GE WATER & Process Technologies opened an expansion of its Sorocaba production facility located in São Paulo, Brazil on 25 August 2008.

The facility will begin assembling reverse osmosis equipment for use in the food and beverage, oil, gas, water and steel production industries. Prior to the expansion, these filtration systems had to be imported from the US.

According to the manufacturer, regional demand is expected to grow by 25% in the next three years. The extension will help to accelerate delivery times by up to 60%.

The company says the expansion will allow the plant to produce up to 300 reverse osmosis units every year. The products are available with a treatment capacity ranging from 380 to 1890L per minute.

The reverse osmosis membranes have microscopic pores on the filter surface. The developer claims this design can remove all impurities from source water. It is suitable for seawater desalination, ultra-pure water production and wastewater re-use applications.