SUSTAINABLE

DESALINATION
FROM SALTWATER TO FRESHWATER

© Degrémont’s - Communication Department - Réf. M-D-001-EN-080 - September 2008 - PHILEOG

DEGRÉMONT

183, avenue du 18 juin 1940

92508 Rueil-Malmaison Cedex France
Tel. +33 (0)1 46 25 60 00
Fax. +33 (0)1 42 04 16 99
marketing@degremont.com
www.degremont.com
 THE SUSTAINABLE DESALINATION FROM DEGRéMONT
Salt water:
an alternative resource Degrémont is recognised as the pioneer of desalination through
reverse osmosis. Since the first installation on Houat island
97% of the available water on Earth is salty. in France in 1969, Degrémont has developed and integrated
complementary technologies to produce a sustainable solu-
42 of the 70 cities with more than one million inhabitants without direct access to additional tion. Many references have consolidated its position as world
freshwater resources, are located on the coast. leader in this field.
250 references
worldwide
To meet the domestic, industrial and agricultural water
Nearly 40% of the world’s population suffers from a shortage of freshwater. needs of its customers, Degrémont proposes a unique
By 2050, this number could reach 4 billion. Spain, Mexico, California and the Arab Peninsula desalination offering:
have already opted for the desalination of brackish or sea water to meet their needs and support
their economic development. A mastered solution:
The Degrémont teams combine their know-how and
10 million creativity to build sustainable plants:
inhabitants served
Desalination: - whose performance is tailored to a variety of needs,
- with optimised investment and operating costs,
the answer to the rising need for domestic and industrial water 2 million - with mastered delivery times.
cubic metres produced
Desalination consists in extracting the salt from salty or brackish water to make it suitable A tailor-made solution:
for drinking or usable by industry or for irrigation. For each project, the teams:
In 10 years, production costs have been divided by a factor of 2 thanks to the efforts - mobilise Degrémont’s desalination experts,
of the water treatment industry and the manufacturers of membranes and equipment - propose a specific combination of the Group’s proven
(pumps, turbines, pressure exchangers). and innovative products,
500,000 m3/d - analyse the raw water quality, examine environmental
of water produced impacts and define the appropriate treatment line
The main techniques... by plants operated
by Degrémont
technology.

- Distillation is the oldest technology used. An industrialised solution:

It combines evaporation with condensation to guarantee final salinity The Degrémont teams rely on
of less than 10 mg/L. - proven Engineering-Procurement-Contracting and Operating
processes,
- The most recent technique, Reverse Osmosis, is a membrane-based - modern tools for design (3D), and for site management (scheduling,
separation process which enables more than 99.9% of the salts present logistics),
in the water to be captured. - a worldwide network of recognised equipment suppliers.
iple of
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PURIFICATION REVERSE OSMOSIS REFINING

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Semi- OP
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permeable Osmotic
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menbrane Pressure
RAW TREATED
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WATER WATER

DIRECT OSMOSIS OSMOTIC EQUILIBRIUM REVERSE OSMOSIS

• Algae, Plankton • Small • Minerals
• Suspended solids, • Salts
Colloids
• Pathogens
• Macro-molecules

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 Sustainable desalination:
a mastered water treatment solution... ...for various applications

An ecological solution:
With the Degrémont solution,
the Environment is protected:
A flexible solution:
• Energy needs can be met from renewable
The Degrémont solution is suited to all contexts: energy sources such as wind, tidal or solar
power,
• Use in coastal areas to treat seawater, or inland • Special design of the water intakes ensuring
to treat brackish water, no impact on the aquatic environment,
• Freshwater production automatically adjustable • Treatment of washing water before discharge
according to seasonal variations, and diffusion of brine without disrupting the
• Supply from various energy sources (steam, aquatic equilibrium.
electricity, wind-power).

Consumption
Manufacturing
An economical solution:
With the Degrémont solution,
costs are controlled:

• Combination of standardised processes,

• Greater yield from reverse osmosis units
and membrane longevity owing to the
Treated water requirements
efficiency of the purification treatment,
Growing • Reduced consumption of external energy
Supplement by Supplement by through the use of recovery systems.
reverse osmosis reverse osmosis
A scalable solution:
thermal process
The Degrémont solution changes
Seawater
in line with the customer’s needs: Brackish water

Jan Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Example of a hybrid installation
in the Middle East, where
Degrémont solution supplements
the thermal water
production process
• Automatic regulation of freshwater
production to meet demand,
• Increase in the production capacity
of existing plants by adding equipment
modules of various sizes,
• Thermal power plant energy consumption
optimisation by the case of hybrid
installations combining thermal desalination Price index trend for desalination
plants built by Degrémont
and reverse osmosis.

