Alicante University, closed water cycle, reverse osmosis and water treatment plants

In this paper we will explain the major features which have been considered for the design of a brackish water reverse osmosis plant being constructed in Alicante, in the southeast of Spain. This plant will form part of an integral system cycle that will try to utilize and optimize the water resources of this area. The plant will have the dual purpose of training and research. Therefore, the instrumentation installed will be sophisticated enough to allow complete knowledge and control of all the process parameters. One of the main features will be to use the new generation for membrane technology development. This new membrane (8040-UHY-ESPA, Hydranautics), known commercially as ESPA (Energy Saving Poly Amide), is the new composite RO membrane that gives comparable salt rejection at higher flux and significantly lower pressure, That means that the high pressure feed pump energy consumption is reduced by at least 30% when compared to conventional membranes.