Private Desalination Plant Project

The ultrafiltration (UF) pretreatment is used to prevent clogging of the reverse osmosis membranes. The Norit X-Flow UF membranes remove all fine silt and turbidity (suspended particles) and will reduce contaminants such as micro-organisms. Norit X-Flow is the first membrane manufacturer to supply a membrane specifically designed to pretreat seawater.

The Qingdao Desalination Project will be the largest such plant in China to date. Additional desalination plants are expected to follow. This also marks the first privately financed desalination facility in China, with funding provided entirely by local banks. The project is expected to be commissioned in 2012.

Norit X-Flow signed an agreement with Befesa to supply the UF pretreatment technology for the Qingdao Desalination Project. Befesa, Spain, is responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the plant under the terms of a 25-year contract. Norit X-Flow is providing the membrane technologies and products to support the desalination operation. The products include the Norit X-Flow SEAGUARD ultrafiltration technology that uses Norit SMART intelligence control for system optimization. The Qingdao plant will contain 2,280 SEAGUARD membrane modules arranged on 20 skids, each with a 120 UF module configuration.