Next-Generation Membrane Technology Facilitates Lower Energy Usage and Reduced Regeneration Costs for Industrial Plants

Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (USA), recently globally introduced DOW FILMTEC ECO Reverse Osmosis (RO) elements at Aquatech China 2013.

Dow scientists focused their research on energy efficiency in current RO membranes and found that through configurational energy and element design, further energy savings could be realised. The new FILMTEC ECO elements combine new membrane chemistry and low dP feed spacers to help deliver notably lower energy costs and reduced chemical consumption when RO is followed by a mixed bed ion exchange unit.

Offering exceptional rejection and low energy consumption (99.7 percent at 150 psi), FILMTEC ECO elements are intended to deliver up to 40 percent lower salt passage at up to 30 percent less energy when compared to standard RO elements. FILMTEC ECO elements are offered in ECO-400i and ECO-440i configurations to match reverse osmosis needs on a broad spectrum.

“Plants that switch from conventional reverse osmosis elements to FILMTEC ECO join a unique population of thriving plants that have less impact on the environment and less strain on their bottom line,” said Rajat Mehta, global product director for Dow Water & Process Solutions. “We are thrilled to provide our customers with exceptional rejection and flow performance, while also positively impacting their ecological and economic footprints.”

Customers using FILMTEC ECO elements have the ability to achieve:

• Improved uptime and reduced chemical use for utility providers;
• Increased rejection at lower feed pressure to accommodate purity needs for electronics manufacturing;
• Savings on energy use and chemical use and increased capacity by improving uptime in the beer and beverage industry;
• Reliable, energy efficient operations with the long-lasting performance required in mobile field location units.

“By addressing the “three Ps”—people, planet and performance—Dow Water & Process Solutions brings innovations to the market with deep technical expertise, global reach and a diverse product portfolio to help solve the world’s water problems in a more sustainable way,” said George Barclay, global R&D director for Dow Water & Process Solutions. “FILMTEC ECO is a result of Dow’s commitment to solving water scarcity and bringing down the cost of water in production scenarios.”

“FILMTEC ECO elements are an excellent choice for regions like China, that have a growing need for clean and affordable water supply and production capacity,” said Christina Fang, greater China commercial director for Dow Water & Process Solutions. “China’s combination of densely populated areas, rural farm regions and increased manufacturing sectors create a unique need for clean water.”

With more than 30 years of experience in water treatment, Dow is the world’s specialist supplier of component technology for industrial water treatment processes, offering the broadest technology line of any component supplier.

Reverse osmosis is the globally accepted technology for the removal of dissolved solids including silica from various water sources and for increasing water yields.