Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. (KMS), has announced that it was a key supplier to the project that won “Project of the Year” at the Global Water Awards on April 22, 2008 in London.
KMS is a world-class developer and manufacturer of innovative membranes and membrane filtration and separation systems. The company was recognized along with project manager Thiess/Black & Veatch for the Bundamba Stage 1A water reclamation project in South East Queensland, Australia.
The annual honor, presented by the International Desalination Association and Global Water Intelligence as part of the Water, Finance and Sustainability Conference, recognizes the year’s most significant contribution to water technology and environmental protection.
The Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant (AWTP) Stage 1A initiative is a 7.9 million gal per day water reclamation system that is part of the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project (WCRWP). The largest recycled water project in the Southern Hemisphere, the WCRWP will provide recycled water to reduce the load on the region’s water supply. The project employs the 18-in.-diameter MegaMagnum reverse osmosis (RO) elements from KMS to treat municipal effluent for use as the water supply for cooling towers at the Swanbank and the Tarong power stations. The plant employs four pre-engineered, packaged MegaMagnum systems each holding 65 membrane elements, for a total of 260 membrane elements.
The 18-in.-diameter MegaMagnum elements are the world’s largest commercially available spiral wound RO elements. These elements are designed to significantly reduce the cost, footprint and installation time of RO systems. Each 18-by-61-in. MegaMagnum spiral element used for the project contains 2,800 sq ft of membrane surface area, compared to 400 sq ft in commonly deployed 8-by-40-in. products.
At a cost of AU $2.5 billion, the WCRWP initiative is an innovative and sustainable solution to growing water scarcity in South East Queensland. The packaged MegaMagnum systems used at the Bundamba AWTP enabled fast installation and start-up. Installation of the MegaMagnum RO system began in May 2007 and the plant became operational in August 2007, three weeks ahead of schedule. After eight months, the RO system is performing extremely well, with virtually no evidence of long-term fouling that is often experienced at water reclamation plants.
This is a reflection of the teamwork of the parties involved, from an excellent plant design from the project manager Thiess/Black & Veatch, to the quality of the products used at the plant, including the MegaMagnum elements from KMS, to the extremely competent operations team of Veolia and Separation Processes, Inc.
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