Giving the Big Three Some Love!

 

From some of my posts it may seem like I have something against the Big Three MF/UF system suppliers (Evoqua, GE and Pall). That actually is not the case, and I have a lot of respect for how these companies brought Microfiltration/ Ultrafiltration from a novel drinking water treatment process in the early 1990s to the mainstream technology it is today. Before you read on, I will give a disclaimer that my chronology and facts may not all be correct and I am going from memory via my experience in Australia in the 90’s and what I have been able to verify on the internet.
   

Having been involved with bringing new water treatment technologies to market, I know how corporate pressure to get a return on development costs for shareholders and investors, as well as the need to keep up with competitors, or even the urgency to enter the market due to a regulatory window of opportunity can result in a technology being brought to market before it is fully developed and all kinks are worked out. That was likely the case in the early 90’s when Memtec Ltd. (Memcor in US) and soon after Zenon started trailblazing the application of MF/UF for drinking water filtration.

In the late 80’s before Memtec was bought by US Filter it was a small publically listed company in Australia with some innovative membrane technology but there was a lot of pressure to get wins to demonstrate the potential for the new technology and keep investors happy. Slow adoption in target food and wastewater markets led Memtec to focus on the higher potential drinking water market in the U.S. where tightening regulations was opening up new opportunities (ref). I believe Zenon’s early focus was also in the industrial wastewater market before drinking water opportunities beckoned.

 

Birth of North American MF/UF Market

Numerous sources indicate the first significant sized MF system installed in North America was by Memcor at the 3.6-MGD Saratoga WTP, CA in 1993 (Delphos, Wong). Up to that point there were three MF/UF systems less than 1 MGD installed in the US between 1987 and 1992 (AWWA Journal). After 1993 the growth in MF/UF installations started to grow exponentially (Figure 1), I assume helped by the Milwaukee cryptosporidium outbreak in 1993 and subsequent implementation of more stringent filtration requirements by the EPA’s Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule in 2002 (LT1ESWTR).



Figure 1: U.S. MF & UF Installations (AWWA)

Most of the initial MF systems installed in the 90’s were Memcor systems with Polypropylene (PP) hollow fiber pressurized modules that were not chlorine tolerant.  Sometime in the mid to late 90’s Zenon entered the market with their submerged vacuum driven PVDF membranes that were chlorine resistant. Perhaps due to fouling issues with the PP membrane and higher energy costs, Memcor quickly developed a PVDF submerged membrane to compete with Zenon. I was visiting Memcor’s Memfarm R&D site at Windsor outside Sydney in the late 90s when they were testing their new submerged PVDF MF system at the same time that my company was testing a MIEX ion exchange pilot as pretreatment to a Memcor MF pilot. Both technologies were first implemented on the full-scale in 1999 at South Australian Water Corp’s Mount Pleasant WTP, near Adelaide, SA.

By the end of the 90’s, Memcor/US Filter and Zenon were the ‘Big Two’ in the MF/UF Market. In the late 90’s, Pall, who at that time had little or no experience municipally, entered the market with Asahi’s Microza PVDF pressurized MF membrane module. By then, submerged/vacuum membranes had become the preferred configuration, particularly for large systems, but by the mid-2000s fierce competition between US Filter and Zenon had resulted in product modifications to increase cost competitiveness. This may have been responsible for emerging issues with membrane fiber and module integrity. Some of the issues may also have been because the technology was being pushed into more challenging applications. The Asahi membrane fiber did not have the same integrity issues, possibly due to the manufacturing method as claimed by Pall (called the TIPS process), although I think the fact the Asahi fiber was twice as thick and Memcor and Zenon’s also was a major factor (Based on current experience with Dow membranes manufactured the same way as Memcor and Zenon but having same thickness as Asahi). Pall capitalized on the integrity problems experienced by US Filter and Zenon and quickly grew to be the market leader by the late 2000s, with pressurized modules now back in vogue.

Figure 2: Vacuum Membrane Systems from Zenon (R) and US Filter (L)

But I didn’t really want to dwell on the history of how the Big Three got into the drinking water MF/UF market, and intended to focus on some of their  process developments that are taken for granted today and are being taken advantage of by new entrants to the market.

 I already indicated the move to chlorine resistant PVDF membranes, and chlorine resistant membranes in general, which went a long way to reducing fouling rates of membranes by allowing cleaning with sodium hypochlorite. This also allowed Maintenance Cleans (MCs) or Chemically Enhanced Backwashes (CEBs) using chlorine or chlorine/caustic where a MC/CEB is conducted every 1-7 days to reduce irreversible fouling and CIP frequencies. I think this was first developed by Pall and is now common practice at all MF/UF installations.

