking and other purposes, and in
industry to move plants towards zero
liquid discharge.
Robin Wiseman is chairman of
WiseOnWater. For more information on the
article, contact: natasha@wiseonwater.com

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

27

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA PACIFIC

THE GREAT WALL,


MARK II

Engineering Chinas Water Lifeline


Renewable water resources, 2012, m3 per year
4,000 or more
3,000 -<4,000

2,000 <3,000
1,000 -<2,000

Less than1,000

South-North Water Diversion Project

HEBEI

GANSU

ow

ll
Ye

Middle
route

QUNGHAI
TIBET

gzi

Yan

Beijing
Tianjin
Eastern
route
HENAN
HUBEI

Western route
(planned)

1,000 km

Totalling a century from


conception to completion, costing
over $60 billion, Chinas SouthNorth Water Transfer Project will
be one of the greatest engineering
feats of the modern era. In
October the central route of the
worlds most expensive water
supply system was complete but at
what environmental and economic
price?
By Tom Freyberg

28

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

evered and criticised in equal


measure, Mao Zedong
otherwise known as Chairman
Mao and the founding father of modern
China, could be a called, among many
things, a visionary. It was in 1952
when Mao realised his country faced
a major stumbling block: the North is
responsible for the majority of industrial
and agricultural activity, yet lacks the
much needed water that lies in the
south.
As a result, the contrast between
the arid North, the cradle of Chinese
civilisation, and the water-abundant
South has induced many waves of
migration over the last three millennia.

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

Furthermore, groundwater supplies


have been heavily exploited in the
North. Up to 35% of the Norths aquifers
are used compared to 6% in the South.
Theyre effectively mining down
the groundwater, says Simon
Spooner, consultant at Atkins Water
& Environment International and
honorary professor at Nottingham
University Ningbo, China. In the Hai
river basin around Beijing they are using
more than 100% of total water resources
that are available. Youve got a desperate
situation. The government has had to
do something about this otherwise
Beijing will run out of water and a lot of
the cities will have serious problems and
will not be able to grow. It will cause a
crisis.
THE SOLUTION
Even though it was 60 years ago, Mao
predicted that the North-South divide
and struggle for water resources would
get worse. Taking inspiration from his
predecessor, Sun Yat-sen a Chinese
revolutionary, frst president and the
founding father of Republic of China,
Mao had an idea. The North would
borrow water from the South, or to
transfer it.
Offcially known as the South-North
Water Transfer (SNWT), the plan was
to build over 2,500 km of canals and
pipelines to shift water from the south
to the north and divert water where
needed by Eastern, Central and Western
Routes. And after 50 years of much
deliberation, debate and discussions, it
was in 2002 when this ambitious plan
was approved.
The initial Eastern Route was
completed in 2013. This involved
deepening and broadening the existing
Grand Canal, built some 1400 years
ago to take 14.8 billion cubic metres of
water a year more than 1,000 km north
from the Yangzi River towards the city

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA PACIFIC

of Tianjin. Although initially, due to


contamination, the water at the end of
this route wasnt quite as clean as where
it started.
Its quite an achievement to reuse
ancient architecture, adds Spooner.
However, the canal had become a
sewer so more money spent on sewage
treatment, in order to make sure this
water was usable at the other end than
on the actually construction costs of the
scheme. They knew this in advance. Its
not as though they extended the canal
and then found the water couldnt be
used.
Fast forward 12 years and at the end
of October 2014, the second arm of the
SNWT- known as the Central Route was completed. Stretching over 1200
km northward (see box out on project
details), the central part of the ambitious
project was under construction for 11
years.
As a result, around 500,000 m3/day of
water will fow from the Yangtze River
to Beijing with estimates suggesting this
could meet the demand of fve million
residents. Five water storage plants have
been constructed to serve the Central
Route of the water diversion project.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL
PRICE
Originally thought to cost between $9
billion and $15 billion, current estimates
now put the total project at $62
billion. However the real cost, when
everything is complete, is predicted to
be nearer $70 billion. Reliant on water
for future growth in the North, its
clear the Chinese government is willing
to stump up the cash to push SNWT
through to completion, no matter what
the cost or time it will take.
This is a controversial issue as the
cost of implementing the project has
skyrocketed since it was frst envisioned
in 1950s, says Professor Niv Horesh,
director of the China Policy Institute,
University of NottinghamUltimately,
however, the projects viability can
only be judged 50 years down the track
when effects on population dispersion
and soil subsiding due to over-drilling
(funnel effect) are better measured
against the staggering fnancial cost of
construction.
Others say that the transfer could
reverse Chinas dilemma: drying up the
water-abundant South while quenching
the parched North.

p Engineering water security: An image of the South-North transfer as it passes through Zhengzhou

(Image credit: Google Earth)

Professor Asit Biswas, founder of


the Third World Centre for Water
Management, was invited by former
Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in the
mid 1980s to advise the government on
the project.
Speaking to WWi, he says: Not only
China but also in India and Brazil,
when people do water transfers, they
seldom consider steady increase in
water requirements in water exporting
regions. It is the same problem in
Chang Jiang (Yangtze), Ganga and Sao
Francisco. Water requirements in the
exporting region are steadily increasing.
Thus, in a decade or so this Chinese
project will have diffculty in delivering
the amount of water it is supposed to

bring to Tianjin and Beijing.


Scott Moore, International Affairs
Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
from the US echoes these thoughts:
Theres a growing concern that by
pumping quantities of water north,
the central route will contribute to or
will exacerbate water scarcity in the
exporting region, particularly in the
Han River basin, which is already quite
water stressed.
Yet in October reports suggested there
is a far bigger cost taking its toll on the
country. Around 330,000 people have
been resettled (a diplomatic word for
moved) to make way for the project,
with local estimates putting this number
at nearer half a million.

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

29

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA PACIFIC

Spooner believes associated media


coverage has been blown out of
proportion.
While never easy for those concerned
I think the problems of resettlement have
been played up in the press, he says.
This sort of resettlement goes on all
the time in China. Its constant. Theyre
transforming their entire society. Youve
got tens of millions of people a year
moving from the country to the cities.
This requires having to build new
urban infrastructure, accommodation
and to reorganise the villages. Its
probably the biggest migration in human
history that is going on in China right
now.
TACKLING DEMAND IN CHINAS
MEGA CITIES
The migration of residents from rural
to urban habitats will mean Chinas
cities will host millions of additional
residents , putting additional strain on
water supplies. Playing host to over 20
million people, Beijing will be one of the
off-takers from the Central Route.
Debra Tan, director of China Water
Risk, argues that the South-North
project is by no means the magic-bullet
solution. She says its only one of the
ways to increase water supply in the
North and that in Beijing SNWT is
expected to eventually provide only
around 25% of water use.
Meanwhile Spooner argues it is the
rise of Chinas new megacities that will
be reliant upon the transfer project.
Its not just about Beijing by any

