- 18 July 2007 -

GE leads on salt recovery desal in

South Africa

GE Water & Process Technologies is to design and construct a reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant in South Africa providing 70,000 m3/day of fresh water. For the first time in the country, the plant will recover ultra-pure salt from the concentrated brine stream for the production of chlorine, caustic soda, and hydrochloric acid at the refinery. Pure water produced by the desalination process, which in this case is considered a by-product, will supply up to 70,000 m3/day of potable water.

The US$220 million project is part of a larger investment to build a new chlorine refinery in the Coega Industrial Zone, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

"GE's seawater desalination and thermal evaporation technologies will create around 630,000 tonnes of 99.9% pure salt annually," said Earl Jones, general manager, structured projects for GE Water & Process Technologies. "Reclaiming salt from the desalination brine stream not only improves the overall economics of the refinery project, but also removes logistical issues by ensuring a reliable and locally available supply of high grade salt for use in the refining of chlorine."

www.gewater.com


This update is brought to you by Filtration Industry Analyst, the business information newsletter. To receive a sample copy of Filtration Industry Analyst, click here.