GE will supply an MBR filtration system featuring its ZeeWeed 500d ultrafiltration (UF) membranes to the Rotorua District Council for the upgrade project, which is expected to be completed by June of 2011. The MBR retrofit will enhance the plant’s capacity to handle its growing wastewater treatment needs and meet the country’s tighter discharge regulations without building additional, costly structures, such as clarifiers or process tanks. The wastewater treatment plant serves approximately 70,000 people.
GE’s MBR technology will enable Rotorua to significantly reduce the concentration of faecal coliforms (a form of harmful bacteria) in the plant’s discharge water. GE will work closely with Rotorua District Council’s in-house engineering unit, HYDRUS Engineering Consultants, and engineering company AWT New Zealand Ltd. to deliver the facility in New Zealand.
Jeff Connelly, vice president, engineered systems, water and process technologies for GE Power & Water, said: “As our first project in New Zealand, this is another milestone for our wastewater treatment technology. We have been working closely with the Rotorua District Council since March of 2009 to develop the best technology solution to meet the city’s specific wastewater needs.”