Aerial view of the Hampton Loade water treatment works in the United Kingdom.

Image credit : South Staffs Water.

World’s largest ceramic membrane-based water treatment works in development using PWNT innovations

The United Kingdom’s South Staffs Water, a regulated clean-water company, serving 1.3 million people and 35,000 businesses, is upgrading its Hampton Loade Water Treatment Works using PWNT’s CeraMac® technologies. Once completed in August 2024, it will be the world’s largest ceramic membrane-based water treatment works.

The upgraded Hampton Loade water treatment works, near Bridgnorth in Shropshire, produces 210 MLD and serves up to 700,000 customers. It is the first retrofit of its kind in an existing water treatment works and the largest deployment of ceramic membrane technology in the United Kingdom. Part of a £55M rebuilding and refurbishment project at Hampton Loade water treatment works, it will be based on an innovative and environmentally sustainable ceramic membrane-based water-filtration system using technology provided by PWNT, part of Saur Group’s Industrial Water Solutions (IWS) division.

With a focus on improving water quality sustainably, specialist engineering service company Ross Shire Engineering (RSE) is working closely with technology solution provider Nijhuis Saur Industries (NSI) UK & Ireland who will deliver the complete water treatment process stream, including the proprietary CeraMac® technology, in partnership with recently acquired PWNT. The CeraMac® technology has already been utilised in full-scale at plants in the UK, Singapore, Switzerland, Scotland and The Netherlands. PWNT’s ceramic membrane-based water-filtration solution will further enhance water quality, increase efficiency and reliability, as well as significantly reduce energy consumption, assisting with the water sector’s ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. The uniquely designed pressure vessels to hold the ceramic membranes are being manufactured by Unidro, also part of Saur’s IWS division.

Andy Willicott, managing director at South Staffs Water, said: “We are really excited about the award of this contract and seeing the innovative improvements that the work will bring. It will ensure our customers continue to receive the high-quality and resilient water supplies they expect and pay for, as well as help us on the road to delivering net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. All this will happen with no disruptions to our customers’ supply of water.”

Allan Dallas, managing director at RSE added: “RSE is genuinely excited by the opportunity to work collaboratively with South Staffs Water and its delivery team with the upgrade to the Hampton Loade Water Treatment Works. Ceramic membranes are an innovative new technology that are transforming how the water sector will filter water now and into the future. We pride ourselves in being a business at the forefront of introducing new water treatment and water recycling technologies which support the sustainable and secure growth of the UK economy.”

Clement Pierart, COO, PWNT, shared: “PWNT’s CeraMac® technology has already been successfully implemented in water treatment plants worldwide, with the largest plant-to-date in Singapore producing 180 MLD commissioned in August 2019. We are pleased that our technology is increasingly being recognised for its efficacy, reliability, and sustainability, especially with increased urgency to deal with the world’s water challenges exacerbated by climate change.”

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