PROJECT DETAILS: EAST TO WEST ROUTES


Eastern Route: 1,156 km long, moves 14.8 billion cubic meters of water a year, To: Tianjin
region. From: Southern portion of the Yangtze River.
Central Route: 1,267 km long, moves 13 billion cubic meter of water a year. To: Beijing and
others. From: The Danjiangkou Reservoir on Han River.
Western Route: 500 km long (noncontinuous), moves 8 billion cubic meters of water a
year, From: Three tributaries of Yangtze River, (near Bayankala Mountain). To: Qinghai, Gansu,
Shaanxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui (semi-autonomous) provinces. Still in design
and not yet operational.
means - only a little bit of the water goes
as far as Beijing, he says. The SNWT
supplies many fast growing cities
along the way as well. For cities like
Zhengzhou, Handan and Shijiazhuang,
would not be able to undertake the
development plans that they have in
place without the South-North transfer.
Shifting billions of cubic metres of
water throughout the country addresses
the challenge of supply but critics
have questioned whether this actually
tackles the heart of the problem: high
water use. As Moore says: Basically
youre augmenting the supply rather
than trying and do anything about the
demand.
As well as the transfer project, China
Water Risk argues that other options
such as recyclable potable water,
rainwater harvesting and desalination
must be and are indeed considered.
In an attempt to curb this demand,
municipal and agricultural water
consumption have been addressed
by the Chinese authorities. In May
2014, Beijing increased the price of its
drinking water for residents. The price

p Foresight: Chairman Mao, taking inspiration from his predecessor Sun Yat-sen, predicted the North-South struggle for

water resources would get worse and suggested the SNWT

30

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

rose from RMB4/m3 ($0.65) to RMB5/


m3 ($0.81).
Also in 2014, Chinas State Council
issued plans to save 26 billion cubic
metres of water per annum from
agriculture through improving irrigation
effciency and expanding irrigated land.
Aside from the usual suspects of
water diversion, desalination and water
reuse and recycling, China will look
for water savings from industry and
agriculture, says Tan. At over 60% of
total water use, savings from agriculture
are a must. Since around two-thirds
of the Chinas arable land lie in the
parched North, this makes sense.
IMPACT ON DESALINATION
It was in February 2012 when Chinas
State Council announced its 12th FiveYear-Plan for desalination. This set out
a higher than expected target of 2.2 - 2.6
million m3/day of online capacity by
2015, versus less than 1 million m3/day.
With billions of cubic metres of water
being transferred North, what impact is
this having on Chinas desalination build
out, once considered a major attraction
for international companies?
If youre just looking at it
economically, then maybe the case is
fairly close between them [desalination
and SNWT), says Spooner. When
you consider the energy requirement
of desalination and the problems in
supplying that energy, in terms of
resource consumption and carbon
emissions, then thats really looking
quite problematic. The whole Chinese
desalination journey seems to be getting
a bit shaky as well. Some of the plants
that have already been built have got
problems they are looking into.
For others, the transfer project could
not come soon enough. The SouthNorth transfer project will improve
distribution and availability [of water]
across China, says Zhang Zhenpeng,
managing director of Beijing Enterprise
Water Group (BEWG) International.

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA PACIFIC

p Advice: Professor Asit Biswas was invited in 1983 to

advise the Chinese government on the feasibility of the


project. A one-route solution then was estimated at
$9bn. Final project costs are now estimated at $70bn

FUTURE PROOFING CHINA


Attempts to curb high water use and
effect on domestic desalination capacity
to one side, its clear the SNWT is
needed in a country which has grown
at an unprecedented rate. Through
engineering, physically diverting water
from where nature intended it to be to
where humans need it to be, China is

preparing for the future. To overtake


the US as the worlds number one
superpower, additional water supplies
are needed.
Professor Biswas believes SNWT will
only be one measure among a suite of
issues that need to be addressed.
As I told Deng [former Chinese
leader], the main problem in China is
poor water management, he says.
The South-North water transfer will
buy them time for about 10-15 years,
and then they will have to consider
water pricing, institutional reforms,
extensive reuse and recycling, etc., to
radically improve water management
practices. The current plan is to reduce
agricultural water use by 30% within a
decade. This is doable.
Meanwhile Spooner believes getting a
project of this monumental scale wrong
is not an option.
Its critical to them being able to
carry on with the development model
that they have, he adds. If they
get it [SNWT] wrong, they will have
food shortages and internal security
problems. Theres going to be a lot
of people for whom this will be the
greatest thing thats ever happened its

freed them from a very limited and poor


existence but that doesnt make very
good headline news in the West.
He adds: The transfer of water will
not solve the problems on its own. It
has to happen hand in hand with water
saving and demand management
and that is the plan for new resource
effcient cities and the reform of water
use in agriculture.
Unlike many Chinese projects that are
completed quickly and on budget, the
Central Route was signifcantly behind
schedule and has big cost overruns. But
then this is no ordinary project.
Chairman Mao once observed: The
South has plenty of water and the North
lacks it. So if possible, why not borrow
some?
Over 60 years later, as Maos (and
ultimately Sun Yat-Sens) idea slowly
comes to fruition with the North indeed
borrowing water from the South, the
country could soon be thankful for what
will be the countrys necessary lifeline
for continued growth.
Tom Freyberg is chief editor of WWi
magazine. For more information on the
article, email: tomf@pennwell.com.

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31

INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATMENT

UNEARTHING MINING

WATER TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION


Water access challenges and new
mining discharge regulations
are creating opportunities for
the application of new water
technologies. Yet the size and
complexity of operations and cost
of treating mining wastewater
has slowed innovation. Which
technologies/companies are
emerging as successful?
By Paul OCallaghan

32

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

s with many industrial sectors,


the treatment of wastewater
in mining applications is
a secondary consideration tied to
environmental policy and regulation,
rather than a core operating practice.
As a result, many operators focus on
well understood processes that require
signifcant civil work, such as lime
softening, tailings storage and chemical
precipitation to be used as the primary
system applied for heavy metals
removal. However, in some instances
novel and innovative technologies have
been adopted with benefcial results.
There are several drivers leading to
adoption of more advanced treatment
technology, including:
1. In Chile, increased water scarcity is
leading to the adoption of desalination
for supply
2. Reductions in allowable discharge
limit for selenium from Canadian mines
3. Need for mining companies
to protect local environments from
contamination and maintain a social
license to operate
4. Declining investments in mining
related projects and increased

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

operational cost are driving a need


to make existing projects more cost
effective.
DESALINATION DRIVE IN CHILE
According to a recent study by Moodys
Investor service, approximately two
thirds of mining operations for the six
largest hard rock mining companies are
located in water stressed regions of the
world. Water risk and scarcity in mining
are increasingly areas of concerns for the
industry and have driven investigations
into the application of advanced
treatment solutions.
For example, decreasing water
resource availability has pressured
the Chilean government to prioritise
domestic access over the mining
industry. This is particularly apparent
in the Atacama Desert, where mining
projects need to ship desalinated
seawater several hundred kilometers
from the coast to supply operations with
water (fgure 2 shows current planned
and installed desalination capacity for
nine facilities).
Given the large distance and elevation
required to supply mining operations

INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATMENT

Desalination Capacity for Chilean Mines


Current Capacity

Construction

Planned

m3/d
0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Current Capacity

m3/d
118,008

Construction

237,280

Planned

471,536

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

p Figure 2: Planned and developed desalination plant for mines in Chile

p Figure 3: Reduction of Aqueous Selenium

from the desert, water costs are expected


to be two to three times that of a
conventional desalination plants.
Despite these considerable costs,
desalination is expected to grow as a
percentage of mining water supply,
driven by legislation such as a proposal
aimed at making desalination more
mainstream for mining operations.
This would require projects with water
demand greater than 12,500 m3/day
being solely supplied by desalination.

selenium. Lime softening, the most


common treatment technology for
mining wastewater treatment, cannot
remove selenate from solution. Thus, an
alternate solution for selenium removal
is required. Iron co-precipitation is
the currently endorsed method by
the US EPA for selenium but requires
large volumes of chemical inputs and
produces an unstable sludge byproduct.

