Dow Water Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company and a global leader in water purification, seawater desalination, contamination removal and water reuse solutions, showcased new developments in water technology and discussed its recent regional investments at the Saudi Water and Power Forum in Jeddah.
Dow Water Solutions was launched two years ago as a market-facing business unit to address some of the world’s toughest water challenges. In a short span, it has evolved from being the world’s largest manufacturer of reverse osmosis (RO) water purification membranes to becoming an industry leader providing a broad range of solutions for multiple water purification applications.
Commenting on Dow Water Solutions’ participation at Saudi Water and Power Forum 2008, Andreas Gorenflo, Middle East sales manager, Dow Water Solutions, described Saudi Arabia as a very strategic market for the company.
It highlighted its solutions to enable attainable, affordable and sustainable water sourcing or treatment options for desalination, wastewater treatment, industrial process water, ultra-pure water and other applications.
Dow Water Solutions’ high-performance Filmtec membranes are operational in some of the most water-challenged areas of the world including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan. In partnership with Wetico Saudi Berkefeld, the recently-launched Shoaiba Barge SeaWater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) plant is one of Saudi Arabia’s largest RO seawater desalination plants and the world’s largest sea-based desalination plant. Shoaiba produces more than 50,000 cu m per day using Filmtec membrane elements.
Over the years, improvements in Flmtec RO membrane elements have provided a threefold increase in the amount of treated water per element while reducing energy costs in desalination and other water purification and re-use projects around the world. Currently, desalination plants with Dow technology enable more than 218 million gallons of freshwater per day in Tampa Bay, FL, USA; Perth, Australia; and many other sites around the globe.
Dow has been present in Saudi Arabia through several joint ventures including the recent benchmark agreement with Saudi Aramco for the establishment of a joint venture that will develop and operate a world-scale chemicals and plastics production plant at Ras Tanura in the east of the country.
Dow Water Solutions is a performance-based business unit comprising world-class brands and enabling component technologies designed to advance the science of water purification around the world, including seawater desalination, contaminant removal and water reuse. With more than 1,000 employees worldwide, the business maintains five production facilities globally to manufacture, market and sell reverse osmosis membranes, ion exchange resins, titanium-based arsenic removal media, ultrafiltration, and electrodeionisation components. Dow Water Solutions also manufactures markets and sells premier water purification systems in China.
With annual sales of $54 billion and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a diversified chemical company that delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in around 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products.
