The Polymetrics seawater reverse osmosis facility at Ghar Lapsi, Malta is one of the largest seawater RO plants in the world, with an installed capacity of 20,000 cubic meters per day (5.3 US mgd). There are no rivers of any significance on the islands, and the sparse annual rainfall is only about 500 mm. We should also severely question the decision to push forward with a desalination project in the absence of a strategic national water plan. The original building has a footprint of 3,300 square metres, and the plant’s capacity will be around 5,000 m3/d. Meanwhile in a separate programme, farmers in Malta are to be offered reuse water from a polishing plant at Mellieha which was commissioned in May 2017. The first 2,500 m3 is to be free of charge as an incentive. This over-extraction is leading to very high chloride levels, forming a detrimental combination with high nitrate levels from over-fertilisation in agriculture. The French studied how the corporation uses desalination as one component of an integrated water resources management system that includes groundwater extraction and monitoring, reduction of water losses, research projects aimed at reusing wastewater after adequate treatment and the implementation of a metering system that will allow further efficiencies to be achieved. No other reproduction or distribution is permitted without prior written consent. Subscribe below to recieve updates direct to your inbox, 13 September 2017, source desalination.biz. The corporation’s ground water abstraction will be reduced by 4 billion litres per year. The proposed water tunnel aims at reducing the amount of groundwater abstracted – the process to take out the water – to reduce the impact on the water table, and increase the amount of reverse osmosis mixed into the blend . It also needs the support of citizens who will ultimately be the ones to suffer the dire consequences of the current situation. Malta does not want to be in this situation. Together, the three plants will produce seven million m3 a year (20,000 m3/d) of reuse water for agriculture. In 1992 a government owned company, Water Services Corporation (WSC) was formed to supervise the water production and to manage the distribution system throughout the country. In 1983, after a construction period of only 11 months, the first seawater RO facility in Ghar Lapsi became operational. We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. Desalination, 46 (1983) 111 111 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands THE MALTA SEAWATER REVERSE OSMOSIS FACILITY WILLIAM T. ANDREWS, JAMES H. SLEIGH and ROBERT A. BERGMAN Polymetrics, Inc., 1005 Timothy Drive, San Jose, CA 95133 ABSTRACT The Polymetrics seawater reverse osmosis facility at Ghar Lapsi, Malta is one of the largest seawater RO plants … All Rights Reserved | Disclaimer | Credits | Advertising Rate Card, Record €150 Million EU-Funded Malta Water Project Approved, European Economic and Social Committee - EESC, MFSA Approves First Agents For Cryptoassets, GreenPak's iBins Have Already Improved Recycling Rates By 51 Per Cent, Not Enough Support For Cashless Companies In Malta. The Maldives islands are a bitter lesson we must learn from. 0011-9164/86/$03.50 1986 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. 136 water quality; and reduce operating cost, primarily by shut-down of … Google Chrome Get the best of Water Online delivered straight to your Inbox. There is a water deficit in Malta. The … General water accounting matrix, 2003 47 ... volume of TSE produced by the Malta South plant 56 42. All rights reserved. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. The Water Services Corporation (WSC) has recently announced that it will construct a Seawater Reverse Osmosis Plant at Ħondoq ir-Rummien in Gozo. As a result, the existing polishing plant is no longer able to meet EU drinking water standards at cost-effective prices. Copyright © 2020 Times of Malta. The island of Gozo, part of Malta, currently relies … Independent journalism costs money. A new reverse osmosis plant is also being built in Gozo with a production capacity of 9 million litres per day. This can be highlighted by the introduction of sea-water desalination technology in the 1980’s, and the continued improvement of the operational efficiency of these desalination plants. Malta has few desalination plants by reverse osmosis technology. Source: LG Chem. There are no rivers of any significance on the islands, and the sparse annual rainfall is only about 500 mm. Singapore to tender S$5 billion of water and waste works, UK/Saudi initiative targets low-cost carbon neutral desalination using solar dome, Keppel unveils designs for Marina East Desalination Plant, Toray to supply RO and UF membranes to Brazil’s largest SWRO plant acquired Woongjin Chemicals (CSM), NanoH2O releases new projection software version. Malta’s seawater desalination plants are being upgraded to produce more water using less energy. Source: LG Chem . The reality is that illegal groundwater extraction in Gozo, as in Malta, is believed to be at the same level as WSC’s own extraction, pushing totals well beyond the aquifers’ sustainable limits. Copyright © or There is a water deficit in Malta. It is important to point out that production of fresh water by reverse osmosis costs six to eight times that of groundwater. So a pertinent question arises: why is a reverse osmosis plant being considered? Malta’s seawater desalination plants are being upgraded to produce more water using less energy. Malta is an archipelago of three islands situated in the Mediterranean Sea, around fifty miles south of Sicily. