• Secco's Shanghai facility to set environmental benchmarks with GE's onsite water treatment plant
SHANGHAI, China, Apr. 29, 2009 -- With China encouraging industrial companies to become more energy and water efficient, Shanghai Secco Petrochemical Co., Ltd. has selected GE Water, a business unit of GE Energy, to design and construct a high-efficiency water reclamation plant that could save millions of tons of potable water.
The onsite water treatment plant is being installed at the company's Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) facility to help Secco reduce its use of fresh water, a move that also will result in significant financial savings for the company.
By efficiently reusing its wastewater, Secco will be able to expand its petrochemical production capacity without the cost of acquiring additional fresh water.
The treatment plant is expected to begin operation in the fourth quarter of 2009.
"Responsible environmental stewardship is central to Secco's vision for the company's growth and sustainability. Secco is committed to helping our nation protect the quantity and quality of its water resources, and, thanks to GE, we are proud to set new environmental and operational benchmarks in our industry," said Zhang Zhiliang, General Manager, Secco Petrochemical Co., Ltd.
The plant will utilize GE's advanced reverse osmosis technology to process 500 m³/hr of wastewater from the SCIP facility, producing high-quality water for reuse in manufacturing. The system also will conserve 4.38 million tons per year of potable water.
"With operating efficiencies exceeding 90%, GE's turnkey system will help our customer conserve water and see immediate economic and environmental returns on its investment," said Zhou Weifang, president of GE Water for Greater China. "This is exactly the type of project that reflects GE's ecomagination commitment, delivering innovative solutions to environmental challenges that ultimately help our customers retain their competitive edge."
The project will serve as a reference model as other manufacturers realize the benefits of recycling their wastewater to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, Weifang noted.
Secco is one of the largest joint venture petrochemical projects in China, providing its customers with 2,280 kilotons annually (ktpa) of high quality petrochemical products and its 900 kilotons per year (ktpa) ethylene plant, which has one of the highest production capacity rates in the world.
Shanghai Secco Petrochemical Co. Ltd. was founded by China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec Corp.), Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited (SPC) and BP East China Investment Company Ltd., with investment proportions of 30%, 20% and 50%.
GE Energy is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2008 revenue of $29.3 billion.
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