Water treatment and processing company Nalco Africa plans to introduce its industrial reverse osmosis (RO) management system, 3D TRASAR for membranes, into the African market next year.

Nalco Africa marketing manager Casimiro da Silva Santos believes this technology is well suited to service the needs with regard to the reuse and recycling of water in South African industries, including the mining sector.

“The pilot trials will be imple- mented locally at operations belonging to our ‘early innovator’ clients to fine-tune the technology for the African market. We believe it will be ideal for companies such as petrochemicals giant Sasol and State- owned utility Eskom,” he says.

The 3D TRASAR technology for membranes was launched by the Nalco group in September at the International Desalination Association’s biennial world congress, in Perth, Australia, and evolved from 3D TRASAR technology for cooling water applications.

Nalco says the technology for membranes introduces a new solution for improving performance, reducing the total cost of ownership and shrinking the environmental footprint of RO systems.

Nalco chairperson and CEO Erik Fyrwald asserts that the technology for membranes improves the operation of RO systems and provides a variety of sustainability benefits.

“This system cuts water consumption, wastewater production, energy use and chemical treatment use, all while extending the life of the RO membranes,” he says.

The technology is an integrated solution that includes patented TRASAR technology for accurate feeding and dosing, membrane system performance monitoring and year-round oversight, as well as trouble- shooting advice from the Nalco 360 Service Expert centre.

The technology also comprises proprietary green anti- scalants designed to improve membrane life while decreasing environmental impact.

One of the antiscalants is specifically designed to reduce or eliminate the use of high quantities of acid in treating RO systems operating on high-phosphate feed waters, such as municipal wastewater. Nalco reports that this reduces operating costs, improves employee safety and conserves high-quality water resources for human consumption.

Further, Nalco chief technology officer Dr Manian Ramesh claims customers can not only reduce operating costs by between 5% and over 15%, but also decrease their environmental footprint, providing them with an environmental return on their investment.

“This integrated solution provides customers with the best combination of equipment, chemistries and services to solve problems in the most cost-effective manner. With 3D TRASAR technology for membranes, it is possible to safely operate membrane systems at a higher recovery rate to optimise performance, water quality and reliability,” he says.

Technological Evolution

The 3D TRASAR technology, launched in 2004, offers a platform for the automation of chemicals monitoring.

Da Silva Santos explains that this original system automatically adjusts the chemical programme in cooling water to compensate for changes in the water quality at the time.

“The 3D TRASAR technology for cooling water tracks both the water quality and the chemical input, enabling the online management of temperature, conductivity, corrosion, scaling, pH levels and chemical programmes in real time.”

Further, Da Silva Santos claims that, as the cooling tower is always in an optimal opera- tional condition, it enables the user to save water and reduce costs.

Nalco claims that, worldwide, in 2010, the company saved its clients 329-million cubic meters of water through the use of its 3D TRASAR technology for cooling water.

To subscribe to Mining Weekly's print magazine email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or buy now.