Investigations into biological


reactors and constructed wetlands
have demonstrated the potential for
selenium removal. The characteristics
of a mining effuent stream are not ideal
for biological systems because mining
effuent is highly variable in fow and
occurs at low temperature, which limits
biological growth. A combination of
biological and chemical precipitation
is usually needed to reach a selenium
discharge level of 5 ppb.
However, in mining effuent the
controlling contaminant for reactor
sizing is often due to other anions
(nitrates and sulfates) present in
quantities 100-1000 times greater than
selenium.
There have been developments
of selective technology, such as ion
exchange systems. Yet, again the
presence of other anions such as sulfate
and large effuent volumes, require
signifcant quantities of resin and
reagents.
BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
TECHNOLOGY
There are several biological
treatment technologies being tested
to economically remove the anions
selenium, sulfate and nitrate from
mining waste streams. These include
metal sulphide precipitation, fuidised

Table 1: Biological treatment technology providers for mining


CANADA SELENIUM REMOVAL
SOLUTIONS
Selenium - a metalloid present in trace
amounts in mine waste - has gained
increased regulatory attention due to its
toxic effect on aquatic environments.
The mining industry in Canada has
been watching the development of new
Canadian selenium regulations, due
to its prevalence in many ore types.
Recent estimates indicate that signifcant
quantities of selenium in 10-25% of
Canadian mine sites may require mining
operations to manage seleniumin
wastewater.
Selenium occurs most commonly in
two oxidation forms: selenium (IV)
selenite, and selenium (VI) selenate.
Selenite is relatively easy to reduce and
precipitate chemically or biologically
as elemental selenium, while selenate
has a high oxidation potential, similar
to sulfate, and can be present in large
quantities in mining effuent. Figure
3 illustrates the different forms of

Tech Providers

Technology description

Recent activity

GE-ABMet

Fixed flm, packed bed, anoxic


bioreactor used for selenium
reduction and removal.

Contracted by Anglo Coal


in 2014 to install FBR pilot
at mine in Northern British
Columbia

Headworks Bio Moving bed bioreactor used


for reduction of ammonia and
sulfates in mining wastewater.

Installed MBBR plant at


gold mine in northern
Saskatchewan, Canada.

Envirogen

Fixed flm, fuidised bed


reactor (FBR) using sand or
activated carbon as the carbon
media.

The company states having


installed 150 FBRs in the
US, and has operated two
pilot reactors (2011) for the
treatment of coal mining waste.

Inotec

Bioreactor that uses electrical


cells to provide free electrons
to microbes, which reduces
nutrient dosing requirements.
Used for reduction of inorganic
contaminants and heavy
metals from waste streams.

Have successful pilot stage


demonstration with coal
mining wastewater, which
shows selenium reduction
below discharge limits of
10ppb.

Frontier Water
Systems

Containerised and mobile


bioreactor for removal of
anions (such as selenate) from
mining and power wastewater.

No commercial installations to
date, bench scale testing has
been noted as promising.

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

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33

INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATMENT

Tech Providers

Technology Description

Recent Activity

Virtual Curtain

Layered hydroxide/
hydrotalcite clay that can
adsorb metal ions present in
solution (commonly use MgAl, although other divalent
ions can be used successfully).
May include RO to meet
discharge water quality.

A successful commercial
installation at a copper
pit lake in Queensland
(Australia). Demonstrated
viability for Australian
Uranium mines.

Noram
Engineering

Lignosulfonate based
chemical precipitant for
metals removal. Generates a
stable sludge by-product that
is lower in volume than the
high density sludge process.

One pilot plant completed


in BC at the Britannia mine
site. Potential licensing
opportunity, as technology is
not being utilised.

BioteQ

BioSulphide and
ChemSulphide processes
that use biological and
chemical sources of sulphide
respectively to selectively
remove and recover dissolved
metals from effuent.

Have constructed several


chemical sulphide plants,
most recently a project in a
Chinese copper mine (2011),
recovering copper as part of
the operation.

Table 2: Providers of alternative chemical precipitants


bed reactors, moving bed bioreactors,
electro-chemical bioreactors and
constructed anaerobic wetlands.
Active tech providers in this
application are listed in table 1.
CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION
INNOVATIONS
While lime softening and iron coprecipitation remain the primary
processes in mining for heavy metals
removal, there have been successful
applications of alterative chemical
precipitants.
These include metal sulphides, hydro
talcites and lignosulfonates, which
show high levels of metals removal and
reductions in sludge volumes relative to
conventional methods.
Sludge disposal from lime softening
can be a signifcant cost for mining

WATER RECIRCULATION IS A
COMMON PRACTICE IN THE MINING
INDUSTRY. CANADIAN MINES
FREQUENTLY REUSE THREE TO FOUR
TIMES BEFORE IT IMPACTS THE PROCESS
operations, particularly given the
hazardous nature of the material. As
a result, innovations that can reduce
sludge volumes would be highly valued
by the industry.
WATER REUSE + CONCLUSION
Emerging treatment technologies in
mining applications include biological
systems for anion removal, alterative

Discharge Volume
Recirculation

Mining Water
Usage
0

500

1000
1500
Million cubic meters

p Figure 4: Mining Water Usage in Canada (2009)

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chemicals for metal precipitation,


investigations into physical separation
technologies for concentrating and
recovery process streams and ion
exchange systems used for recovery and
metals removal.
Process water recirculation is a
common practice in the mining industry
as it can reduce tailing storage, water
intake and effuent discharge volumes.
Canadian mines frequently reuse three
to four times before trace contaminant
build up negatively impacts the ore
extraction process (Figure 4).
Treatment technology is not
commonly employed to enable
process reuse, as the non-precious
metal concentration can be effectively
managed with additions of noncontaminated intake water.
There is a risk of contaminant
retention when large quantities of
process water is recirculated water,
which can lead to scaling, corrosion and
geochemical interference.
While mining wastewater reuse
is uncommon, there are notable

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

2000

2500

examples in South Africa of companies


reusing effuent for potable and nonpotable applications. The application
of innovative wastewater treatment
technologies is leading to signifcant
beneft in the mining sector. In many
contexts regulatory reform calls for the
adoption of new technologies to ensure
mines maintain their ability to operate.
A variety of technologies have already
seen promising results from biological
systems, to reuse and separation
technology. While investment in
greenfeld mining is waning, water
access challenges and increased
regulation are necessitating the adoption
of advanced treatment solutions.
Paul OCallaghan is CEO of Bluetech
Research. The article is based on the report:
Wastewater Treatment in Mining Metals. For
more information on the report, visit: www.
bluetechresearch.com.

