Tuesday 8 June of The Holland Water Week in Shanghai was devoted to industrial water supply and recycling all day long. The theme was BOT (Build, Own, Transfer, the Chinese version of DBFO) and Reuse. More than 60 delegates from China's major industrial companies, research institutes and regulatory government bodies attended this seminar, which was organised by NethWater. A large delegation of coal and chemical engineers from the province of Shaanxi in Northern China (the main coal and chemicals region in China) were also present. These engineers are jointly responsible for developing large chemical complexes. Industry suffers from a shortage of fresh water in this dry province in Northern China, meaning that recycling waste water is essential. NethWater and Evides Industriewater have gained extensive experience with this technology. One of the projects, for example, involves producing demineralised water for Dow Chemical in Terneuzen from waste water delivered by the municipality of Terneuzen. The presentations given by Dow Chemical and NethWater partners Evides Industriewater and Royal Haskoning looked at this and other projects in detail. The Chinese delegates in turn presented a good picture of the problems that are faced by industrial companies in China. A sustainable water supply, such as recycling waste water in order to produce process water, is a necessity here. But there is also a pressing need for technology that is capable of processing very complex water streams efficiently and reliably in a way that allows 95% of the water to be recycled. Opportunities have been identified for further collaboration on projects and research between NethWater and individual companies and research institutions.
Markus Flick, on behalf of NethWater, and Mr Wang Fengjun, on behalf of Beiyuan Chemical, signed a cooperation agreement for a demonstration system in the presence of Mrs Lenie Dwarshuis, a member of the Provincial Executive of Zuid-Holland and Evides’ managing director Peter Vermaat. This system produces demineralised water from Beiyuan’s waste water. This system officially went into operation on 2 June 2010. NethWater expects that this demonstration system will significantly improve its chances of winning an order for a full-scale project to supply nearby industry. At the end of the seminar, the consul general, Erik Verwaal, proposed a toast to this successful initiative and the Chinese participants in the seminar visited the Holland Pavilion at the World Expo.