Another discovery was the use of Aluminum Chlorohydrate (ACH) as a coagulant for organics removal and to reduce organic fouling in preference to Alum and Ferric Salts. I may have had an indirect role in that discovery. In the mid-90s I was working for a company in Australia that manufactured ACH and we converted a direct filtration WTP near Geelong, Victoria (Barwon Water’s Wurdee Boluc WTP) from Alum to ACH.  After they found out that ACH extended filter run times and reduced sludge volumes (more compact floc at lower Al doses), Barwon Water’s Engineering Manager took a drum of ACH to the Meredith WTP, where they had just started up a 2.5 ML/d Memtec MF plant, I think one of the largest MF plants in Australia at the time. The feed water had a high TOC level and with direct Alum dosing in the feed, they had to do a CIP on a weekly basis due to rapid TMP buildup (give or take – I am going from memory). When they changed to ACH, the CIP frequency was reduced to monthly, reducing chemical use significantly and increasing plant uptime. Soon after, Memtec started buying ACH from our company and rebadging it for their membrane installations worldwide.

 There is no doubt that Memcor (now Evoqua) and Zenon (now GE) had to endure a lot of hard times in developing the North American MF/UF drinking water market, optimizing process operation while still learning the limitations of the technology. I am sure Pall also went through some learning pains as these companies developed the MF/UF technology into the robust and reliable process it is today (not to forget the engineers who also had to work out how to specify these systems…).  These companies probably lost a lot of money on projects in the early days. I know there have been other membrane companies also involved in developing the market over the past 20 years, but my focus here has been on the major players in terms of market share in North America.

In recent years, new entrants to the market have had a free ride being able to replicate aspects of Asahi’s membrane fiber and using process operating conditions learned from the blood sweat and tears of the Big Three over the past 20 years.

So while I may get frustrated at the slow rate of adoption of the new membrane modules on the market and acceptance of the OEMs who build systems using these, the Big Three have certainly earned their Brand Equity for all their hard work in bringing MF/UF filtration of drinking water to the mainstream and creating the municipal MF/UF market that exists today.

Delphos, P; “Membrane Filtration Basics 101”, VA AWWA Plant Operations Committee, Operations Conference, Virginia Beach, VA, May 2014

Wong, J; “California Leads the Way in Drinking Water Membrane Filtration”, WaterWorld Vol 28, Issue 7, 2012.



Should ACE Merge with WEFTEC?

Now the dust has settled on AWWA’s ACE15 and with WEFTEC on the horizon there have been the usual grumblings from some exhibitors and sales reps that they wished ACE would merge with WEFTEC. The argument is ACE is getting weaker, losing out to a growing WEFTEC so it would be a lot more time and cost effective for all of us if there was just one combined conference. So is that the feeling of the majority of the industry or just a disgruntled segment, or a segment of a segment?

I don’t have quantitative data but from someone who has exhibited at every ACE since 2000 and been to about five WEFTECs in the past 10 years, here is what seems to have happened to the two conferences from a show floor perspective:

Numbers at ACE in San Diego appeared to plummet in 2009 when the recession hit and it seemed to me people had to start choosing between ACE and WEFTEC due to reduced budgets. WEFTEC won because more products are sold into wastewater, there are more wastewater practitioners due to water treatment systems being more consolidated than wastewater – plus wastewater always needs treatment while more 50% of water systems just ad chlorine, so the sales reps sell a lot more equipment into wastewater treatment.

There also seems to be a lot more specialty conferences compared to 10 years ago with AMTA and its regional affiliates growing with increased membrane use, interest in reuse conferences due to water scarcity, biosolids conferences, etc… Many manufacturers and reps are just ‘conferenced out’. The timing of ACE probably does not help coming just after the busy spring conference season and during the first week of school vaction for many (although that is good for the university research community). WEFTEC on the other hand is just after the summer vacation period after virtually no trade shows for a few months. Maybe that is why the atmosphere at WEFTEC is like a school reunion (or Frat party) while at ACE It is more like a church social.

So would the industry be better off taking the advice of the sales reps and some manufacturers and merging WEFTEC and ACE into a mega waterpalooza? I don’t think so. Those that are complaining are just hanging out at the exhibit hall and I am sure not attending any presentations, without which there wouldn’t be a conference. The presentations and workshops are what bring over half the attendees to ACE providing a forum for presenters to talk about their research and teach delegates about the latest developments in the industry. If there was a merging of conferences, here is what I think the negatives would be for the drinking water industry:

-          There would be a lot less opportunities for water research presentations (and wastewater also) where it would not be possible to accommodate combining the size of the existing two programs. With less presentations from the universities available, research funds may be cut (where researchers need to show where their work is being presented and published) and the students will get less exposure to the real world practitioners and future employers.

-          Many of the more technical papers will be forced to go to the specialty conferences which are not as well attended and therefore will get less exposure to the general industry.

-          The manufacturers that specialize in water treatment products would be lost amongst the mega-wastewater supplier booths and difficult to find by the water treatment delegates walking the floor.

-          There certainly won’t be the same number of delegates and booths with both conferences combined, so which organization is going to take a cut in revenue?? Or will the complaining reps and manufacturers be happy with a combined show that has twice the registration fee and booth fee to be revenue neutral?

I could go on and on but the bottom line is for the good of the water industry, for the promotion of research and to provide a networking forum for those who specialize in the drinking water industry, ACE should remain separate from WEFTEC. If less reps go to ACE and some more manufacturers decide to just go to WEFTEC, good riddance as they won’t be missed by those serious about the betterment of the industry.