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA-PACIFIC

WATER TREATMENT
PLANT COMMISSIONING
IN AUSTRALIA
To ensure problems are
minimised during the operation of
new water treatment plants, the
commissioning phase should not
be underestimated.This article
details how the process plays out
in Australia, including a case study
on the commissioning of inlet
water pumps in Queensland.
By Amin Almasi.

n practice, the commissioning


process comprises the integrated
application of a set of engineering
techniques and procedures to check,
inspect and test every component
of a water treatment plant. This is
from individual functions, such
as instruments and equipment,
up to complex items such as
modules, subsystems and systems.
Commissioning activities, in the broader
sense, cover all activities from end

phases of the construction and assembly,


until the fnal handover of the water
treatment unit (or plant) to the operation
team, including sometimes an assisted
operation phase.
PRE-COMMISSIONING
Pre-commissioning is the series of
processes carried out on the facilities
before the fnal commissioning, start-up
and operation are introduced. Precommissioning is the stage that involves

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

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35

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA-PACIFIC

the fnal cleaning activities and the


verifcation of functional operability
of elements within the system, by
subjecting them to a set of simulated
operational conditions, to achieve a state
of readiness for commissioning.

commissioning leader(s) and manager


for guidance to prepare facilities
for start-up. The commissioning
management team is expected to give
guidance based on an honest and
realistic plan.
A commissioning progress report

CLEANLINESS IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR


FOR MACHINERY RELIABILITY. AFTER
INGESTING ONLY A FEW TABLESPOONS
OF PARTICLES, IT COULD RESULT IN
PERMANENT DAMAGES
Pre-commissioning usually requires
energisation of equipment and the
introduction of the Permit-to-Work
systems. Some examples include
the running and entire testing of
systems. This is as well as the testing
of emergency shutdown and control
systems.
COMMISSIONING PLAN AND
STRATEGY
A detailed commissioning plan should
be created to methodically check every
piece of equipment, instrument, control
and interlock. This is to reduce the
impact of potential problems, which
otherwise may have been encountered
during the startup and the frst
operation. Like all things in the real
world, the commissioning plan should
be adjusted to refect equipment and
unit availability, delays, limitations and
defciencies. It is not for historic data
or any other target except it should
actually be used as a monitoring and
control tool.
This should identify risks and
areas of concern that could cause
problems or delays. In case of a delay
in commissioning activities, it should
be explained in an updated plan (or an
associated report), not only the reasons
for variations to the commissioning
plan, but also how the team intend to
recover from delays.
Important topics in commissioning
planning are commissioning strategy,
system boundary defnitions, estimating
concepts and temporary facilities.
The commissioning strategy and
plan should be kept as simple as
possible. At the end of the construction
phase the whole team should look to

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should cover the following four sections:


The completion progress and status
from the construction
The commissioning in progress
The commissioning complete sections
cover their punch list status
The fully-commissioned sections,
ready for hand-over to operation
team, or handed-over and under
operation.
A major task of any commissioning
team is to study the facilities under
construction and installed machineries
and packages. This is to see if the design
and construction is correct and suitable
for operation. They should fag any
issue as early as possible to detect any
hidden problems. Corrective actions
are required during commissioning. All
actions and modifcations should be
based on facts.
MACHINERY PROBLEMS IN WATER
TREATMENT PLANTS
Each machinery or equipment package
has its own sets of problems and issues.
Often an issue could show itself in the
commissioning stage or a short time
after the start-up. As an example, an
inadequate inlet strainer or flter is a
serious problem for some water pumps.
The design engineers do not want the
water treatment process or machinery
to fail, but often the lack of expertise
in some areas (such as inlet strainer
designs) transfers the failure to a
downstream machinery at the start-up
(or a short time of operation).
Cost of the properly specifed and
designed inlet flters and strainers
incurs a one-time capital expenditure.
However, failure of machineries and
particularly critical water pumps is

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

an ongoing expense. This can disrupt


production and incurs the high cost of
lost proft opportunities. These can recur
many times during the life of a water
treatment plant from the silent root
cause for failure.
Cleanliness is a signifcant factor for
machinery reliability. Proper credit
should be given for this in the precommissioning and commissioning.
For example, after ingesting only a few
tablespoons of particles and dirt, some
types of machinery might be in serious
trouble; for some others it could result in
permanent (extensive) damages.
AS-COMMISSIONED
DOCUMENTS
Project documents (such as P&IDs)
undergo several revisions during the
engineering, procurement, construction
and commissioning of a water treatment
plant and a typical sequence of revisions
could be as follows (there may be
further revisions between each stage):
Issued for Review
Issued for Approval
Issued for Design Review (and
HAZOP, if applicable)
Issued for Construction
As-commissioned.
During the engineering design,
there are so many aspects that cannot
be visualised sitting in an offce. The
site construction and commissioning
team typically uses the Issued for
Construction drawings and documents
to construct and complete a water
treatment plant.
During the construction phase
and particularly at the completion
phase or pre-commissioning, many
surprises spring up. Sometimes, plant
construction material and equipment
such as valves, piping, pipe fttings and
instruments, for example, may not be
exactly according to the specifcations
raised in the engineering phase.
This is either due to either human
error, unsuitability or non-availability
of a particular type of material or item
considering the schedule or details
of the plant commissioning. Some
modifcations have to be done to meet
deadlines for plant commissioning.
In short, everything is not as ideal as
it should be and alternative solutions
are required. Also, there may be errors
and changes during the engineering
design itself, and these need to be
rectifed during the construction phase

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA-PACIFIC

and consequently the completion and


commissioning.
Based on the above-mentioned, the
need of As-Commissioned drawings
and documents arises. As the name
suggests the drawings refect what has
been actually commissioned at the plant.
Preparing an As-Commissioned
document (or drawing) starts by
red-lining the latest Issued for
Construction document (or drawing),
by a commissioning engineer having
an experience of engineering and
construction based on the actual
commissioned plant. The engineer
should mark the document with
what has been constructed and
commissioned, as opposed to what
should have been. Some typical
mark-ups for an As-Commissioned
documents could be as follows:
1. Changed valve location, valve type
and valve details
2. Changes in piping which could mean
that the sequence of pipe branches
tapped from a main header has
been altered during construction or
commissioning
3. Deleted lines based on the
commissioning teams understanding
that these are unnecessary or even
could be problematic
4. Provision of additional permanent
drain and vent connections based on
the commissioning requirement.
5. Provision of additional tapping
on piping, considering future
requirements or other reasons
6. Addition or deletion of permanent
instruments based on commissioning
requirements
7. Changes in instrument type,
instrument locations, hook-up details,
for example due to the commissioning
instrument experts opinion on its
functionality
8. Addition or deletion of nozzles on
equipment (such as tanks, vessels, etc)
due to the requirement put forward
by the commissioning team
9. Possible relocation of equipment due
to site constraints which were not
envisaged during the engineering
phase. This typically involves
elevation changes of equipment.
After documents are red-lined for
the plant or unit, these documents are
corrected and back-checked against the
red-line mark-ups by the concerned
engineering team and then issued as
As-Commissioned .

