Koch Membrane Systems Nominated for Global Water Award

April 20, 2009
Santa Paula, Calif., WTP upgrade will be one of world’s largest MBR projects

Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. (KMS) is a key participant in the Santa Paula, Calif., wastewater treatment plant (WTP) upgrade project, which has been shortlisted in the “Water Deal of the Year” category of the Global Water Awards 2009.

When completed, the Santa Paula WTP will be one of the world’s largest membrane bioreactor (MBR) projects. Readers of Global Water Intelligence, Water Desalination Report and members of the IDA and IPWA are all eligible to vote in the online survey, and the winner will receive the award at a ceremony in Zurich on April 21.

“The nomination reflects the importance of the upgrade of the Santa Paula treatment plant. It will be Koch Membrane Systems’ largest MBR project in the U.S. market and one of the largest installations of the PURON product worldwide,” said Imran Jaferey, vice president, water and wastewater for KMS.

The nomination focuses on the PURON modules supplied as part of an MBR system to the city of Santa Paula for a new state-of-the-art water recycling facility. The project, which was awarded to Santa Paula Water, LLC, a company formed by Pacific Environmental Resources Corp. (PERC) and Alinda Capital Partners, replaces the city’s existing wastewater treatment plant.

The new water recycling facility is intended to produce an effluent that meets or exceeds all current environmental wastewater quality standards mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board.

MBR systems are used for some of the toughest wastewater treatment applications, including sewage treatment for municipalities and treatment of wastewater for the beverage, textile, food, paper and chemicals industries. The PURON single header design with a free floating membrane fiber tip combined with the centrally located air scour nozzle delivers optimal solids management and reliable operation at peak flux rates, while using 50% less air scour energy than other submerged MBR membrane modules. PERC selected PURON membrane filtration modules for Santa Paula’s water recycling facility because the modules are energy-efficient and the system is easy to operate, with features that are designed to provide significantly lower lifecycle costs.

“PERC felt that Koch Membrane Systems had studied the challenges experienced by other membrane manufacturers and consequentially improved the PURON design in these areas,” remarked Juergen Nick, vice president, design and engineering at PERC. “The reduced air scour requirement of the Koch Membrane Systems design versus other membrane manufacturers translated directly into reduced energy consumption and a reduction in operational costs.”

PERC’s innovative design will make efficient use of the surrounding area by using a fraction of the city of Santa Paula’s land, five acres less than the amount of land a conventional wastewater treatment facility would require. A recycling education center is expected to be included as part of the facility, where local students can learn how water recycling facilities operate. Commissioning of the water recycling facility is expected to take place in mid-2010.

For more information on the Global Water Awards 2009, visit www.globalwaterawards.com

Source: Koch Membrane Systems, Inc.

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