This photo, provided by LG Chem Ltd. on May 18, 2023, shows the construction site for the Ashdod water desalination project in Israel. LG Chem has signed a contract to supply its reverse osmosis membranes for the project.
SEOUL, May 18 (Korea Bizwire) — LG Chem Ltd. said Thursday it has won a contract to exclusively supply its key filter membrane product for a large-scale water desalination project in Israel.
LG Chem will supply some 30,000 reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to a joint desalination plant led by two Israeli companies — Shapir Engineering and Industry and Global Environmental Solutions Ltd. — currently under construction on the Mediterranean coastal city of Ashdod, the Seoul-based chemicals producer said in a release.
LG Chem did not elaborate on details on the value of the supply deal.
An RO membrane, in concept, is similar to a filter in a water purifier. But an RO membrane is made with a polymer that filters the seawater down to the molecular level to remove salts and other chemicals.
LG Chem’s RO membranes tout 99.89 percent removal of salts, with its unique thin film nanocomposite technology.
The latest RO membrane supply will be able to process 100 million tons of seawater into drinkable water annually, an amount that can be used by about 1.1 million people, LG Chem said.
Once the Ashdod plant goes into operation in 2024, some 300 million tons of seawater at Israel’s major desalination facilities, including the existing plants in Palmachim, Hadera and Ashkelon, will be treated using LG Chem’s RO membranes.
This accounts for more than one third of the amount of water Israel uses daily.
LG Chem said it expects the demand for RO membrane supply and its replacement to continue to increase in the region, as the countries near the Mediterranean Sea have long been engaged in various water treatment projects to overcome the chronic water shortage.
(Yonhap)
