Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. (KMS) of Wilmington has announced that it was a key supplier to the project that won “Water Project of the Year” at the Global Water Awards on April 22 in London.

KMS is a world-class developer and manufacturer of innovative membranes and membrane filtration and separation systems. The company was recognized along with project manager Thiess/Black & Veatch, for the Bundamba Stage 1A water reclamation project in South East Queensland, Australia.

The annual honor, presented by the International Desalination Association (IDA) and Global Water Intelligence as part of the Water, Finance and Sustainability Conference, recognizes the year’s most significant contribution to water technology and environmental protection.

The Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant (AWTP) Stage 1A initiative is a 7.9 million gallons per day (30 million liters per day) water reclamation system that is part of the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project (WCRWP). The largest recycled water project in the Southern Hemisphere, the WCRWP will provide recycled water to reduce the load on the region’s water supply. The project employs the 18-inch diameter MegaMagnum reverse osmosis (RO) elements from KMS to treat municipal effluent for use as the water supply for cooling towers at the Swanbank and the Tarong power stations. The plant employs four pre-engineered, packaged MegaMagnum systems each holding 65 membrane elements, for a total of 260 membrane elements.

The 18-inch diameter MegaMagnum elements are the world’s largest commercially available spiral wound RO elements. These elements are designed to significantly reduce the cost, footprint and installation time of RO systems. Each 18-by-61-inch MegaMagnum spiral element used for the project contains 2,800 square feetof membrane surface area, compared to 400 square feet in commonly deployed 8-by-40-inch products.

At a cost of AU$2.5 billion, the WCRWP initiative is an innovative and sustainable solution to growing water scarcity in South East Queensland. The packaged MegaMagnum systems used at the Bundamba Advanced Water Treatment Plant enabled fast installation and start-up. Installation of the MegaMagnum RO system began in May 2007 and the plant became operational in August 2007, three weeks ahead of schedule. After eight months, the RO system is performing extremely well, with virtually no evidence of long-term fouling that is often experienced at water reclamation plants. This is a reflection of the teamwork of the parties involved, from an excellent plant design from the project manager Thiess/Black & Veatch, to the quality of the products used at the plant, including the MegaMagnum elements from KMS, to the extremely competent operations team of Veolia and Separation Processes, Inc.

About Koch Membrane Systems

Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. has been a global leader in separation and filtration products for more than 35 years. A designer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art membrane cartridges and elements, as well as complete membrane systems, Koch Membrane Systems products are specified for the most demanding applications. To enhance membrane performance, KMS offers a line of antiscalants and cleaning chemicals, and provides a wide range of maintenance and technical service programs. The company has supplied membranes for more than 15,000 systems installed around the world, serving the food processing, life sciences, and general manufacturing industries, as well as providing potable water and wastewater treatment technologies for communities of all sizes.

Based in Wilmington, Koch Membrane Systems is a Koch Chemical Technology Group, LLC company. For more information on Koch Membrane Systems and its full line of membranes and accessory products, visit www.kochmembrane.com, call 1-888-677-5624 or write to info@kochmembrane.com.