WEF announces speakers for Membrane Technology 2008

ATLANTA, Dec. 21, 2007 -- The Water Environment Federation (WEF), in cooperation with the American Membrane Technology Association and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals, will host Membrane Technology 2008, a specialty conference on the latest research and experience in the design and operation of membrane treatment systems for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment.

Featured speakers include:
• Carol Couch, Director of the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Ms. Couch will speak about ongoing drought issues facing the region, including the challenges and short- and long-term solutions.

• Andrew Benedek, President of Benedek Consulting and founder of Zenon Environmental. Mr. Benedek will provide a brief history and the current status of membrane technologies; discuss the commercialization of membrane technologies and how to evaluate the potential of research ideas; and share his knowledge about future developments in membrane technologies and research needs.

• Dr. Mike Magee, physician and author of "Healthy Waters: What Every Health Professional Should Know about Water" and founder of the Healthy Waters Initiative. Dr. Magee will discuss the relationship between access to clean water and healthy living.

• Natalie Pawelski, Vice Counsel of the British General Counsel in Atlanta, Ga. and former environmental correspondent for CNN. Ms. Pawelski will discuss how climate change and sustainability relate to global water challenges and share insights into how the media views and covers water-related issues.
What: Membrane Technology 2008 will bring together environmental professionals from North America and around the world to discuss and debate current and emerging issues for membrane technology and applications in wastewater treatment, including membrane bioreactors, scavenger/scalping facilities, low-pressure membranes, nanofiltration/reverse osmosis, and microfiltration/ultrafiltration. The conference will examine current research, design, and operational issues associated with these applications and technologies.

Although membrane systems have long been operated in wastewater applications for effluent filtration, new equipment developments, more stringent effluent limits, and market economics have led to membranes becoming more of a mainstream treatment technology. Membranes are now being used to achieve very high quality effluent for sensitive receiving waters, for various water reuse applications, as a space-saving technology, and for on-site treatment. Membrane Technology 2008 will provide valuable information for researchers, regulators, designers, technology developers, municipal agencies, industrial professionals, and others seeking to understand the full picture of the latest developments and practical experiences on this important topic. For more conference and registration information, visit www.wef.org.

When: Conference: Jan. 27 - 30, 2008; Exhibition: Jan. 28 - 29, 2008
Where: Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Georgia

Formed in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with more than 33,000 individual members and 80 affiliated Member Associations representing an additional 50,000 water quality professionals throughout the world. WEF and its member associations proudly work to achieve our mission of preserving and enhancing the global water environment.

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