CASE STUDY COMMISSIONING


OF INLET WATER PUMPS IN
QUEENSLAND (AUSTRALIA)
In a complex water treatment plant, the
raw water required was provided from
a lake nearby. Submersible pumps were
installed in the lake to deliver the water.
The pumps were protected from coarse
solids on the lake via stainless steel
screens. The aperture size of stainless
steel screens was very small, about 3
mm.
Commissioning and operation
representatives were highly concerned
that in a major algae outbreak or
similar situations the suction screen
could be blocked. This could result
in unscheduled shutdown of pumps
and consequently plant down time.
Operational experiences at other sites
backed this concern.
After investigations, it was found
that a nearby plant used the same lake
for raw water. The pumping systems
employed 6 mm holed suction screens
that have periodically blocked up and
needed to be physically removed and
cleaned. The difference in this system
was that the operation team cannot
easily be able to access these 3 mm
stainless steel screens at the bottom of
the lake.
The pump vendor advised that the
pumps could handle soft solids up to 55
mm, any hard objects such as rocks have
a potential to damage the pump. It was
noticed that the intake pipes and screens
were sitting above the bottom level of
the lake.
There was also a trench in front of
that; any sizable rocks or larger debris
would be more likely to settle in the
trench rather than make it through any
holes in the suction screen.
The operation opinion was that
these suction screens should protect
the pumps from coarse solids only
and the screen size was too small. It
was an example of errors in the design
stage, which left undetected until the
commissioning.
The operation team proposed to
drill holes (50 mm) in the suction
screen while the system was in precommissioning stage (and the access
was easy) to prevent suction screens
blocking up in during an algae outbreak
or similar event.
A redesign of wedge-wire suction
screens was the ideal solution, which
should be done by the contractor

and mesh designer. The re-designed


suction screen should be sent for the
installation before the commissioning.
This was the preferred solution if the
design and procurement process of new
suction screen can be matched with the
commissioning schedule.

A MAJOR ALGAE
OUTBREAK
COULD RESULT IN
UNSCHEDULED
SHUTDOWN OF
PUMPS
However, since there were time
constraints that mandated a fast
solution (or temporary option) then the
concept of cut holes was reviewed by
commissioning team to fnd if it could
be acceptable. It was not feasible to put
the commissioning of all the system and
water treatment plant on-hold to receive
new wedge-wire suction screens.
After a thorough review, the concept
of cut holes in the suction screen was
accepted (as mentioned above) by the
commissioning team. However, it was
concluded that 50 mm was too large;
with such large cut holes it would
possible to face with operational risks
and integrity problems.
The fnal decision was 25 mm cut
holes with 60 mm spacing from each
other (60 mm minimum spacing
between holes). The water pumping
system was commissioned using suction
screens with 25 mm cut holes as abovementioned. The startup and operation
were successful.
The contractor was informed that the
suction screen design was not correct
and they needed to redesign wedgewire suction screens. They started their
investigations, redesign and procurement
process of new suction screens.
These were received some months
after the commissioning. The
replacement of wedge-wire suction
screens was done at the frst overhaul of
the water pumping system.
Amin Almasi is lead rotating equipment
engineer at consulting services provider,
WorleyParsons Services in Brisbane, Australia.
Email: amin.almasi@ymail.com

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

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37

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA/PACIFIC

PINPOINTING
HARD-TO-FIND LEAKS
IN MANILLA
Maynilad Water Services is the water/
wastewater services provider for the
West Zone of the Greater Metro
Manila Area of the Philippines. Facing
pressure issues due to leakage, it was
not feasible to spend over US$40
million to recover 5,000 m3/day. Instead,
using hydraulic modelling, the utility was
able to identify and repair the leak for a
fraction of the cost. By Perrine Parrod

38

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

he Tinajeros pipe network,


operated by Maynilad Water
Services in the Philippines, is
relatively old, particularly its asbestos
cement pipe feeder line which was laid
in 1984.
As a result, this district metered
area (DMA) had long been tagged as
a problem area: although it had two
infows with high pressure, potable
water could still not be supplied to
customers within the prescribed service
level.
The pipe network experienced high
head loss which made it impossible to
achieve the minimum service level of
fve metres of pressure throughout the
day. Total pipe replacement, a fvemonth project estimated at US$41.7
million, was unfeasible.
Increasing the pressure from the
supply source was one way to address
the service level problem. However,
because of high losses in the pipe
system, increasing the pressure would
also increase non-revenue water
(NRW). Maynilad also tried to split
the DMA into two pressure zones by
locating the balancing points, which
did not signifcantly contribute to the
improvement of service levels.
Leak detection was conducted and
hundreds of service pipe leaks were
reported, however, their repair did
not contribute to the improvement of
pressure in the area. Moreover, years
of roadway upgrades meant that the
pipes were also buried under two
metresof concrete pavement. This made
it particularly ineffective to detect water
leaks using sounding equipment, due to
the existence of drainage lines parallel
to the pipe network. These challenges
pushed Maynilad to look for other, more
innovative solutions.
Maynilad considered total pipe
replacement to solve the issue. However,

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

time and budgetary constraints from


design through to construction made
this alternative not feasible. The initial
cost for total pipe replacement of over
US$1.7 million could not be justifed for
only 5,000 m3/day of recoverable NRW.
The utility then started gathering data
and conducting feld analysis. Pressure
profling was done to determine where
the pressure drop occurred. Spot
pressures were gathered from the source
up to the extreme portion. However,
this study did not yield any signifcant
results because the pressure started to
drop just 30 metres from the source and
then continuously dropped as it reached
the other end of that network section.
FINDING THE OPTIMAL SOLUTION
The last solution was to build a
hydraulic model of the DMA and
calibrate it according to the existing
condition of the network. Supply and
pressure management made through the
calibrated hydraulic model was useful in
the discovery of leakage in the system.
Maynilad used Bentleys WaterGEMS
software for the analysis and design of
water distribution systems. Compared
to conducting repeated test pits or
excavations to check whether a leak
detected through sounding was actually
occurring, the use of hydraulic modeling
signifcantly narrowed down feld
investigation.
A leak was pinpointed in the
location indicated by the model. Upon
excavation, it was discovered that an
entire six-linear-meter section of the 200
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
L eak repair cost only USD$1,160 an
amount equivalent to less than 1%
of total pipe replacement, which was
originally considered..

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA/PACIFIC

The cause of the leak is on


this 200 millimeter pipe.

