WaterSolutions Potable and Agriculture

Potable water and water for agricultural irrigation is often supplied via common distribution networks, therefore these two applications should be considered in context. Potable and agriculture standards vary considerably around the world.

Mostly potable standards are stricter, with permeate Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) varying between 50 mg/L or less (e.g., Saudi Arabia) up to 500 mg/L (World Health Organization, WHO), and occasional regulation on specific ions (such as BrO₄ and aesthetic concerns driving a Bromide limit of 0.1 mg/L in Australia) or microbiological log removal (United States). Boron standards are driven occasionally by potable applications (e.g. EU 1.0 mg/L or WHO 0.3 - 0.5 mg/L, currently expected to be updated to 2.4 mg/L) and stricter standards are often set for crop protection (U.S. EPA 0.3 mg/L, Israel 0.3 - 0.4 mg/L).

The different standards drive different separation schemes, with the stringent standards (0.1 mg/L Bromide, 50 mg/L TDS. 0.3 mg/L Boron) driving multiple stage RO separation schemes, while less stringent water quality standards (e.g., 300 mg/L TDS or 1 mg/L B) are addressed with single stage SWRO technology. Further refinement of water quality can be achieved with boron selective resin.

Effective pretreatment is a crucial requirement for success of SWRO desalination systems and Dow Water & Process Solutions offers widely used and rapidly growing Ultrafiltration Technology.

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