EDINA, MN, April 18, 2008 -- On April 21 and 22, water industry leaders, investors, environmentalists and engineers will gather in London to discuss sustainable solutions to the global water crisis at the Water, Finance and Sustainability conference organized jointly by Global Water Intelligence magazine and the International Desalination Association. Ian Barbour, general manager of Dow Water Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, will highlight the latest advances in filtration technology in a presentation on "The low-pressure membrane revolution" in the morning session on Tuesday, April 22.
Dow's membrane technology is at the heart of the world's largest desalination projects, such as Ashkelon, Israel, Perth, Australia, and Tampa Bay, Fla., USA, as well as several facilities under construction. Advancements in FILMTEC™ reverse osmosis membranes from Dow have made desalination an economically- and environmentally- viable option for communities struggling with declining fresh water supplies. With lower energy usage, higher throughput and longer useful life of filtration membranes, desalination technology has the potential to "unlock" vast resources to help alleviate the plight of 1.2 billion people affected by water shortage.
The London conference will coincide with the announcement of the winners of the 2008 Global Water Awards. One of the four projects shortlisted in the "Desalination Plant of the Year" category is the Tampa Bay desalination plant -- a facility that produces clean water for 2.4 million Tampa Bay area residents. Dow has contributed to the success of this plant by providing technological expertise and filtration components.
Dow believes that the world's water problems can be solved through technology, sound management and pricing policies, cooperation of the public and private sectors, and education. The Company's commitment to deploy science and technology to provide pure water for both industrial applications and human consumption, globally, is part of its 2015 Sustainability Goals.
Dow Water Solutions is a performance-based business unit comprised of leading world-class brands and enabling component technologies designed to advance the science of water purification around the world, including seawater desalination, contaminant removal and water reuse.
###