PMP Sanchez/Mesina
12.00
pressure, m

10.00
8.00
6.00
4.00
0.00

12:00:00
14:45:00
17:30:00
20:15:00
23:00:00
01:45:00
04:30:00
07:15:00
10:00:00
12:45:00
15:30:00
18:15:00
21:00:00
23:45:00
02:30:00
05:15:00
08:00:00
10:45:00
13:30:00
16:15:00
19:00:00
21:45:00

2.00

March-after repair

Feb-before repair

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
12:00:00
14:30:00
17:00:00
19:30:00
22:00:00
00:30:00
03:00:00
05:30:00
08:00:00
10:30:00
13:00:00
15:30:00
18:00:00
20:30:00
23:00:00
01:30:00
04:00:00
06:30:00
09:00:00
11:30:00
14:00:00
16:30:00
19:00:00
21:30:00

pressure, m

PMP Goldendale/Platinum

March-after repair

Feb-before repair

p Pressure increase at critical points after the repair

mm asbestos cement pipe was busted longitudinally, causing


the huge pressure drop in the area.
NETWORK IMPROVEMENTS
The leak repair contributed an increase in pressure by 6 metres
(8.6 psi) and billed volume by 200 m3/day (0.2 MLD). It also
reduced NRW by almost 1,900 m3. Leak repair only took two
days and cost US$1,160 an amount equivalent to less than 1%
of total pipe replacement.
In comparison, total pipe replacement would have required
fve months from design to implementation, incurring higher
design and construction costs.

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Perrine Parrod is from Bentley Systems. This article can be found


online at www.wwinternational.com
For more information, enter 13 at wwi.hotims.com
DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

39

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA-PACIFIC

PLUGGING SRI LANKAS


SANITATION GAP
Nearing a total investment of $100
million, it is hoped the Greater
Colombo Wastewater Management
Project will help Sri Lanka meet its
Millenium Development Goals target
and provide an answer to chronically
collapsing old infrastructure. This article
addresses the project development and
how else the country is planning on
tackling sanitation. By Paul Grad

n recent years in the busy streets


of the Sri Lankan capital city of
Colombo, it would often happen that
roads would suddenly collapse, creating
large craters. This was due to the fall of
the old, run down and corroded sewer
lines beneath the roads.
Present conditions in Sri Lanka are
partly down to a legacy of the war
between the government and the
Tamil Tigers, which lasted about three
decades, leading to great political
and social challenges in the access to
basic services in many of the countrys
regions.
There is also a legacy of 450 years of
colonial rule with a highly centralised
government. With independence
came the need to accommodate
the demands of the Sinhalese and
Tamil constituencies, and this led to
the strengthening of lower tiers of
government which in turn has created
conficts and ineffciencies.

GCWMP TO THE RESCUE


A landmark infrastructure project, now

40

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DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

at an advanced stage, is intended to


solve those problems. Called the Greater
Colombo Wastewater Management
Project (GCWMP), it will upgrade the
citys wastewater assets and improve
the wastewater management services for
the citys residents. Designed to improve
living conditions and sanitation for 2.5
million residents of Greater Colombo,
the project comprises three components
(see box).
The project aims to serve Sri Lankas
Millennium Development Goals by
providing access to adequate sanitation
for 90% of its population by 2015, and
for 100% of its population by 2025.
The goals also include provision of
pipe-bourne sewers in selected growth
centres and major urban areas, and
acceptable on-site sanitation to those not
connected to sewer systems.
The lead implementation agency
for the infrastructure programmes
will be the National Water Supply &
Drainage Board (NWSDB), under the
responsibility of the Ministry of Water
Supply and Drainage (MoWSD).

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT ASIA-PACIFIC

THREE COMPONENTS
Component 1: Constituting about 80% of the project, the frst component involves
rehabilitation of the main sewerage system, rehabilitation of the gravity sewers, rehabilitation
of the sea outfalls, rehabilitation of pumping stations in the Colombo Municipal Council
(CMC), Kolonnawa Urban Council, and Dehiwela/Mt Lavinia Municipal Council, and the
supply of non-fxed operational equipment. It was scheduled for completion in December
2014. Four water jetting machines and vacuum trucks worth more than Rs223 million
(US$1.7 million) were supplied to District Engineers offces in the CMC and are now in use
for cleaning of nearly 260 km of sewers and 7,000 manholes of accumulated grit, sand and
hard deposits using high pressure water jet.
Component 2: Scheduled to start in April 2015 and to last about four years, the second
component involves strengthening the institutional and operational capacity of the Drainage
Division of the CMC, by introducing assets management, fnancial management, operational
performance monitoring, environmental regulatory compliance monitoring, customer
services, community participation and public education.
Component 3: The fnal component will support management and implementation. It is
not yet decided when this component will start.

There is a higher degree of


centralisation in the water sector
compared with sanitation. Authority for
design, construction and management of
all pipe-bourne water supply rests with
NWSDB.
However, responsibility for sanitation
in Colombo is split between the NWSDB
and the Colombo Municipal Council
(CMC), leading to greater fragmentation
of roles and responsibilities. It is
expected the GCWMP will help
the CMC become a more effcient
wastewater services provider.
OLD INFRASTRUCTURE
The existing public sewerage system in
Greater Colombo is old and limited in
coverage. The wastewater master plan
dates from 1972. According to that plan,
about 66% of the capitals population
was served by on-site facilities, 19% was
served by the public sewerage system,
and 15% lacked facilities completely.
The Colombo sewerage system has
also suffered from technical problems.
Planning and construction for the local
areas of the CMC, Dehiwala-Mt Lavinia
Municipal Council and Kollonnawa
Urban Council began in 1896 and 1906,
respectively. The sewerage systems in
the remaining areas were constructed in
1983-87.
Underfunding has also been a
challenge for the Greater Colombo
sewerage system. Local taxation
and government subsidies have
been insuffcient to deliver adequate
wastewater services. The GCWMPs
total estimated project cost is Rs12,171
million (US$93 million), of which
Rs10,455 million (US$80 million) is

fnanced by the Asian Development


Bank and Rs1,716 million (US$13
million) is contributed by the
government of Sri Lanka.
Consulting engineers for the GCWMP
Project include: the lead consultant,
SMEC International Pty Ltd (Snowy
Mountains Engineering Corporation
International Pty Ltd, of Melbourne,
Australia); Sinclair Knight Merz Pty Ltd
(SKM), of Sydney, Australia; Ocyana
Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, of Colombo;

and end plate. It will be necessary


to dredge the seabed to replace the
damage outfall pipes, rehabilitate the
land base junction box, build a sea
based access chamber, placing of end
plate and unblocking of 14 outlet ports
at the Wellawatta outfall. It will also
be necessary to repair land based pipe
damage of the Wellawatta outfall, and
cleaning of sand and debris at both
outfalls.
Engineers have employed ground
penetrating radar and imaging of pipes
to detect and record pipe defects, silt
deposits, corrosion, and encrustations.
As a result, the project management
has identifed the need to rehabilitate
10 km length of sewer lines in poor
condition and to assess the condition
of 125 km length of sewer lines. A
total of 17 pumping stations have also
been identifed for rehabilitation, in
the CMC, Kolonnawa Urban Council,
and Dehiwela/Mt Lavinia Municipal
Council areas. Pre-treatment facilities
will also be installed at Madampitiya
and Wellawatta pumping stations.
Procurement of sewer operation
and maintenance equipment involved
contracts for 13 different types of
equipment out of 17 different types

