On May 8 PWN Technologies presented the most efficient and sustainable water treatment methods for the production of drinking water. This took place during an international water conference in Andijk, in the presence of representatives of national and international water industrialists. The newly built installation ‘Andijk III’ produces 120 million litres of drinking water per day and is especially designed to make water treatment more sustainable and efficient.

The installation makes use of innovations developed by PWN Technologies based on ion exchange (Suspended Ion Exchange: SIX®) and ceramic membrane filtration (CeraMac®®). In combination with existing UV-peroxide technology and active carbon filtration these lead to a very robust and sustainable water treatment.

Jonathan Clement, CEO of PWN Technologies, thinks Andijk III is the most modern pre-treatment installation, integrating completely new technologies. “What we do here is not a little bit different, it is unique in the world. A great achievement for the water industry.”

Cindy Wallis-Lage, President Global Water Business at Black & Veatch, qualifies Andijk III as an excellent example of ‘disruptive innovation’: “This is what makes a difference. It takes a journey to make innovation move faster: integration and sharing of knowledge as well as collaboration. Together we can achieve so much.”

INNOVATION AWARD

Andijk III is the result of years of experience with water treatment, extensive research and exhaustive testing, both in the Netherlands and abroad. In 2012 the International Water Association (IWA) awarded the project the Innovation Award. “Water is complex, but the goal is simple”, says IWA President Glen Daigger, “We can provide people with reliable water. Therefore we must change what we do, like PWN Technologies has done here. Andijk III is a major example.” Internationally there has been a lot of attention for the award-winning technologies. Pilot projects have since been set up in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Australia. From a scientific perspective there is also a lot of confidence. Dr. Shane Snyder, Professor chemical and environmental engineering at the University of Arizona: “More companies should consider using this type of technology and scale up, to demonstrate to the world that these technologies are efficient, robust and reliable.”

SAFE AND RELIABLE DRINKING WATER

One of the major challenges for water supply companies is guaranteeing the water quality. Contamination of surface waters is becoming a bigger problem. This underlines the importance of the removal of harmful matter from water. The innovations of PWN Technologies offer a solution for this. Through Suspended Ion Exchange (SIX®) natural and organic materials, as well as sulphates and nitrates are extracted from the water. Through ceramic membrane filtration all suspended matter and bacteria are removed also.

The unique and compact CeraMac® design significantly increases the economic viability of the water treatment process. “This is a major step forward”, explains Martien den Blanken, CEO of PWN Water Supply Company North Holland. “Andijk III is a new standard in treating difficult surface water.”