DuPont Water Solutions, a business unit of DuPont Safety & Construction, will now offer dry-tested seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) elements to the industry. Newly launched next-generation SWRO technology enables customers to transition from wet to dry testing, which increases shelf life and offers more flexibility for storage. In addition, dry SWRO improves sustainability, safety, and ergonomics during operation. Dry SWRO products will continue to meet or exceed membrane performance standards to achieve long-term operational benefits.
"Our business strives to further innovation in everything we do,” said HP Nanda, global vice president and general manager, DuPont Water Solutions. “With focused research efforts and deep expertise in membrane development and design, dry-tested seawater reverse osmosis elements are expected to transform the water industry as we know it and take desalination to the next level.”
Dry SWRO membranes help reduce energy consumption and decrease carbon dioxide emissions with a lower membrane weight and alternative testing process.
“If yearly desalination demand for a large installation is supplied with dry elements, emission savings are equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from 7 million miles driven by a passenger vehicle or the carbon dioxide emissions from 3 million pounds of coal burned,” said Verónica García Molina, global marketing leader for Municipal Water at DuPont Water Solutions. “Our high process standards and automated manufacturing deliver exceptional technology performance.”
Enhanced reliability and operations
Dry SWRO elements offer customers significant advantages over wet elements, given the requirement to monitor and eventually replace preservation solutions for wet membranes. Since dry-tested membranes do not need to be stored with the solution, they help enable longer storage times, lower labor costs and easier, long-term warehouse planning.
DuPont FilmTec elements that have been dry tested will have an extended six months under warranty compared to wet elements, which typically start after installation or six months after delivery. Dry-tested SWRO membranes also are safer to install due to a 4 kg reduction in weight and ease of handling.