WASTEWATER PROJECTS IN THE BIDDING STAGE


1. JayawardanaPura/Kotte Wastewater Disposal Project: To serve a population of nearly
140,000. The sewer network will be 137 km and will include a 1500 mm diameter sea
outfall of 1.7 km.
2.Hambantota Wastewater Disposal Project: Treating 12,000 m3/day, the Hambanota will
serve a population of over 30,000, including a 115 km sewer network.
3. Kataragama Wastewater Disposal Project. Treating 3000 m3/day, the project will treat
wastewater from 23,000 with a 15 km sewer network,
4. Kurunegala Water & Wastewater Project: With a treatment capacity of 4500 m3/day, the
population coverage of 32,000 will be provided, including a 95 km sewer network.
5. Negombo Wastewater Disposal System: Population coverage 86,700, main sewer
network 47 km, 1000mm diameter sea outfall..

and a few more local partners from Sri


Lanka.
BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE
Citizens behaviour has also been a
problem: the dumping of garbage
into the sewer system has clogged the
system. Furthermore, the two marine
outfalls, located in Mutuwal and
Wellawatte, discharge sewage collected
from northern and southern catchments
respectively. The Mutuwal outfall
requires a major repair to about 600 m of
its length, including the diffuser section

tendered. Available statistics indicate


that, over the past two decades,
Sri Lanka as a whole has made
signifcant advances toward meeting
its Millennium Development Goals
regarding access to water and sanitation.
Progress has been made in both the
urban and rural sectors, although access
to water and sanitation is higher in
Colombo than elsewhere in the country.
Paul Grad is a freelance contributor to
WWi magazine, from Australia. This article
will appear online: www.winternational.com

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

41

PRODUCT FOCUS STORAGE

Tension fabric buildings with rigid frame designs


A line of fabric buildings to incorporate structural steel beams instead of open web
trusses has been offered by Legacy. The engineering concept is designed to provide
fexibility for a variety of building applications, including wastewater treatment plants,
public works facilities, and general storage.
A durable rigid frame is used in place of the hollow-tube, open web truss framing
traditionally used for fabric buildings. Additionally, the structural steel has multiple
coating options, including hot dip galvanizing, red oxide primer and powder coat paint.
Structures can be modifed to provide desired eave extensions and interior columns.
They can also be engineered to handle additional loads for conveyors, sprinklers
and other systems. The buildings feature high-quality polyethylene fabric roofs that
eliminate the corrosion concerns associated with metal-constructed facilities. A wide variety of PVC fabrics are also available.
www.legacybuildingsolutions.com

Sludge cake storage contract awarded in the UK


BioEnergy and bulk materials handling specialist Saxlund International, part of the Opcon
energy and environmental group, has secured two UK water industry contracts to provide
sludge cake loading and storage handling solutions for wastewater treatment plants (WWTP).
With a total contract value of over 750,000 the projects include the design and construction of
fat bottomed silos with Saxlund sliding frame technology to discharge material via screws or
sludge pumps, together with integrated control systems.
In a project for KMI Plus on behalf of United Utilities, Saxlund will deliver a 454 m3 sludge
cake storage and process feed silo, supplying an on-site Thermal Hydrolysis system at
Leigh Wastewater Treatment Works in Wigan. The work is part of 30 million investment to
facilitate smoother and more effcient waste water processing at Leigh and follows a previous
project for United Utilities and KMI Plus at Fleetwood WWTP. A second project includes
a truck reception and sludge cake silo for Anglian Water at their Whitlingham Water Recycling Centre in Norwich. This also
incorporates Saxlunds sliding frame technology. www.saxlund.co.uk

US tanks help expand Saudis potable water supplies


Saudi Arabias National Water Company (NWC) undertook the enormous project of developing 43 wells and 46 water
purifcation stations in 27 separate locations to provide sustainable potable water systems near Riyadh.
At each of the 43 developed well sites, drills bore down up to 2,000 m to sub
groundwater, pumped it to the surface, cooled it through cooling towers, then treated
it through reverse osmosis plants before storing the potable water in tanks and
distributing it through the existing water network. Signifcant amounts of storage
were required for the drilled and treated potable water created.
Selected to provide durable storage tanks, CST Storage provided 17 Aquastore
glass-fused-to-steel coated modular tanks from its DeKalb, Illinois facility. In addition,
CST Covers in Rincon and Conroe, Texas, were used to manufacture 17 aluminium
geodesic domes to cover the tanks. The CST Storage tanks were identical in size,
storing 5,000 m3 with dimensions of 31.5 m diameter and 6.9 m height. Altogether,
CST Storage tanks and CST Covers domes today provide protected storage for 85,000
m3 of potable water in Riyadh. Respected Saudi contractors, SSEM and NESMA, oversaw the acquisition and installation of
the storage tanks and covers for the NWC.
Site worked crews up to 16 hours per day and construction of the tanks and covers was completed within 60 days of the
material arriving on site. Once construction was completed, water fll tests were performed on all the CST tanks and covers.
www.cstindustries.com

Prestressed concrete tanks


DN Tanks specializes in the design and construction of AWWA D110 prestressed
concrete tanks used for potable water, wastewater, chilled water and other liquids
worldwide. The company has over 130 years of experience, and over 2,500 tanks
ranging in capacity from 40,000 gallons (151 m3) to 40 million gallons (151,000 m3) .
Manufactured tanks are designed to meet varying requirements with the ability to
withstand seismic activity, extreme climates, and severe conditions.www.dntanks.com

42

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

PRODUCT FOCUS MEMBRANES

Cloud water system software


Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS) has designed Water Application Value Engine (WAVE) - a digital modeling tool for
evaluating components as well as designing water treatment systems. Following a beta-launch to a pilot group of customers,
it is expected to launch commercially in 2015. The modeling software combines ultrafltration modules (UF), reverse osmosis
membranes (RO) and ion exchange resins (IX) into one fully integrated tool that enables users to project water quality
predictions for single or multiple unit water treatment designs using DW&PS technologies. The technology uses a hydraulic
modeling calculation engine to confgure water treatment components. It can also deliver water quality predictions for multiple
components simultaneously. An IBM cloud platform will host the modeling program, which will allow users to operate the tool
on a variety of devices: both Windows and Mac computers, tablets, and even mobile devices. www.dowwaterandprocess.com

