Toray Industries, Inc. announced that a large-scale wastewater treatment facility has started purifying water with its latest ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technology.
The wastewater facility located in the Wuxi New District, an industrial park in Wuxi, China, was built by GreenTech Environmental Co., Ltd., a leading provider of advanced membrane treatment solutions. GreenTech selected Toray’s advanced high-surface-area HFUG-2020AN UF mode (HFUG) for its unparalleled performance to meet China’s stringent Class III surface water quality requirement and to offer significant cost reductions for the 34,000-ton facility.
Keeping capital and operating expenses low by not drastically modifying existing configurations and increasing the throughput are a goal of water treatment technologies today. On its durable polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane layer, HFUG has a pore size of 0.01 micron, equivalent to one-fifth thousandth the diameter of a human hair, effectively removing suspended solids and microorganisms in wastewater. Using the same proven membrane layer, Toray has applied proprietary fabrication methods to produce thinner hollow fibers, while maintaining integrity and permeability. The thinner hollow fibers in HFUG result in an active membrane area of 90 square meters, a 25% increase compared to models with similar dimensions. Furthermore, the high-surface-area module requires less piping and valve components and an overall reduction of system real estate of 20%, thus significantly reducing capital costs.
Since its commercialization in 2019, several water and wastewater treatment facilities worldwide are using the new UF technology. In Idaho, U.S., a water district selected HFUG to treat up to 10,000 tons of sewage daily. In Poland, an industrial water treatment facility uses HFUG to supply 7,500 tons of water every day.
HFUG is recognized for its superior operational stability, compact offering and economic performance. As part of the Toray Group’s Sustainability Vision and long-term corporate vision, Toray Vision 2030, Toray aims to use HFUG and membrane technologies in RO, NF, UF and MBR resolve global water challenges.