Recently, ChemChina held the acceptance meeting for one project of the National Science and Technology Support Program titled “the Research and Demonstration of Key Technologies for Forward Osmosis Desalination,” which was implemented under the leadership of Hangzhou Water Treatment. The acceptance expert team highly appraised the world's largest forward osmosis desalination demonstration project completed by Hangzhou Water Treatment and agreed to pass the acceptance.
This project, co-undertaken by Hangzhou Water Treatment and East China University of Science and Technology during the “12th Five-Year Plan” period, was designed to conduct research on key technologies such as forward osmosis membrane materials, membrane modules, and liquid extraction. The process unit of seawater pumping, pretreatment, forward osmosis desalination, recovery of extractant, and mineralization after water production is finally integrated to develop forward-osmosis desalination project producing 500 tons per day.
The forward osmosis technology is currently the world’s most cutting-edge water purification and desalination technology. Many well-known research institutes and membrane companies at home and abroad are committed to the R&D of forward osmosis technology, but most of them still focused on laboratory tests. Their Processes and applications remain at the stage of trial and commercial development. Hangzhou Water Treatment has relied on the support of the national science and technology program and the existing research and technical personnel team to cooperate with well-known R&D institutions at home and abroad to overcome many technical problems and jointly develop forward osmosis desalination technology, taking the lead in setting up the world’s first forward-osmosis desalination demonstration project in China. The project is currently the world’s largest forward osmosis desalination project, with water production capacity, water recovery rate, and energy consumption of water production reaching the world's leading level.
The successful acceptance of the project has once again made Hangzhou Water Treatment a pacesetter in the industry technology. Innovation leads development, and science and technology make achievements for the future. In the next step, Hangzhou Water Treatment will continue to do more research and develop water treatment-related technologies. It will commit itself to applying research achievements in boosting productivity and promote the better development and utilization of water resources, as a way of giving back to society.