Filter element upgrade for oil


Pall Corporation has launched its Coralon hydraulic and lube oil flter element range, a
direct upgrade for Palls Ultipor and Red1000 series flters.
Coralon flter elements incorporate a new medium pack construction that benefts from
Stress-Resistant flter medium Technology (SRT) along with other material upgrades to
provide improved fuid cleanliness, enhanced fuid cleanliness sustainability, and lower
clean pressure drop while providing equivalent service life of its Ultipor predecessor.
Coralon flter elements are the same form, ft, and function, including fuid and
temperature compatibility for the current Ultipor medium flter elements, which will be
removed from Palls production schedules over the coming months. Coralon also upgrades
alternative flter elements retroftted into original Pall flter housings to return hydraulic
and lubrication systems back to a cleaner and more consistent fuid cleanliness, according to
the frm. www.pall.com/coralon

Fine flter proven for wastewater treatment in Scotland


A partnership between Applied CleanTech (ACT) and Scottish Water has generated
what is being called promising results. Using ACTs Sewage Recycling System, the
trial has seen a fne flter being used to capture cellulose and some of the oils, fats
and grease coming into the wastewater treatment works. Solids are then pasteurised
producing a pellet material called Recyllose. These pellets could then be used as a
raw material in paper, plastic, construction, energy and other industries. George
Ponton, head of innovation at Scottish Water, said: The ACT system also reduces
Scottish Waters carbon footprint and emissions by using less power and resources,
and increases the lifespan of the equipment we use to treat wastewater. Overall
the addition of the process may reduce operating costs between 20% and 30%. The
potential savings are passed on to customers by keeping their water and wastewater charges low. www.appliedcleantech.com

Activated sludge cake fltration


technology attracts grant

Weak acid cation exchange resin


production boosted in Germany

A S$1.4 (US$1.1) million grant has been awarded by the


Singapore Environment and Water Industry Programme
Offce to develop a novel wastewater fltration process that
turns activated sludge into a fltration medium. Global pump
company Grundfos will develop the four-stage technology
that uses the unique physico-chemical properties of this
material to construct flters.
www.grundfos.com

Specialty chemicals company Lanxess has inaugurated a new


production line at its largest site worldwide in Leverkusen for
the production of the Lewatit premium brand of weak acid
cation exchange resins. Weak acid cation exchange resins are
predominantly used in cartridges for household water flters
and in installed domestic water systems, which are becoming
increasingly popular. They remove calcium and magnesium
ions. www.lewatit.com

For more product news and reviews visit us at

wwinternational.com

ADVERTISERS INDEX
Advertiser

Page

Analytical Technology, Inc.

AUMA Riester GmbH & Co. KG

23

Bilfnger Water
Technologies GmbH

Advertiser

Page

Grundfos

Hyfux Ltd.

C2

Lama Filtration Systems

C3

Reed Manufacturing Co.

17

Selwood Pumps Ltd.

39

Tank Connection

19
8

C4

21

Gorman-Rupp Company

Page

TORAY Membrane Europe AG


Membrana

Flexim GmbH

Advertiser

WWI Subscriptions
Phoenix Process
Equipment Company

44

31

Xypex Chemical Corp.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

A selection of events related to the water and wastewater industry in 2014 can be found here.
For a full list, visit: www.wwinternational.com and click on the Events tab at the top of the page.

February 3-5, 2015


Distributech Conference &
Exhibition
San Diego, CA, US
http://www.distributech.com/

March 24-25, 2015


Desalination and Water Reuse in
Latin America
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
http://www.desal2014.com

February 23-25, 2015


Wex Global
Madrid, Spain
www.w-e-x.com

March 24-27, 2015


Wasser Berlin International
Berlin, Germany
http://www.wasser-berlin.de/en/

March 2-6, 2015


AWWA/AMTA 2015 Membrane
Technology Conference & Exhibition
Orlando, Florida
www.amtaorg.com

April 12-17, 2015


7th World Water Forum
Daegu, Korea
http://eng.worldwaterforum7.org/main/

March 12-14, 2015


Istanbul Water Expo
Beijing, China
www.istanbulwaterexpo.com

April 15, 2015


CIWEM Annual Conference
London, UK
www.ciwem.org/events/annualconference.aspx

March 17-18, 2015


7th Global Leakage Summit, UK
London, UK
www.global-leakage-summit-2015.com/

April 16-18, 2015


IFAT Eurasia
Ankara, Turkey
www.ifat-eurasia.com

CLASSIFIED
DEWATERING SYSTEMS
BELT PRESSES
FILTER PRESSES
PHOENIX/SCI CENTRIFUGES
FREE LAB TESTING
FACTORY START-UP SERVICE

PHOENIX Process Equipment Co.


www.dewater.com

44

WWINTERNATIONAL.COM

(502) 499-6198

DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015

May 10-14, 2015


Euro Med 2015
Palermo, Italy
http://www.edsoc.com/
May 17-19, 2015
New Horizons for Desalination
Santa Marghertia, Portofno, Italy
http://idadesal.org/new-horizons-fordesalination/
May 18-21, 2015
IWA Nutrient Removal and
Recovery 2015: Moving innovation
into practice
Gdansk, Poland
www.nrr2015.org
June 7-11, 2015
AWWA ACE15
Anaheim, CA
www.awwa.org/conferences-education/
June 10-12, 2015
Aquatech China
Shanghai, China
www.aquatechtrade.com/china
August 11 -13, 2015
Aquatech India
New Delhi, India
www.aquatechtrade.com/india/
August 30 September 4, 2015
IDA 2015 World Congress
San Diego, California, US
http://wc.idadesal.org/

September 15-18, 2015


IFAT Environmetnal Technology
Forum Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa
www.ifatforum-africa.com
October 4-6, 2015
WaterWorld Middle East
Abu Dhabi, UAE
http://www.waterworldmiddleeast.com
October 4-6, 2015
POWER-Gen Middle East
Abu Dhabi, UAE
http://www.powergenmiddleeast.com
November 3-5, 2015
Aquatech Amsterdam
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://www.aquatechtrade.com

GRpumps.com

COLLECTION SYSTEMS

DIGESTER RECIRCULATION

EFFLUENT

FLOOD CONTROL

FILTER FEED

WAS

RAS

SLUDGE TRANSFER

Gorman-Rupp manufactures a complete line of above- and below-ground lift


stations designed specifcally for sewage. Our lift stations can be used in
new wastewater collection systems for community expansion or to retroft an
existing pump system.
We set the industry standard in solids-handling, emergency back-up
and bypass engine-driven pumps for all your wastewater needs. Every
Gorman-Rupp pump is factory-designed and tested for long lasting,
trouble free use. All Gorman-Rupp pumps are backed by the best
distributor network and parts inventory in the industry. Contact your
local Gorman-Rupp distributor today for more information on our line of
sewage-handling products.

GORMAN-RUPP PUMPS
P.O. Box 1217 Mansfeld, Ohio 44901-1217 USA
PH: 419.755.1011 FX: 419.755.1251 grsales@gormanrupp.com
524

Copyright, The Gorman-Rupp Company, 2014

Gorman-Rupp Mansfield Division is an ISO 9001:2008 and an ISO 14001:2004 Registered Company

For more information, enter 14 at wwi.hotims.com


For more information, enter 21 at wwi.hotims.com

For more information, enter 15 at wwi.hotims.com

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