SWRO Plant

June 2007, was exactly 75 years since drinking water was produced for the people of Aruba using the thermal seawater desalination process.

March 2008, W.E.B. Aruba N.V. started applying a new technology of mebranes for seawater desalination. A 8thousand tons a day “Seawater Reverse Osmosis” (SWRO) water plant was put into operation. This technology uses 75% less energy compared to the traditional thermal evaporation plants. Adicionally this plant increased our capacity at W.E.B. Aruba N.V. with 2 thousand tons of potable water per day. This after shutting down the thermal water plant Aqua Chem #1, after 25 years of excellent service.
 
Electric pumps generate high pressure forcing the seawater through semi-permeable membranes converting seawater into potable water of very high quality. Graduallly we will replace the thermal desalination plants that use steam from our boilers, realizing that their approximate lifetime is 15 years. Now thermal technology of boiling seawater is moving towards the new technology of Seawater Reverse Osmosis, to produce drinking water.

The efficiency of desalinating seawater to produce drinking water with SWRO, will rise dramatically and this will translate into a drastic impact  on our fuel oil consumption.
That is, use less energy; which means use less fuel and lowering emissions into our environment. Based on our strategic plan: “Energia Aruba 2025”, W.E.B. Aruba N.V. will expand its water production capacity with more SWRO water plants and in this way achieve: “More water with less fuel”.

Click to open Photo/Video Album SWRO II.