GE technology tackles wastewater treatment regulations

MANILA, Philippines - As the population of urban cities in the Philippines like Manila and Cebu continue to grow, so does the wastewater generated by these mega-cities.  The environmental impact of the resulting wastewater discharge has drawn the attention of regulators, and the urgency to properly treat wastewater is seen to only heighten even more over the near future.  Fortunately, membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology exists to effectively address this issue in the country today.

“GE has the broad experience, proven track record and success with wastewater treatment projects worldwide,” states John Alcordo, country executive for GE Energy Infrastructure in the Philippines/Guam.  “GE’s Zee Weed membrane technology has been proven for more than two decades for wastewater treatment and water reuse.  GE has the world’s largest installed base of MBR systems that use Zee Weed membranes to produce the highest quality of water for reuse.  More than 600 of GE’s Zee Weed MBR plants are in operation, in design or under construction worldwide and are becoming widely deployed for small to very large municipal and industrial plants.  The suitability of this GE technology to the wastewater treatment concerns in the Philippines is high,” adds Alcordo.

One such GE installation in Asia Pacific worth citing is in New Zealand.   To comply with stricter environmental requirements, Rotorua, New Zealand has selected GE’s advanced MBR technology for the upgrade of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. This will be the largest MBR plant in New Zealand.

GE will supply an MBR filtration system featuring its ZeeWeed 500d ultrafiltration (UF) membranes to the Rotorua District Council for the upgrade project, which is expected to be completed by June of 2011. The MBR retrofit will enhance the plant’s capacity to handle its growing wastewater treatment needs and meet the country’s tighter discharge regulations without building additional, costly structures, such as clarifiers or process tanks. The wastewater treatment plant serves about 70,000 people.

GE’s MBR technology will enable Rotorua to significantly reduce the concentration of faecal coliforms (a form of harmful bacteria) in the plant’s discharge water.  “The retrofit solution will enable the plant to process increasing flows and meet the latest environmental discharge criteria while reducing structural costs and making good use of the existing infrastructure,” said Greg Manzano of the Rotorua District Council.

“As our first project in New Zealand, this is another milestone for our wastewater treatment technology,” said Jeff Connelly, vice president, engineered systems-water and process technologies for GE Power & Water. “We have been working closely with the Rotorua District Council since March of 2009 to develop the best technology solution to meet the city’s specific wastewater needs.”

ZeeWeed 500 is certified as a GE ecomagination product. Ecomagination is GE’s commitment to address challenges such as the need for cleaner, more efficient sources of energy, reduced emissions and abundant sources of clean water.