APP Group’s water treatment plant at Pindo Deli 2, processes 33 million litres of water per day, for paper and pulp production. Eight filters, containing, two hundred and fifty tonnes of DMI-65®, remove iron and manganese to below the Indonesian Standard of <0.02ppm Fe and <0.05ppm Mn
The DMI-65 filter media has performed well in removing iron contained in the well water. In addition to iron removal lowered SDI’s has addressed the fouling to down stream cartridge filter elements and RO membranes that was previously a fouling problem from filter aid chemical passage through the MM filters.
The outcome of the proposed upgrade is to provide low cost options utilising existing plant and equipment to increase the quality and quantity of water to the power plant, whilst reducing maintenance and on-going operating costs.
K2O Consulting recommended and supplied a silica sand media called DMI-65 as a replacement media. DMI-65 was installed in just one of the filters and after an initial start-up period, the DMI-65 was found to remove the arsenic on a consistent basis to less than 10 parts per billion.
In November of 2004, Aquasol was commissioned to design and build a chemical treatment plant for all water usage operations on site, whist complying with AQIS (Australian Quarantine & Inspection Services) standards for both potable water sources and export-grade processing waters.
After an extensive search for a solution that was both effective and cost efficient we were advised to contact Quantum Filtration Medium P/L. They recommended their new water filtration media DMI-65. We were assured that their product DMI-65 would remove the iron and manganese to a level that would enable us to discharge the treated water into the Swan River as required by the DoE and the SRT.
We then modified the existing system to incorporate the Quantum media by:
- Removing existing media
- Repairing damaged laterals
- Clean vessels and manifolds
- Install under-bed gravel and Quantum media
- Repair damaged backwash valves
- Remove the mixing tank and reticulation pump from the system
- Modify control system to initiate backwash by volume processed
- Control maximum and minimum flow, pressure and backwash rates
- Decommission mixing tank and reticulation pump controls
- Facilitate chemical injection on volumetric basis
- Install Sodium Hypochloride injection system
V & V Walsh engineering staff decided to trial a new technology developed and supplied locally by Quantum Filtration from Bunbury. They installed a new water filtration system specifically designed for treating bore water for Iron and Manganese removal. This is a new product on the market and has approval from the US Water Quality Association to the standard NSF/ANSI 21 for potable water use. This certificate of validation for the new product known as DMI65 also states the material safety of the media has earned the gold seal from the US Water Quality Association.
Further to your request for feedback on the performance of the DM 65 in the domestic water purification on our site we have the following comments.
- KSS changed over to DM 65 in early 2005.
- The change over from green sand to the DM 65 was no problem.
- The DM 65 product has been virtually maintenance free.
- The levels of both Fe, Mg and As have decreased since your product has been in use in the filters.
- The operation of our plant has not changed and not given us any problems since introducing DM 65.
Having used Quantum Filtration Medium DMI 65 in our two iron and manganese removal plants on the South West Health Campus site for the past year it is without difficulty that I am able to recommend the product. The plant for 4 years had operated unsuccessfully with potassium permanganate, and we had reached total frustration in trying to find a system to satisfactorily remove our high levels of both iron and manganese in a cost-effective manner. With the use of the Quantum product the bore water used for reticulation has been of a consistently clean quality, and our operating costs have been reduced.