The use of on-site chemical generation technology for water purification, such as the MIOX system, offers a number of advantages over the transportation of bulk chemicals, says the Southern African distributor for the MIOX Corporation of the US.

Local firm Filcon Filters, which was appointed distributor last year, says one of the main advantages of the MIOX system is the significant cost savings that can be realised.

The MIOX technology combines salt, water and power to generate cost-effective disinfectant chemicals on site.

Using a bulk salt price of R1.50/kg and an electricity price of R0.7075/kWh, one gallon (3.76 ∙) of MIOX-produced hypochlorite (hypo) costs R3.67, which Filcon Filters’ Tony Henfrey says compares favourably with the bulk price of R17.86 for the equivalent quantity of manufactured chemicals.

“MIOX on-site generated hypo costs just over 20% of the price of the manufactured chemical, which is a big saving even when factoring in the purchase of the MIOX unit,” he states.

Henfrey says MIOX chemical generators allow customers the freedom to produce disinfectants in the amount they need, when they need it. The system eliminates the need to store hazardous chemicals.

Safety is another big advantage of using an on-site generator, as operators are dosing with common salt, rather than hazardous chemicals.

“MIOX brings new technology to an old problem – water disinfection. State-of-the-art electrolytic generators improve facility safety by replacing the need for on-site storage and handling of hazardous chemicals. In addition, the generators produce more effective water treatment, while saving money.”

Serving a full spectrum of industries, MIOX’s patented chemical generators are available in sizes to fit every application and produce superior results, compared with traditional sodium hypo- chlorite and biocides. With over 20 years of experience in the water disinfection market and thousands of MIOX installations in over 40 countries, MIOX chemistries are cleaning over 26-billion litres of water globally per day, which is the equivalent to half the volume of water going over Niagara falls, in North America, each day. MIOX units are available in a range from 38 m3/d to 380 000 m3/d.

The MIOX technology is still fairly new to the South African market, but it has been successfully used in other parts of the world, with installations in over 40 countries.

Established in 2000, Filcon Filters has offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. In addition to representing a number of international filtration manufacturers, Filcon Filters has a wide range of filtration products manufactured to its design in Johannesburg. This range includes the Dirt Gobbla (a centrifugal separator), back flushing automatic strainers, in-line basket strainers, purge strainers, and bag and cartridge housings.

Hall 5 Stand B33