Dow’s reverse osmosis tech picked for Australian desal plant

Minneapolis, Minn.-based Dow Water & Process Solutions said today its reverse osmosis technology is going into a new Southern Seawater Desalination Plant, outside of Perth, Australia.

The plant, which broke ground in July, is expected to use Dow’s SWRO 440-series Filmtec device, which uses a two-pass reverse osmosis system for sea and brackish water. It has the capacity to produce 50 billion liters of drinking water per year, with the ability to expand to 100 billion liters.

Dow Water & Process Solutions, a subsidiary of Midland, Mich.-based Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW), specializes in ion exchange resins, reverse osmosis membranes, ultrafiltration membranes, and electrodeionization products for a variety of applications.

The plant is being constructed by the Southern Seawater Alliance—a joint venture between Técnicas Reunidas Australia, Valoriza Water Australia, AJ Lucas Operations, and WorleyParsons Services. Financial details were not disclosed.

It is expected to be the second major desalination plant in western Australia, Dow said. The area’s inland reservoirs today hold one-quarter of the water available 30 years ago. By 2031, Perth is expected to need an additional 150 billion liters of water to meet population demands.

Desalination has been pushed to the forefront in Australia because global warming has altered the rain patterns in Australia, leading to changes in the water and air currents (see How cleantech fits into Middle East, N. Africa desal needs).

When the plant is completed, more than 30 percent of western Australia’s water needs are expected to come from sources such as desalination. Located in Binningup, a small coastal town in western Australia, the plant is expected to generate 140,000 cubic meters (37 million gallons) of fresh water per day to residents of the greater Perth region.

Last month, San Leandro, Calif.-based Energy Recovery (Nasdaq:ERII) said its energy efficient technology was expected to implemented at the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant (see Energy Recovery tech slated for new Australian desal plant).

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