- 20 September 2006 -

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Aquatech - innovation awards

www.filtsep.com takes a look at a few of the products that have been entered for an innovation award as part of the Aquatech show, taking place in Amsterdam later this month.

Aquatech, which takes place between 26-29 September 2006 in Amsterdam , the Netherlands , is one of the biggest water industry events in the world. The event features an innovation award, and a record number of products have been entered this time around - 90 products from 81 companies.

Each entry is submitted in one of four categories: water treatment; transport and storage; process control and automation; and point of use. The overall Aquatech Innovation Award Winner 2006 will be chosen from the four category winners. Filtration+Separation takes a look at the filter-related products which have been submitted for nomination.

Amiad - the AMF2
The Amiad AMF2 is an automatic, self-cleaning, string-wound, cassette filter. The permanent cassettes, located inside the filter, are tightly wound with multiple layers of high strength polyester thread serving as both a surface strainer and in-depth filter. The AMF2 is suitable for smaller flow rate applications in desalination, drinking water treatment plants, tertiary wastewater treatment and pre-filtration.

Why is it innovative?
A new cassette design and thread windings allow the AMF2 to remove suspended matter down to 3 microns - reportedly an "unprecedented" amount. The filter is capable of handling up to 45m³h (200 gpm), and its operating pressure is up to 10 bar (150 psi).

CeraCep - CeraCep
These hollow fibre ceramic membranes combine the compactness of polymeric hollow fibres with the ceramic materials' ability to withstand extreme chemical, mechanical and thermal conditions. They are designed for industries such as metal/steel mill, chemical process, food and beverage, and biopharmaceutical industries, as well as for water treatment.

Why are they innovative?
When compared to existing ceramic membranes, the products are more compact, high cleaning and have better back-pulse efficiency due to the compact design - making them suitable for small scale, decentralised applications such as drinking water facilities. When compared with polymeric hollow fibre membranes, CepraCep offer high durability, high temperature and chemical resistance and high back pulse efficiency. The product is said to be cheaper and perform better than existing ceramic membranes, and it is therefore in a better position to compete with higher-end polymeric membranes. [Shortlisted for an innovation award].

Elgressy - SCP water treatment systems
Elgressy's electrolytic Scale Crystallisation Prevention (SCP) system is designed for the continuous and automatic prevention of scale crystallisation, corrosion and biofouling, and the reduction of chlorine in home, recreational, commercial and industrial hot and/or cold water delivery systems. The technique is based on a controlled release of trace concentrations of metal ions, which can induce a scale-suppression effect. The SCP employs electrolysis to produce trace amounts of metals that have specific effects on the treated water, whether hot or cold water, drinking or processing water.

The SCP can be used in reverse osmosis, cooling towers, hot and cold water systems, and in private homes and buildings where drinking water needs to be good quality.

Why is it innovative?
The innovation comes from using the right combination of a constant electrical direct current (DC) and an electrode made of a ternary alloy. The released trace amounts of metals are within the norms of drinking water in Europe, the USA and elsewhere.

Fiberfiltration - the MT-IBA2/4
The MT-IBA2/4, a small plastic filter based on Fiberfiltration's 3 micron fibre technology, is designed for for the treatment of small flows in the wastewater application market for private households. The filter, when combined with a small septic tank, can improve the quality of the treated waste water to the level of new EU regulations for drainage of water on the surface water. Besides wastewater, the MT-IBA has also been successfully used in drinking water applications, the removal of heavy metals, swimming pools, scrubber installations and as a prefilter for reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology in the application of desalination of surface water. Depending on the application, the MT-IBA has a capacity at 3 micron of 3 m3/h with a filter area of 0.5 m2 and an initial pressure differential of 0.05 bar.

Why is it innovative?
By connecting a filterstep to a septic tank, it is possible to improve the quality of the effluent and avoid having to dig out a tank of 2-3 m3 in order to replace it with a 6m3 tank. It is also unlikely that any other small, 3 micron filter can operate fully automatically on the level of 3 micron for a flow of 3 m3/h, claims the company.

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