Dow Technology Selected to Help Alleviate Water Shortages in Cyprus

Integrated membrane technology from Dow Water Solutions is key to new Cyprus desalination plant

Edina, MN .-Israel-based Nirosoft Industries has selected membrane technology from Dow Water Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, to convert seawater to drinking water in a 20,000 m3/day desalination plant in Cyprus. The facility, which is currently under fast-track construction, will help provide fresh potable water for the city of Limassol, the island’s largest seaside resort.

DOW™ Ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology will be used for pretreatment of seawater to remove suspended solids prior to the desalination stage, while FILMTEC™ reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology will be used to remove salt to meet World Health Organization drinkable water standards. The Cyprus plant is one of the first desalination plants worldwide that will be based entirely on membrane separation technologies.

“Through comprehensive technology offerings and our expertise, Dow Water Solutions is in a very strong position to meet and exceed the needs of desalination projects such as the one in Cyprus, where original equipment manufacturers are looking for total membrane solutions,” said Ian Barbour, general manager, Dow Water Solutions. Dow is the world’s largest manufacturer of RO membrane products. The company acquired UF membrane technology in 2006 from Zhejiang Omex Environmental Engineering Co. Ltd.

For water-strapped areas like Cyprus, more efficient filtration technology is making reliable water supply from desalination a reality. The Cyprus plant is on a fast track for completion by 4th quarter 2008. It’s among the first desalination projects designed for mobility. According to Nirosoft, after three years of operation the facility can be dismantled and moved to another location.

FILMTEC RO membrane technology currently in place worldwide enables desalination and delivery of 5.2 million cubic meters of fresh, potable water per day. The Nirosoft project in Cyprus is the second major desalination initiative in as many months to rely on technology from Dow Water Solutions. Dow will also supply FILMTEC RO membranes for what will become the southern hemisphere’s largest seawater desalination facility, currently under construction in Sydney, Australia.

Advances in FILMTEC reverse osmosis membrane technology have significantly increased water throughput while substantially decreasing energy requirements. These efficiencies have helped to cut the cost of water desalination by up to 20 percent. A company goal is to achieve additional efficiencies that will reduce the cost of desalination by up to 35 percent by 2015.