NX Filtration successfully extends pilot test of Jacobs Engineering in Florida, USA
NX Filtration successfully extends pilot test of Jacobs Engineering in Florida, USA
Enschede, the netherlands – 26 April 2022
Jacobs Engineering, a leading technical professional services company headquartered in Dallas, has recently completed a pilot program with NX Filtration’s direct nanofiltration (dNF) membrane technology at the City of Melbourne WTP in Florida, USA. Excellent results were achieved in terms of stable operation, high operating recovery, quality of the permeate produced, reduced energy consumption, and avoidance of pre-treatment chemicals.
The City of Melbourne’s WTP draws surface water from nearby Lake Washington, which is treated to provide drinking water for the local area and surrounding communities. The aim of the pilot project was to test the efficacy of NX Filtration’s dNF40 nanofiltration membranes as a potential one-step replacement for their current treatment system based on coagulation, high-rate sedimentation, ozonation, and media filtration. The goal of treatment is to remove color, turbidity, and total organic carbon (TOC) from the influent water. Jacobs is also pilot testing an alternative setup based on biologically active filtration, hollow fiber microfiltration, and spiral-wound nanofiltration.
The pilot program was based on NX Filtration’s fully automated Mexpert pilot built by Harn R/O Systems Inc. and ran from mid November 2021 to late February 2022. Given the seasonal fluctuations in the quality of the feed water, additional tests may be conducted in the summer.
GJ Schers, Project Manager of Jacobs Engineering, stated: “We are very pleased to see that our first pilot with NX Filtration’s direct nanofiltration technology has been very successful. We achieved stable operations at each different recovery tested. We realized a high operational recovery of 85%, minimizing water waste. The permeate produced was of excellent quality, particularly for colour, DOC, sulphates, and turbidity, while allowing monovalent ions to pass through. The full-scale system will be further optimized for sufficient hardness removal to improve compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule. ”
Umang Yagnik, Commercial Manager at NX Filtration in North America adds; “We are proud to work with Jacobs in demonstrating the advantages of our hollow fiber direct nanofiltration membranes. Compared with conventional processes, we reduce the number of filtration steps, avoid the use of chemicals in pre-treatment and significantly reduce energy consumption during operation. We are looking forward to continuing our mission towards clean and affordable water with our partners in North America.”