Summer brings critical challenges for tourist populations, especially in the supply of drinking water. This year in particular, in a Spanish coastal town, the poor quality of well water in the region threatened to deprive residents and visitors of drinking water in the network. Faced with this critical scenario, a water treatment system was implemented that proved to be a success story in solving this challenge.
The project focuses on the design, manufacture and commissioning of a water treatment system whose main objective is to transform well water, previously unusable for human consumption due to its high concentration of chlorides and sodium, into safe, quality drinking water. To achieve this objective, a containerised reverse osmosis system is implemented together with a remineralisation system.
The capacity of the system is 2,400 cubic metres per day, achieved by installing two containers, each capable of providing a flow rate of 50 cubic metres per hour. This translates into a total production of 100 cubic metres per hour, i.e. 2,400 cubic metres per day. The reverse osmosis treatment line is complemented by a remineralisation post-treatment through a calcite bed, designed to treat the 100 cubic metres per hour produced by the osmosis systems.
The water treatment process is divided into several key stages:
Pretreatment: Before the water is subjected to the reverse osmosis process, the following steps are carried out:
Reverse Osmosis: The central stage of the process involves reverse osmosis, with two racks of membranes of 1200 cubic metres per day in each container. Also included are displacement equipment and chemical cleaning to maintain membrane efficiency.
Post-treatment: Finally, the treated water undergoes a remineralisation phase using a calcite bed, which balances the pH and improves the taste and quality of the water, making it safe for human consumption.
The containerised reverse osmosis and remineralisation water treatment project is having a significant impact on the population. During the current summer tourist season, a constant supply of high quality drinking water is guaranteed, alleviating shortages and ensuring the health and well-being of residents and visitors.
This success story highlights the importance of technological innovation and effective planning in solving critical challenges such as water scarcity, and demonstrates how collaboration between the public and private sectors can generate effective and sustainable solutions for the future.