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, The pandemic did not ‘undo’ our exhibition, “Dealing with Coronus, Self-help notes for a pandemic” by Paulann Grech, One crop greener; the whole planet cleaner, Healthcare app to reduce harm from drug combinations, Accessible science: Denise Camilleri interviews Claude Bajada. THINK Magazine and THINK website are the property of the University of Malta. A proposal to develop a modern desalination facility in the disused 1960s building at Hondor ir-Rummien beach was first mooted in March 2017. Malta's tap water resources are desalinated sea water that has been treated and desalinated by the process of reverse osmosis. Now, rather than dealing with the rampant, unsustainable extraction of groundwater and creating a holistic plan for the management of our aquifers, the country’s water authorities are geared towards slapping a band-aid on the problem. Distribution of pig, cattle and poultry farms in Malta 57 43. The EU has approved €150 million in funding for a Water Services Corporation initiative, the largest ever Cohesion Policy financing for a project in Malta. The plants will supply potable water for the island's 350,000 residents and its growing tourist trade. Copyright © 2019. Mozilla Firefox. © Faversham House Group Ltd 2017. The Net Zero Impact Utility project is being described “as a blueprint in terms of water sustainability”, the corporation said, affecting the way water is produced and distributed across Malta and Gozo. This was followed by a second plant at Cirkewwa in 1988 and third plant at Pembroke in 1994. A defunct desalination facility on Malta's Gozo island is to be redeveloped and brought back into use. In order to bridge the gap between supply and demand, Malta has long ago started desalination of seawater. At the time, the country’s Environment and Resources Authority requested an environmental impact study from the Water Services Corporation. This seems to be an admission of failure in the management of Gozo’s groundwater, and the Gozo polishing plant’s inability to treat groundwater to the required standard. The investment will result in a better quality of life in the context of a rapidly growing economy. It was called Tigne. Today, sea-water desalination reliably provides around 60% of the municipal water supply, and has therefore become an important water resource to ensure the sustainability of Malta’s water supply. The island of Gozo, part of Malta, currently relies on groundwater extraction for its water supply. “The approach is so holistic that it will not only lead to a drastic improvement in groundwater conservation, but it will also lead to better energy efficiency and an improved product for the general public,” the Water Services Corporation said. Retrofitting Malta Desalination Plants With Thin Film Nanocomposite (TFN) SWRO Membrane. The seawater plant is a single pass design, utilizing Du Pont permeators and is the first major installation incorporating high pressure energy recovery turbo-pumps. Desalination production trends 36 7. Meanwhile in a separate programme, farmers in Malta are to be offered reuse water from a polishing plant at Mellieha which was commissioned in May 2017. We recently published a revised version of our. Pembroke Desalination Plant: Malta. This limits the need for pre-treatment, which in turn lowers production costs. Water tunnel to increase national reliance on desalination. “Following the significant reduction in energy required to convert sea water into drinking water over the past few years, desalination turns out to be an ever more realistic option all over the world when it comes to water supply issues,” the WSC said. The Agence Française de Development visited the Water Services Corporation recently to learn about Malta’s desalination technology. Gozo currently depends on groundwater, which is treated to remove high nitrate levels, as well as salt. We recommend using The seawater plant, as well as a 4540 cubic meters per day (1.2 US mgd) brackish plant located at another Malta site, and supplied under the same contract, were scheduled to be operational in late 1982. LG Chem NanoH2O™ membranes delivered excellent water quality water at low energy costs at the largest RO desalination facility in Malta. August 18, 2010 | 0 The Agence Française de Development visited the Water Services Corporation recently to learn about Malta’s desalination technology. In 1981 the Government decided to invest in RO desalination capacity. desalination + reuse news articles may be copied or forwarded The corporation’s ground water abstraction will be reduced by 4 billion litres per year. Major upgrades are also being undertaken on the sewage network with new treatment technology being introduced. Decrease in water demand due to water recycling 58 45. Water. There is little incentive to collect, safeguard, and make sustainable use of rain and groundwater. Malta does not want to be in this situation. 29 April 2018, 7:51am by James Debono . Copyright © 1983 Published by Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/0011-9164(83)87143-4. Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. The share of groundwater in Maltese tap water is set to decline further as a result of a proposed 9km underground tunnel that will channel water from the Pembroke Reverse Osmosis plant to a reservoir in Ta’ Qali. The plan is among a raft of proposals on infrastructure, education, and health unveiled by Maltese finance minister Edward Scicluna in a pre-budget statement on Monday 11 September 2017. There will also be an overhaul of the distribution and blending system, including a new €33 million tunnel from Pembroke to Ta’ Qali.