Membrane elements from LANXESS for seawater desalination

Cologne – Specialty chemicals company LANXESS showcased its new Lewabrane RO S product line at this year’s Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) in early June 2014. The family of products currently encompasses three grades of spiral-wound membrane elements for reverse osmosis (RO), which were specially developed for seawater desalination. Alexander Scheffler, director of Membrane Business in the LANXESS Liquid Purification Technologies business unit, says: “Seawater makes up some 97 percent of all the water on earth. The desalination of seawater for use in farming and in drinking water production is therefore a very attractive alternative. Energy-efficient, eco-friendly desalination technologies like reverse osmosis play a major role in this field. For this and many other areas of water treatment, Lewabrane membrane elements are ideal in combination with our Lewatit range of ion exchange resins.”

Practice tests passed with flying colors

Prior to official market introduction, the new membrane elements were tested for several months in desalination plants on the Red Sea in Egypt. Engineer Claus Mertes, Managing Director of Deutsche MeerwasserEntsalzung (DME) GmbH, a Duisburg-based company contracted by LANXESS to conduct the tests, presented the results at the SIWW in his presentation, “SWRO Membrane Performance – Pilot Plant Test Egypt.” He reported that the new Lewabrane RO S elements meet or exceed the relevant industrial standards in continuous operation (24/7) under real conditions. They show high salt rejection even under fluctuating temperatures, salt contents and pH values, meaning that they deliver permeate in consistently high quality.

For example, Lewabrane RO S400 HR elements have been undergoing testing in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, since March 2014 in a commercial, industrial-scale desalination plant, and an extensive set of conclusive data has been collected during this time. Under otherwise comparable conditions and in compliance with all required process parameters, an excellent water quality was achieved at a high permeate flow, for example.

For more Information please download the linked file.Successful practice tests in Egypt by DME