SK Ecoplant Begins Development of New Water Treatment Technology to Reduce Power Consumption

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] SK ecoplant is joining forces with PureEnvitech to develop a water treatment solution that drastically reduces power consumption.

On the 7th, SK ecoplant announced that it signed a joint development agreement for energy-saving water treatment technology with PureEnvitech at the SK ecoplant Transportation Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by Kim Byung-kwon, head of SK ecoplant Eco Lab Center, Jang Jae-young, CEO of PureEnvitech, and other officials from both companies.

PureEnvitech is a specialized environmental company in membranes required for wastewater treatment, possessing world-class membrane products, processes, and new technologies for wastewater treatment based on over 25 years of accumulated technology and know-how.

Through this agreement, SK ecoplant and PureEnvitech will join forces to secure patents and new technologies for MABR, a membrane-based water treatment technology.

MABR is a technology that attaches biofilms to the membrane surface to cultivate microorganisms, and injects air inside the membrane to directly supply the oxygen needed by microorganisms to purify wastewater. Traditional water treatment methods supplied oxygen to microorganisms by generating air at the bottom of the treatment tank through blowers, but the contact time between oxygen and microorganisms was short, resulting in low transfer efficiency. The power consumption required to operate the blowers was also high. However, by using MABR technology, oxygen is directly supplied to microorganisms through the membrane, increasing oxygen transfer efficiency by more than three times compared to conventional methods. Power consumption for blower operation can also be reduced accordingly.

Currently, only a few overseas companies such as Suez, DuPont OxyMem, and Fluence possess MABR technology. Through this collaboration, both companies plan to promote technology localization and environmental new technology certification and verification, contributing to energy savings in domestic water treatment facilities.

Currently, over 65% of domestic sewage treatment facilities have been in operation for more than 25 years based on treatment capacity. Due to facility aging, increased treatment volume, and strengthened treatment quality, expansion and renovation are essential. Applying MABR in this process can significantly improve water treatment efficiency. In 2019, if MABR was applied to only 20% of the total public sewage treatment facilities in South Korea based on treatment capacity, the reduced power consumption would reach approximately 264 GWh annually. This amount of electricity is equivalent to the annual consumption of about 71,600 households (based on the national average monthly electricity usage of 307 kWh for a four-person household).