Capacity doubles at CA facility with MembranePRO technology to treat produced water
MembranePRO Services and Watershed Tech Services announced plans to double production capacity by year-end at California’s first merchant facility to treat produced water for reclamation and beneficial reuse. Located near multiple active oil fields surrounding Bakersfield, California, the Wasco treatment plant gives local oil and gas producers an economical and sustainable option for converting billions of gallons of produced water each year into high-quality clean water for reuse. Oil and gas producers, agriculture and industry throughout Kern County and Central Valley can now use this recycled water for their operations, reducing the need to utilize freshwater resources. The facility has established a daily capacity of 210,000 gallons per day of produced water for reuse and will rapidly scale to 420,000 gallons per day, which has been approved under the current permit and business license. The facility completed setup, testing and commissioning in February 2018, after initially treating 25,000 gallons per day under a pilot program permit issued in 2017.
"This state-of-the-art facility is a game-changer on multiple levels," said Arian Edalat, president and general manager of MembranePRO Services. "From an environmental standpoint, it clearly helps conserve water resources, with 95 percent of all water processed now being reclaimed for reuse. It also uses game-changing water treatment technologies to optimize operations and reduce energy consumption: artificial intelligence-based IntelliFlux Controls software that maximizes plant performance and improves energy efficiency and overall OpEx, and PolyCera membranes, a breakthrough in membrane technology, engineered with Nobel Prize winning chemistry and proven to lower energy costs by as much as 40 percent and reduce the need for consumables, such as chemicals, by an estimated 19 percent below our projections.”
Design Group expands in the Pacific Northwest
Barry-Wehmiller Design Group, an engineering and IT consulting firm, opened an office in Bellingham, Washington, growing the company’s presence in the Pacific Northwest. The new office is strategically located near a concentration of major oil refineries and further advances the firm’s plan to expand its presence in the oil refining, natural gas processing and petrochemical sectors. The Bellingham office will work in close coordination with Design Group’s other engineering offices in the Pacific Northwest, including Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Boise, Idaho; and Kennewick, Washington. The regional engineering team will also be able to draw upon technical resources from Design Group’s 40-plus offices located across the U.S. and India. The Bellingham office is led by Design Group Director Matt Hamilton, who has spent most of his career as an engineer, project manager and program director, serving the world’s leading oil and gas companies. Design Group also serves markets including food and beverage, pharmaceutical, semiconductor and other industrial applications.
Berghof Membranes and Aquaporin announce development agreement for forward osmosis technology
Berghof Membrane Technology GmbH, a manufacturer of tubular membranes for the filtration and separation of industrial process streams and wastewater, announced it has formally signed a joint development agreement with Aquaporin A/S, the Denmark-based developer of biomimetic membranes for industrial and consumer water applications. The agreement initiates commercial efforts, wherein both companies will leverage their respective expertise in forward osmosis (FO) and tubular membrane technologies to launch products targeted for high-strength industrial wastewater and food and beverage process streams. Aquaporin Asia and Berghof Membranes have been working together under a three-year research and development project (1301-IRIS-02), funded by Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) with a grant of 2.5 million SGD under its Environment & Water Research Programme and administered by PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency.
