MWA using German technology to accelerate water purification process
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The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) has adopted Solvox technology from Germany-based Linde to accelerate the purification of contaminated flood water and ensure the good quality of tap water distributed in Bangkok and nearby provinces.
Thai Industrial Gases (TIG), a subsidiary of Linde, is committed to providing liquid oxygen used in the treatment process in addition to the installation of a purification system worth Bt10 million to the MWA for two months.
MWA governor Charoen Passara yesterday said tap water to date was still clean and safe for daily use. However, the amount of water contaminated after two months of flooding is enormous, and the existing technologies used by the agency to treat water – such as adding chemical solvent – are neither fast enough nor good enough for producing clean and safe tap water.
He said TIG was supporting the technology for two months so that the MWA could accelerate the water-treatment process. Solvox technology can increase the level of oxygen getting into the water used to produce tap water, and the purification process is more rapid than operating with the technology currently used by the agency.
Solvox technology will be used at the Bang Khen tap-water production plant, which supplies water to the eastern part of Bangkok. Tap-water consumption in the area is 3.6 million cubic metres per day, as each individual uses a daily average of 200 litres.
The cost of the liquid oxygen used for the treatment process during the two months is expected to be about Bt5 million, said Keerin Chutumstid, managing director of TIG.
He said the company, a gas supplier for industrial use, had to date not been too enthusiastic about using this technology, which is transferred from the parent company, but it is starting to introduce it in the Thai market in certain areas, such as in the agricultural sector.
The technology is normally used in Europe for water purification, but the cost can be high if used to treat a large amount of water. The technology is, however, suitable for some situations, including treating flood water, he said.
He added that the company’s own business had also been affected by the flooding, as more than 100 clients in inundated areas could not run their operations normally. Most of them are in the electronics, food and healthcare industries.
TIG has lost many millions of baht per month in revenue as it could not supply industrial gas to its clients. Sales-volume growth during the first 10 months of the year was 7-8 per cent, but estimated full-year growth has been revised to 3-4 per cent because of the impact from the flooding, he said.
TIG supplies industrial gas nationwide. The revenue contribution from the central part of the country is about 20 per cent.
