Membrane chemical manufacturer to present two papers at IDA World Desalination Congress
• Genesys International, which also opens new factory, hopes to present two papers following presentation at IWRM event in Libya
BURNHAM, Bucks, UK, July 12, 2007 -- Genesys International Ltd., which recently opened a new manufacturing facility in England, will showcase its expertise in providing practical solutions to water plant problems at the International Desalination Association's World Congress -- which sold out its exhibition space earlier in the year.
Two papers
Genesys has submitted two papers, which have been approved for publication and oral presentation by the IDA technical committee at the World Congress on Desalination and Water Reuse held in Maspalomas Gran Canaria, in October. The papers highlight how Genesys translates its pioneering research into operational use with instant results for plant efficiency.
The first explores a new chemical scale inhibitor developed by Genesys for reverse osmosis (RO) plants that operate with elevated levels of phosphate in the feed water. One of the paper's authors, Steve Chesters, uses a theory from dentistry to explain why the product works so well.
The paper, "Theory And Practical Experience Of Calcium Phosphate Inhibition In Reverse Osmosis Waters," was co-written with Genesys industry experts Ted Darton and Fernando del Vigo. It explains that when wastewater (sewage) is being reused it has high phosphate levels. These deposit as calcium phosphate in the RO membranes.
Until now, the only way to stop this has been to dose lots of acid. He said: "The fact that calcium phosphate does not form crystals means there is no point using a crystal distortion inhibitor. Instead we developed a totally new antiscalant by blending specific phosphate threshold inhibitors with existing Genesys antiscalants."
The second paper covers the use of a particle counter to closely monitor effectiveness of filters in the pre-treatment of water prior to entering the RO membranes. Entitled "Simple Laboratory Techniques Improve the Operation of RO Pre-treatment Systems," it is written by Genesys' Silvia Gallego Lopez and Darton. It explains that the particle counter allows different types of filter to be tested at design stage and monitored during operation.
Continued growth
Meanwhile, the rapid growth of Genesys International continues with the opening of a new factory at Winsford, Cheshire.
Genesys, which started trading in 2001 and was honoured with a Queen's award for export two years ago, chose Winsford because of its historical links with the chemical industry that grew from vast salt mines in the area.
The factory was formally opened by Genesys chairman Ted Darton in March and is managed by John Eckersley, who has spent three years growing UK and European sales. The first order to be processed was 15 tons of antiscalant Genesys LF that was heading for Jordan. The factory has been working flat out due to a 43% increase in volumes in the first six months of this year.
Research and development will continue at the Genesys membrane autopsy laboratory in Spain with formulations and some wet testing being conducted at the factory.
Sales Director Ursula Annunziata said: "This expansion is an exciting development for Genesys. It's due to the rapid growth and stable business Genesys has built around technical expertise. We are an easy company to do business with, delivering quality products on time, every time."
Investment in state-of-the-art machinery at the factory has also meant improved quality shrink wrapping, making pallets even more sturdy -- a move that has been welcomed by customers.
Libyan IDA workshop
Nothing was lost in translation when Genesys International's General Manager Steve Chesters visited Libya. He represented the International Desalination Association at a workshop on "Integrated Water Resource Management", and was a guest of Omar Salem, chairman of the Libya General Water Authority. There were 22 speakers and 150 delegates with simultaneous Arabic and English translation.
Chesters spoke on "Desalination in the Mediterranean," comparing the methods of thermal and membrane desalination looking at factors such as capital, operational and environmental costs. He said: "I argued that the four-fold reduction in cost of reverse osmosis in the last 20 years now makes it the method of choice for desalination, particularly as the pollution effects of corrosion and discharge of heavy metals from thermal distillation plants into the Mediterranean is now a much appreciated problem."
The workshop was supported by African Water Facility (www.africanwaterfacility.org), United Nations Environment Programme (www.unep.org), African Development Bank (www.afdb.org) and Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (www.gwpmed.org).
There were five sessions at the workshop on Effective Water Governance, Water Efficiency (Demand Management), Regional Initiatives Contributing to Achieving Water Targets, Water Assessment and Monitoring and Non-Conventional Water Resources.
Chesters' attendance at the workshop follows a trip to Tripoli last December where he gave a paper on "Improving Water Supplies in Libya."
Genesys International (www.genesysro.com) was created in 2001 as a response to multinational water treatment companies preferring to deal with end-users rather than distributors to market their membrane chemical products. This change of policy was the catalyst for setting up the Genesys family of subsidiaries and distributors. The company has grown rapidly with subsidiaries in Spain, N. America, Singapore and China. It now has distributors in over 20 countries.
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