BASF's ultrafiltration business bags contract for desalination plant in Jamnagar

Inge GmbH, a subsidiary of BASF SE and one of the leading global players in ultrafiltration (UF) membranes, has secured a contract to supply high-capacity ultrafiltration technology for a desalination plant in Jamnagar, Gujarat. More than 4,000 modules from the T-Rack 3.0 series will provide 450,000 cubic meters of pre-treated water per day to one of the country’s largest oil refineries.
 
The desalination plant is built by IDE Technologies, one of the world’s leading water treatment specialists, and will use Inge UF to protect the sensitive reverse osmosis membranes and to minimise the energy footprint of the plant. After multiple sea water pre-treatment steps, the desalination plant will deliver up to 170,000 cubic meters of process water per day.
 
“Onsite pilot testing confirmed that our T-Rack 3.0 ultrafiltration modules meet the very demanding performance requirements in terms of process stability, filtrate quality and yield, especially during the monsoon period. Our unique technology delivers a continuous supply of pre-filtered water at a consistently high quality level independent of seasonal fluctuations with high turbidity, thereby helping to reduce the plant's energy and operating cost significantly,” explained Bruno Steis, CEO, Inge.
 
The German-made modules are scheduled for delivery by the end of this year. The entire desalination plant is scheduled for commissioning in 2015 and represents one of the biggest ultrafiltration plants currently being built anywhere in the world.
 
Steis added, “The Jamnagar project is a landmark in our company’s history. It demonstrates that Inge ultrafiltration membrane technology delivers exceptional performance at large-scale for multiple industries in need of innovative, sustainable and cost-effective solutions for water filtration.”