Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS) a division of The Dow Chemical Company, and a leading global supplier of advanced technologies for water purification, has launched four new elements for seawater treatment at the IDA World Congress in Dubai.

“All four seawater elements have an active membrane area of 440 square feet maximising productivity and enabling accurate and predictable system design and operating flux. Utilization of the distinct iLEC (interlocking end caps) technology helps reduce system operating costs and the risk of o-ring leaks that can cause poor water quality,” stated Ian Barbour, general manager of Dow Water & Process Solutions.

The new 440i seawater family of elements offers high rejection, low energy requirements and exceptional flow rates. The Dow Filmtec SW30XHR-440 and SW30XHR-440i elements have the highest seawater rejection in the Filmtec product range, enabling stringent water quality requirements to be met with single pass seawater systems in most situations.

For a combination of high rejection and low energy requirements, the Dow Filmtec SW30XHR-440 and SW30XHR-440i element offer lower total costs for medium and high salinity feedwater. The highest active area of 440 sq ft (41 sqm) permits low system cost.

The lowest energy seawater element available in the industry today, the Dow Filmtec SW30XHR-440 and SW30XHR-440i offer a remarkable combination of productivity, rejection and  low operational cost. The high active area of 440 ft2 (41 m2) permits low system cost. It is also an ideal choice for two-pass seawater designs and high total dissolved solids (TDS) brackish water applications.

The Dow Filmtec SW30XHR-440 and SW30XHR-440i have one of the highest flow rates in the industry and high rejection of NaCl and boron. This performance can lead to significant capital and operation cost savings, especially when this element is used with other element types in the same pressure vessel, using the 'internally staged design' approach.

High-performance Dow Filmtec components are operational in some of the most water-challenged areas of the world including Australia and the Middle East.

The Shoaiba barge seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant is one of Saudi Arabia’s largest RO seawater desalination plants and the world’s largest sea-based desalination plant. The Shoaiba barge produces more than 50,000 m3/day using Dow Filmtec membrane elements.

The redesigned Dow Ultrafiltration SFP2880 (UF) module will also be on exhibit at IDA. This new element design has 50 per cent more membrane active area in a smaller, more compact membrane design, shrinking the overall footprint of the installation by as much as one-half.

“The Middle East is a key market for Dow. At IDA, we are looking forward to sharing our progress and highlighting our ability to deliver advanced, affordable and sustainable water sourcing or treatment options for desalination, wastewater treatment, and other applications that contribute to address the vital water conservation and purification needs of the region,” added Ian Lomax, strategic marketing manager, Dow Water & Process Solutions.

Dow recently announced that initial research at the planned Dow R&D Center at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) in Saudi Arabia would focus on water and water treatment technologies. Substantial completion of the proposed state-of-the-art R&D center, to be jointly designed by the partners, is expected by the end of 2010.-TradeArabia News Service