Reclamation Remains Promising Water Treatment Market

Online, August 8, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Water conservation has long been practiced in arid regions. However, with the current fad toward "all things green", the phrase is now in vogue as greater emphasis is placed on the careful use of water. In places facing water shortages-either because of heavy industrial activity, agricultural irrigation, or denser populations-conservation, tied in with reclaim and reuse is viewed as the best way to stretch water supplies.

Because of the increasing emphasis on reclamation, this segment of the water business is a growing, multibillion-dollar market, the lead article in the August on-line issue of Ultrapure Water journal reported.

The August issue, which is now on line at the Ultrapure Water [url:http://www.ultrapurewater.com[/url] web site, also features two technical papers on seawater desalination, and an article on membrane autopsies.

The article distinguished between the terms conservation and reclaim. The journal noted that water conservation involves taking steps to use less water either through restrictions, or more efficient practices and equipment. Conversely, water reclamation treats an existing wastewater so that it may safely be reused in some way-say for landscape irrigation or to recharge a drinking water aquifer.

Drivers to the water reclaim market include population growth, maximization of existing water supplies, pressure from activist groups to reuse existing sources, and environmental regulations.

The journal cited a recent study from Frost & Sullivan that said the estimated North American industrial and municipal water reuse market was estimated at more than $1 billion. Frost & Sullivan's 2010 market report, "North American Industrial & Municipal Water Reuse Market", projected that the North American market would reach $1.63 billion in 2016.

Globally, the overall water market was estimated to be about $425 billion in 2010 in separate research analysis by Fredrick Royan, research manager for Frost & Sullivan's Environmental & Building Technologies group in London. He estimated that 8% to 10% of the world market is based around water reclaim and wastewater treatment technologies. It should be noted that the second set of figures is based on an analysis of different market studies and considers other parameters not included in the North American market study.

Two articles in the August issue examine seawater desalination. One article by P. Temple Ballard, Veronique Bonnelye, and Miguel Angel Sanz reviews work in the development and construction of the Barcelona, Spain, desalination plant. The facility, which uses reverse osmosis, is the largest membrane-based desal plant in Europe and is capable of producing 53 million gallons per day of drinking water.

The second desal article by Jill Manning Hudkins, Mark Wilf, Ph.D., and Jarrett Kinslow, examined challenges and solutions for the implementation of seawater desalination plants in the United States.

The August Back to Basics article discusses the use of membrane autopsies as a means to troubleshoot problems associated with reverse osmosis water treatment systems.

Finally Ray Groves, Ph.D., Hans-Jurgen Voss, Michael Ong, and Bob McIntosh report on reclaim of silicon grinder wastewater for water reuse in the manufacture of photovoltaic panels used in solar panels.

In addition to the technical and business articles, the August issue also features news briefs and information about the November Ultrapure Water Micro 2010 conference [url:http://www.ultrapurewater.com/Expo/Phoenix.htm[/url] to be conducted in Phoenix, Arizona. Ultrapure Water's August on-line issue is available at http://www.ultrapurewater.com. Information on Premier Subscriptions are available at the Ultrapure Water web site, or one may also send an email to: [email protected], or call 303/973-6700 for further details.