Dow Water & Process Solutions’ seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) facility in Kurnell, Australia, won the Desalination Plant of the Year award, which was presented by former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Anan, during the Global Water Awards ceremony April 18 in Berlin.
The award is given for the most technical achievement in the industry. Other partners in the award were Veolia Water, Sydney Water, Fichtner and the John Holland Group.
The largest operating SWRO desalination facility in Australia, and the third-largest in the world, the Kurnell plant began supplying water to customers in 2010. The 250,000 m3/d plant supplies 15 percent of Sydney’s water and can be expanded to 500,000 m3/d. Desalination is delivered via approximately 36,000 DOW FILMTECTM reverse osmosis (RO) elements. In addition, energy requirements for the plant are met with 100 percent renewable energy from a 67-turbine wind farm, and the plant employs an extensive marine life monitoring program.
“The success of the Kurnell facility showcases that SWRO can be a viable and economical long-term clean water solution for drought-prone and/or high-population communities,” said Ian Barbour, general manager of Dow Water & Process Solutions. “We are proud to have the opportunity to use our products to deliver clean water to millions of people in Sydney, and thrilled to be honored by GWI for our contribution to this community.”
The advanced membrane technology from Dow Water & Process Solutions helps communities worldwide to broaden their water sourcing options, and DOW FILMTEC components help desalination be an economically viable method of treating seawater to address global water shortages. Dow technology plays a key role in three of the world’s five largest desalination projects, including the plants in Tampa Bay; Ashkelon, Israel; and Perth, Australia.
