Dow Water and Process Solutions Enables Sustainable Source of Fresh Water in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS) will help create a sustainable source of fresh water in one of the world's most arid regions using Nanofiltration technology. DWPS, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), has been awarded by the Ministry of Water and Electricity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the order to supply state-of-the-art DOWâ?¢ FILMTECâ?¢ Nanofiltration NF90-400 elements to the Ha'il Nanofiltration Plant.
The Plant will be among the largest of its kind in the world, processing and delivering clean water at a rate of 150,000 m3/day - enough to supply the daily clean water needs of 500,000 to 750,000 residents. The plant is expected to come online in the second half of 2010. The elements will be supplied through Dow distribution partner Abu Nayyan Trading Company (ATC), to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), EMCO, making Dow the first and only supplier of water nanofiltration technology in the Kingdom.
Ha'il is located in one of the most arid regions in the world, and underground fresh water resources are diminishing. Furthermore, water that naturally seeps back into the wells is contaminated with various naturally-occurring heavy metals and minerals underground, like Radium. When government health authorities started to notice an increase in water-related health concerns, they determined it to be related to the naturally-occurring, underground leaching of heavy metals to the region's fresh water supply. In 2008, Dow and the Ministry of Water and Electricity installed the first NF plant with a capacity of 25,000 m3/day using DOWâ?¢ FILMTECâ?¢ NF90-400 elements; this is expected to be fully online by the end of 2009, and the 150,000 m3/day plant will come online by the end of 2010.
Zuhair Allawi, Commercial Director for Dow in India, Middle East and Africa said, "This is an extremely significant commercial milestone for Dow and our Water and Process Solutions business unit. But more importantly, this is a technological milestone for the region, and for Saudi Arabia in particular. The public authorities have elected to use the latest innovations in the market, to be the first to leverage nanofiltration technologies in the region, in order to secure sustainable clean water supply to Saudi citizens. Dow is proud to be part of this state-of-the-art installation."
Lance D. Johnson, Dow Water & Process Solutions, global water commercial director echoed the fundamentals of innovation and partnership amongst Dow and the Ministry. "This is an inspiring example of private and public sector collaboration for the common benefit of the public. Dow's advanced water treatment technologies are in place all over the world, but the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a key market for us. We believe there is a sustainable role for our business in the Kingdom, where we believe Dow can continue to support the Kingdom's sustainable development, and where we believe Dow can continue to deliver innovative solutions to everyday human needs like clean water."
Dow, which has been present in the Kingdom for over 30 years, recently announced that initial research at the planned Dow Middle East R&D Center at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) 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.
About Dow Water & Process Solutions
Dow Water & Process Solutions has a 50 year legacy of providing innovative water and process solutions to both communities and industries alike. A differentiated business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Water & Process Solutions offers a broad portfolio of ion exchange resins, reverse osmosis membranes, ultrafiltration membranes and electrodeionization products, with strong positions in a number of major application areas, including industrial and municipal water, pharmaceuticals, power, residential water and wastewater and water reuse. More information about Dow Water & Process Solutions can be found at www.dowwatersolutions.com.
About Dow
About Dow in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Dow's presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began with two subsequent joint ventures with E.A. Juffali & Brothers, Arabian Chemical Company Ltd., manufacturing STYROFOAM * brand insulation (Jeddah) and latex (Jubail). In 2007, Dow and Saudi Aramco signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the construction, ownership and operation of a world-scale chemicals and plastics production complex in Saudi Arabia, named the Ras Tanura Integrated Project (RTIP). RTIP would be among the world's largest petrochemical facilities and would represent the largest foreign direct investment to date in Saudi Arabia's petrochemical sector. In 2009, Dow expanded its global R&D footprint by partnering with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology on a multi-year, multi-million dollar joint research framework.
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