Membrane Module Warranties for Non-Proprietary MF/UF Systems - How They Work

I have often had questions from engineers and owners about how the MF/UF membrane module warranty is provided when the manufacturer of these membranes is different from the manufacturer of the membrane system. This confusion is understandable since traditionally the suppliers of low-pressure membrane systems (Pall, Siemens/Evoqua, GE) have also supplied their own proprietary membranes (Pall does not manufacture its MF membranes, but has exclusive access to Asahi’s Microza membranes in North America and some other regions). Therefore in the past, the membrane system warranty and membrane module warranty have originated from the same entity.

Wigen Manufactured UF Skid with Toray Modules

With the emergence in recent years of non-proprietary MF/UF systems built by companies such as Wigen Water Technologies and H2O Innovation that use ultrafiltration modules provided by companies such as Toray, Dow and Hydranautics, the question is often raised as to who provides the membrane module warranty and who does the customer call if there is a warranty issue?

The process of providing the extended membrane module warranty is not unlike that which has been in place for RO membrane elements for many years, although of course there are a lot of different and more complex requirements for a hollow fiber MF/UF membrane warranty. Typically, when an OEM is reviewing specifications for a MF/UF system, the OEM will share with the membrane module manufacturer (MMM) the proposed system design including design flux and cleaning regimes and water quality data along with the warranty requirements. In many cases the MMM will also provide a projection for the proposed plant design. Based on this information, the MMM will provide to the OEM a warranty that meets the requirements of the specifications or in some cases may provide some exceptions. This warranty is based on an agreed system design between the MMM and OEM. In my experience, the MMM will not provide the OEM with an extended warranty without reviewing the relevant sections of the specifications and the OEM’s proposed design. This warranty is then passed through the OEM to the system owner. Any warranty claims for both the membrane equipment and membrane modules are made direct to the OEM, as is also the case for the proprietary membrane system suppliers.

Therefore, as far as the system owner is concerned, the membrane module warranty provided for non-proprietary MF/UF systems is no different from what has been provided in the past for proprietary systems, with all claims made to the MF/UF system manufacturer (OEM).

2015 AMTA/AWWA Annual Membrane Conference Highlights

Scinor Makes Splash with Direct Retrofit UF Modules!

 

Without a doubt from my perspective, the launch of Scinor’s direct retrofit UF modules was the breaking news of the 2015 AMTA/AWWA Annual Membrane Conference a few weeks ago in Orlando FL. The emergence of direct retrofit UF modules for Pall, GE and Evoqua/Memcor systems could just be the catalyst to push the MF/UF market to commoditization.

Scinor Water Limited, based in Beijing, China, is making modules of exactly the same configuration as Pall, GE, Memcor and Dow modules using a TIPS ultrafiltration fiber which they claim is equivalent to the TIPS fiber used in Pall’s modules (made by Asahi) and stronger than the NIPS fibers used in the Memcor, GE and Dow modules. Scinor’s US business is headed up by some very experienced ex-Pall employees so they should know what they are talking about. According to their literature, Scinor currently has about 100 installations using their membranes, nearly all in China with a total installed capacity of 210 MGD. I don’t believe they have published what the split of these installations are between GE, Pall, Dow, etc. retrofits.

Scinor certainly made a grand entrance to the US membrane market at the 2015 AWWA/AMTA Annual Membrane Conference with a booth, major sponsorship and comprehensive technical and sales literature. Their membranes have also been challenge tested to receive EPA LT2 log removal credits by the California DPH. My understanding is that the initial UF market entry strategy is to pursue replacement opportunities for older Memcor, Pall and GE installations. This is a pretty sound strategy where they can potentially get their modules in use quickly to get reference installations and hopefully demonstrate reliable performance while in parallel establishing relationships with OEMs to use their modules in new installations.

At the conference I asked the opinion of one of the membrane experts from a major consulting firm and he likened Scinor to the street salesman with imitation watches under his jacket. The image of a cheap imitation membrane company from China will be something Scinor has to manage to be seriously considered. The US team certainly has some very savvy Pall guys on their team (marketing and engineering) which should at least provide initial credibility and open some doors.

Whille replacements at existing systems will provide some quick cash flow, the key to long term success of Scinor will be acceptance by independent OEMs who use Dow and Toray modules such as H2O Innovation and Wigen Water Technologies. I can't see Pall, GE and Evoqua buying their modules for new systems. Wigen and H2O are unlikely to want to use Pall and GE knockoffs as these have much less membrane surface area than the Dow and Toray modules and would not be efficiently used on their Open Platform/Universal UF racks with these larger modules.

 

Wigen's Spectrum Series Universal UF Rack on Display at the AMTA/AWWA Conference

 

For large scale installations, we will want to see the Scinor modules in use at retrofits for 2 to 3 years with no membrane integrity issues before we see these modules used in new systems, even if they are a lot lower cost. It will then really be up to the engineers and water utilities to first approve these membranes and write them into specifications before they are seriously considered for an initial Open Platform UF rack inventory.