WILMINGTON, MA, July 30, 2008 -- Koch Membrane Systems Inc. (KMS), has received the another major order for a Membrane Bioreactor based on its 1500 square meter PURON™ module from Griffith County in New South Wales as part of a major upgrade of the town's wastewater treatment infrastructure. Instrumental in winning the contract was PURON's successful track record in other membrane bioreactor (MBR) applications in Australia. PURON has been successfully employed at Bega Valley and Joe White Maltings.
Unlike the previous trickling wastewater treatment plant which it replaces, the MBR system meets stringent new discharge licence conditions. With a minimal impact on the environment, PURON will help to eliminate odors which came from the old plant and will produce water meets tight discharge requires and may, in the future, be suitable for reuse both in the city and in local agricultural irrigation. The Griffith wastewater system serves a 50000 population equivalent in the residential, commercial and industrial areas of Griffith which extends to Collina in the north, Yoogali in the east and Hanwood in the south. Estimated average capacity is 10000 m³/day.
The improved PURON 1500 submerged membrane module features greater packing density, lower energy costs for aeration, and simplified installation while providing even greater compatibility with other commercially available systems. To simplify membrane cleaning and maintenance the central aeration system, a proprietary feature of the PURON module, and the bottom header have both been redesigned. The new aeration system reduces the flow rate during air scouring resulting in a decrease in air usage by up to 20% over the original design.
With the recent introduction of 1500 modules, PURON can now be ordered in configurations with 1500, 500, and 250 square meters of membrane area. The introduction of the new 1500 square meter module is particularly significant because it was specifically designed for large-scale MBR projects. Features such as an optimized permeate extraction manifold and air supply lines reduce the number of piping connections during installation. For additional flexibility, the new product line enables users to easily retrofit the advanced PURON technology into systems with comparably sized modules.
A key advantage of the patented PURON system is the use of a single header with hollow fibers that are fixed only at the bottom. The sealed upper end of the fibers is allowed to float freely. This eliminates the build-up of hair and fibrous materials that can clog the upper end of membrane fibers in MBR designs that employ both a top and bottom header. Solids and particulates, including bacteria, are retained by the membrane and remain on the outside, while permeate is drawn through the membrane to the inside of the fibers. Outside-to-inside technology such as this provides optimal solids management and a high flow-rate, while using up to 50 percent less energy than other MBR systems.
MBR systems with submerged membrane modules are increasingly used for some of the toughest wastewater treatment applications including sewage treatment for municipalities and treatment of wastewater for beverage, textile, food, paper, and chemicals industries. By using MBR systems to recycle process water, industrial companies cut wastewater disposal costs and reduce consumption of fresh water.
Koch Membrane Systems Inc. is a designer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art membrane cartridges and elements, as well as complete membrane systems.
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