Degremont Receives GE Ecomagination Leadership Award

Over the past 10 years, Degrémont and GE have helped more than 60 local municipalities and industries, including refining and petrochemical, save more than 40 billion liters of water with GE’s ZeeWeed membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology.

The purified water was reused in industrial processes, for irrigation and the watering of parkland (where the regulations permit), which preserves the water resources by limiting recourse to drinking water. Degrémont is an international company and a subsidiary of Suez Environnement that designs, builds, operates and equips water treatment installations for local governments and industries.

Specifically, six of Degrémont’s industrial customers in France, Italy and China together reused more than 40 billion liters of water per year resulting in Degrémont being honored with GE’s ecomagination Leadership Award. The award recognizes the achievements of industrial users that significantly surpass and improve environmental and industrial operational goals while balancing industrial demands.

"We are honored that GE has recognized us for an ecomagination award. Our collaboration and ongoing feedback has enabled us to work closely together on improving membrane and process performance. We have together helped drive energy, footprint and performance optimization, all critical parameters in sustainable development," said Pierre Yves Pouliquen, director of Degrémont's French business.

The GE ecomagination award was presented Dec. 13, 2012 to Degrémont during a ceremony to celebrate the 10 years of partnership between the two companies and the more than 60 Degrémont sites equipped with the GE technology.

“We have noticed an ongoing trend that industrial users around the world are focusing more on decreasing their water footprint to reuse water, lower costs and minimize environmental impact. Degrémont and its customers are examples to follow concerning the manner in which certain local authorities and petrochemical and refining industries can successfully reuse water," said Heiner Markhoff, president and CEO, water and process technologies for GE Power & Water.

All of the projects used GE’s ZeeWeed 500 and 1000 reinforced, hollow-fiber membranes, which have been proven over more than two decades of wastewater treatment and water reuse applications.

Source: GE