ChemTreat has best-in-class knowledge and expertise when it comes to pretreatment for boiler makeup and other industrial processes. While most pretreatment equipment is commonly used at the front of the plant, water reuse projects are becoming more common and stretching the current capabilities of these units.
ChemTreat is leading the industry in innovative antiscalants and other water filtration chemicals designed to fit our customers’ needs in all areas throughout your water pretreatment system. We can work with you to optimize your current pretreatment system and provide consultation on system improvements and new system designs.
Pretreatment can include any form of filtration, whether conventional media or membrane, reverse osmosis (RO), and any form of ion exchange. Water pretreatment removes suspended solids, impurities, and living organisms from raw water. Industrial water pretreatment programs from your ChemTreat field engineer may include filter aid treatment, microbiological control, chemicals for dechlorination or controlling scale, cleaners of any sort, or any combination of the above.
Suspended Solids Filtration
There are several types of filtration units designed for the removal of suspended solids, colloidals, and organics on the market today. Many filters tailor the media to fit the plant’s specific needs. This includes but is not limited to sand filters, multimedia filters, greensand iron-removal filters, and activated carbon filters.Many of these filters require industrial water treatment chemicals to meet the desired effluent specifications. Bleach for microbiological control or iron oxidization, filter aids to improve the Silt Density Index (SDI) results on a filter’s effluent, and cleaners for all forms of filtration are just a few ways a chemical water treatment program can boost a media filter’s efficiency.
Newer technologies involve robust membrane filtration systems designed to handle very high solids loadings. Microfiltration (MF), membrane bioreactors (MBR), and ultrafiltration (UF) systems are becoming very popular in industrial water systems, especially for water reuse projects. These systems require a more intensive chemical program compared to conventional media filtration.
Utilizing either an MF or UF prior to an RO system significantly improves RO performance and membrane longevity while reducing the frequency of RO cleanings. Chemicals such as bleach, citric acid, caustic, and specialty cleaners are key to operating a successful MF or UF system.
ChemTreat representatives are well-versed in the technology and chemical demands of these systems and can help troubleshoot issues as well as recommend efficiency improvements.
Ion Exchange Processes & Water Softeners
Water softeners remove calcium and magnesium ions from makeup water. If not properly treated and monitored, these hardness ions can serve as the basis for forming insoluble compounds that will precipitate within downstream systems, such as industrial boilers and other process systems. This can cause boiler efficiency loss and damage in addition to potentially harming the plant’s process systems.Demineralization
Another area where ChemTreat can assist is demineralization. Obtaining highly pure water is paramount for the safe and efficient operation of high-pressure boilers and processes requiring high-quality makeup. Monitoring these systems is essential for meeting a facility’s water cost goals.
Reverse Osmosis
Industrial RO systems are treating new and more complex water streams every day. Common water sources for RO systems include city and well water as well as surface waters such as lakes and rivers.RO Water Treatment
While ion exchange requires chemicals, reverse osmosis is a physical process that filters pollutants out of water using semi-permeable membranes.
With water scarcity posing a problem for many industries, ROs are being used for all kinds of water reuse projects. These makeup sources include cooling tower blowdowns, coal ash ponds, and all ranges of wastewater from plants across all industries.
As the makeup water sources have become more complex, a well-designed pretreatment system and chemical program is even more important than ever for effectively operating an RO system. This includes maintaining an acceptable SDI, having the best antiscalant, and implementing a normalization trending program to keep the RO system on-line and functioning properly.
ChemTreat pretreatment experts are well-versed in these systems and can design a full chemical treatment and monitoring program. They can review design metrics around the RO and any upstream filtration and work with you to improve the overall efficiency of your pretreatment system.
ChemTreat Membrane Laboratory
ChemTreat’s state-of-the-art reverse osmosis laboratory located in San Diego, California provides a complete array of laboratory services to improve membrane performance and develop new formulations for specific applications.The ChemTreat RO lab is responsible for all membrane autopsies our company performs. These membrane autopsy capabilities include unbiased, expert evaluation and inspection of membranes to identify the causes of membrane failure in microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. Membrane autopsies include the physical dissection of a membrane element or module, in-depth analytical testing, results interpretation, reporting, and recommendations.
Other lab capabilities include:
- Product development and performance testing
- RO cleaning studies
- 8-in element testing and cleaning
- Microbiological analysis
ChemTreat’s Analytical Laboratory in Ashland, Virginia has full analytical capabilities on water and deposit samples.
Water Pretreatment Programs
The key to the operation of any downstream equipment, whether ion exchange or membrane filtration, is a well-designed pretreatment system. Pretreatment system needs can vary greatly depending on a variety of factors.Before a pretreatment chemical program is recommended, your ChemTreat field engineer will first take the time to understand all of the industrial equipment associated with your system. After a short review process, ChemTreat can provide chemical recommendations for the following:
- Bleach or other biocides for microbiological control
- The correct chemistry for the oxidation required, such as iron precipitation
- Inorganic and organic filter aids to boost a filter’s efficiency
- Cleaners containing surfactants to clean media filters and resin
- Dechlorination chemicals to protect any downstream resin or RO membrane
- Antiscalants to protect RO membranes from any potential scaling event
- High-pH and low-pH specialty cleaners for MF, MBR, UF, and RO membranes
- Neutralizing and pH adjustment chemicals
Makeup water treatment is essential for optimizing the operation of any filtration or membrane system. A pretreatment program from your ChemTreat field engineer can be custom-designed to fit your plant’s needs. Along with a full chemical program, ChemTreat has full normalization trending and remote monitoring capabilities within our CTVista+ platform.
Contact ChemTreat For Water Pretreatment & Filtration Solutions
ChemTreat is a trusted water treatment company with over 50 years of service
and expertise. Our experienced field team and laboratory services allow us to provide
custom treatment chemicals and water treatment solutions for your unique pretreatment and filtration needs. We’re here to help you improve the efficiency of your facility and decrease your operational costs. Contact us online to get in touch with our experts and schedule a consultation!
