memsys And Horizon Agree On Pilot Trial Arrangement For Coal-To-Chemical (CTX) Project In China

memsys, a leading-edge developer of a breakthrough thermal separation process based on membrane distillation, and Horizon Environmental Technology Ltd. have entered into a pilot plant agreement for a coal-to-chemical (CTX) project in northern China.

Horizon, a leading water and wastewater technology company in China, will use memsys’ membrane distillation (MD) technology to further concentrate the wastewater or brine solution from upstream unit processes so that the capital investment and operating cost of the downstream Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology can be significantly reduced. The pilot trial is due to commence in May 2014.

The memsys technology is a thermal separation process based on proprietary Vacuum Multi-Effect Membrane Distillation (V-MEMD). The process can be operated using waste heat to produce a high quality distillate and treats a variety of feed water including wastewater or brine with high TDS concentration.

“We're very excited to be working together with Horizon to solve one of China's most serious water problems. memsys technology is proven in converting several other industrial effluents to pure drinking water of the highest quality. We aim to have a major positive impact on the Chinese CTX water environment,” said Götz Lange, memsys’ Chief Operating Officer.

Michael Tian, General Manager of Horizon added, “After evaluating several technologies, we have selected membrane distillation technology for treating and concentrating of this wastewater from CTX processing plants. By incorporating memsys MD system into our overall treatment process, we can provide a cost effective solution to solve the wastewater problem facing the CTX industry in China.”

The Chinese government has promoted the development of the “new coal industry” that uses coal as a feedstock for different chemical production processes. Coal-to-Chemical (CTX) plants are large consumers of water. They are located predominantly in regions that are coal abundant but water scarce. Conventional wastewater treatment technologies cannot deal with such highly polluted wastewater. This results in ZLD technology being considered and applied for this market sector since the wastewater is not allowed to be discharged into the surrounding environment and evaporation ponds.

About memsys
Based in Germany and Singapore, memsys is a leading-edge developer of vacuum distillation technology for various applications. Its patent-protected thermal separation modules are used for wastewater treatment in the oil, gas and steel industries, brine concentration, low temperature distillation and low energy desalination or alcohol distillation. memsys’ robust technology is based on vacuum-driven multi-effect membrane distillation (V-MEMD), a highly efficient thermal separation process in a compact, modular concept. These modules perform all steps of the membrane distillation process including a multi-effect energy recovery. memsys’ technology can be operated using waste heat to produce a high-quality distillate and effortlessly treats a variety of feed waters including wastewater feeds with high TDS content. For more information, visit www.memsys.eu.