Effluent Reuse for High-Quality Demineralized Water

MRC - Alon Tavor

  • Aviv Toledano
  • April 10, 2024
  • BlueGen Water®

BlueGen Water was awarded a contract for the production of demineralized water by utilizing two types of water sources—effluent and tap water—to ensure a constant water supply to a power station.

MRC - Alon Tavor

  • Client: MRC
  • Type: Industrial
  • Segment: Power station
  • Location: Northern Israel
  • Capacity: 105 m3/h
  • Type of Contract: EPC
  • Solution: Production of demin water from municipal effluent
  • Tech Solution: UF, Double-pass RO, EDI
  • Scope: Design, engineering, procurement, construction and supply.

BlueGen Water®

Effluent Reuse for High-Quality Demineralized Water

Overview: MRC operates a power station in Alon Tavor, Northern Israel, where electricity production levels must adhere to the requirements set by Israel’s Ministry of Energy, particularly regarding peak electricity consumption fluctuations, especially during summer. BlueGen Water’s solution utilizes two types of water sources—effluent and tap water—to ensure a constant water supply to the station.

BlueGen Water Solution: BlueGen Water’s solution utilizes two types of water sources —effluent and tap water to ensure a constant water supply to the station. These two methods of water sources result in variations in average permeate fluxes and recovery ratios, necessitating online monitoring of the system to prevent fouling of UF and RO membranes and ensure stable and reliable operation.

The production of high-quality, demineralized water, free of dissolved solids, for processes or cooling water, based on the reuse of municipal effluent, marks a pioneering initiative in Israel, demonstrating its revolutionary impact. This initiative also complies with the stringent standards set by the Israeli Ministry of Health and embraces circular economy principles. The lower cost of effluent compared to tap water significantly reduces operational costs and holds substantial economic potential, addressing the critical issue of water source scarcity, which poses a bottleneck to industrial development on both local and global scales.

The plant boasts a capacity of 105 m3/h demineralized water, exceeding the customer’s initial requirement of 90 m3/h, and serving as a backup for redundancy purposes. It consists of three sub-plants, each capable of producing 35 m3/h of demineralized water, occupying a relatively small footprint initially determined by the available space provided by local authorities.

This EPC project involved coordinating multiple subcontractors of various types to ensure the plant’s infrastructure and civil engineering works were secured. The test-run is set to commence shortly and will conclude within two months. The water treatment stages include Ultrafiltration (UF) pretreatment, a double-pass RO, and EDI (Electrodeionization), all conducted with a stringent focus on quality assurance.

BlueGen Water®

Key Features and Innovations:

Reduced environmental impact and footprint
Reduction of water footprint
Cost efficiency through alternative cheaper water source
Effluent reuse produces demineralized water
Cost-effective solution reduces purchasing expenses
Plant exceeds capacity, ensuring redundancy backup
Quick ROI