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 Sustainable desalination:
the tailor-made
integrator solution

As a designer of original processes

and an integrator of the most
advanced technologies, Degrémont
develops tailor-made technological
solutions for its customers.
Thanks to the wide range of products
available to them, the Group’s
desalination experts are putting together
the best technical combinations.

Two key objectives:

• Ensure reliability of each treatment
step, in particular purification,
which is the key to Reverse Osmosis
desalination, as it determines the
efficiency of the membrane systems.
• Optimise overall operation of the plant.

Purification Desalination Refining Ecosystem

Ultraviolet disinfection, Aquaray™

Reverse Osmosis rack

Find out more about the

desalination technologies in the

Water
Treatment
L Filtration on media, Aquazur™
Handbook
L Saltwater and Washing water L Saltwater L Seawater L Brackish water

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 specialised teams
for industrialised solutions
Backed by its desalination design, construction
and operations experts, Degrémont mobilises its
personnel skills for each project, to produce a solution
compatible with the needs of its customers.
The commitment and motivation of its staff mean that Degrémont
can rapidly supply its customers with efficient and reliable plants
at optimum investment and operating cost, guaranteeing
the quality of water required for consumption, manufacturing
or agriculture.
Operations [150staff]
The 150 people dedicated to operation
of the Degrémont solutions:
- can draw on 40 years experience of operation of desalination plants,
- guarantee the longevity of the equipment under their responsibility,
- guarantee controlled operating costs.
Our Design-Build-Operate (DBO) contracts have, over the years,
benefited from the technological improvements developed
by Research & Development department of the Group.
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Expertise - Design [170 staff]
The 170 people dedicated to assessment
and design of Degrémont solutions:
- are committed to a technological optimisation approach aiming
to enhance the reliability of the operations upstream of purification,
- are developing specific processes for treating the washing water
before discharge,
- are developing solutions to improve the overall hydraulic efficiency.
Degrémont has developed methods and tools enabling it
to define the treatment chain best suited to each type of water.
THE DEGRÉMONT
GUARANTEE:
• Dedicated resources
• Optimum costs
• Short delivery times
Construction [200 staff]
The 200 people dedicated to the construction
of Degrémont solutions:
- build on the experience feedback from the operators
as of the design phase,
- can be assigned to project teams combining
the various skills required, for simplified
customer relations,
- manage risks, control costs and deadlines.
Our Design-Build (DB) contracts always involve
start-up plus training of the operating teams.
 Sustainable desalination:
numerous references

As a major Environmental player, Degrémont offers its customers

sustainable solutions. More than 250 plants built in 40 years, inclu-
ding about ten currently in operation, are producing desalinated
water in the four corners of the world. Whatever the customer’s
problem, Degrémont can propose the right technical and eco-
nomic solution, up to and including financing.

In 2005, in Curaçao in the Dutch Antilles, we delivered an

18,000 m3/d plant, while in 2009 the Barcelona plant in
Spain will be producing 200,000 m3/d. In Fujaïrah in the
United Arab Emirates, the plant is producing 170,500 m3/d
of desalinated water, from an initial salt concentration
of 40 g/L.

Depending on the quality of the raw water, Degrémont

defines the most suitable and the most reliable purifica-
tion line, to optimise the efficiency and longevity of the
osmosis membranes. Curaçao, Antilles, 2006
Drinking water from seawater
In the Minera la Escondida (45,000 m3/d) plant in Chile,
Aquadaf rapid flotation units supplement Mediazur filters,
while in Palma de Mallorca (68,000 m3/d) in Spain, a battery
of Mediazur filters alone proved to be adequate. In Wadi
Ma’In (129,000 m3/d) in Jordan, Pulsatube clarification was
chosen, followed by Aquazur V filtration.

In recent years, the Degrémont teams have been able to

deliver plants in record time. For example, in Perth, Australia
(140,000 m3/d) production started up only 18 months after
engineering studies began.
Minera Escondida, Chile, 2006 Bahia de Palma, Spain, 1999 Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, 2006 Barka, Oman, 2007
Industrial water from seawater Drinking water from seawater Drinking water and irrigation from seawater Drinking water from seawater
Finally, Degrémont’s three integrated professional areas, Design,
Building and Operation, mean that it can round off its offering with
financing as part of a BOT (Build Operate Transfer) contract, such as
that for Pemex (13,400 m3/d) in Mexico.

El Atabal, Spain, 2003 Wadi Ma’in, Jordan, 2006 Perth, Australia, 2007
Drinking water from brackish water Drinking water from brackish water Drinking water from seawater

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