"HOLLOSEP®" (produced by Toyobo), hollow fiber type reverse osmosis membrane module, which is the heart of a seawater desalination facility in Fukuoka

Structure of hollow fiber type reverse osmosis membrane

Toyobo invited press correspondents to a tour at "Uminonakamichi Nata Sea Water Desalination Plant," a seawater desalination facility in Fukuoka employing Toyobo's hollow fiber type reverse osmosis membrane module and showed their reverse osmosis membrane production in the Toyobo Iwakuni Membrane Plant (Iwakuni, Yamacughi) on July 17.

"Uminonakamichi Nata Sea Water Desalination Plant" of Fukuoka District Waterworks Agency which formally began operating in June 2005 is a world-class seawater desalination facility with a daily production capacity of up to 50,000m³ and an operating recovery of 60%. This facility produces fresh water through the removal of salt from sea water by using a semipermeable membrane called a reverse osmosis membrane, the heart of the facility, in which Toyobo's hollow fiber type reverse osmosis membrane module "HOLLOSEP®" is installed.

Being a cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane, "HOLLOSEP®" can offer superior chlorine tolerance which enables chlorine disinfection; therefore, it can show its effectiveness in Middle East Gulf countries which have higher risk of microbial augmentation. It has been employed in a seawater desalination facility in a large-scale petrochemical plant in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, which started operation from May, 2008. It has been decided that it will be installed in the seawater desalination facility with the largest capacity (240,000m³/day) in Middle East Gulf countries, currently under construction in Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia.