Membrane technology for municipal drinking water plants in China: progress and prospect

The quality of drinking water from the conventional treatment process is not satisfactory, due to serious pollution of China's surface water. The improvement of the existing water treatment plants is the key to ensure the quality of drinking water in China. Membrane processes are gaining importance in water applications as a result of the advances in membrane technology and the increasing requirements on water quality. This study presents the results of the thorough survey of membrane technology for municipal drinking water plants in China. The survey consists of surveys of literature, membrane manufacturers, and water plants employing membrane technology. We examined the historic perspective of membrane technology and analyzed the membrane market in China. Performance of membrane plants in producing drinking water is investigated based on the survey as well. The results demonstrate that low pressure membrane technologies are employed extensively in China. Water plants with large capacity account for primary market share and drive the annual revenue growth. China will become a fast growing membrane market in the long run and Taihu basin region will continue to be the greatest market for new membrane equipment due to its enormous population and rapid economic growth.