Enipower has launched a new reverse osmosis membrane plant in Brindisi for the production of demineralised water. The new plant replaces the old thermal desalination fed with sea water and the existing demineralization modules that used fresh water from wells and the Cillarese basin, drastically reducing the collection from these sources. In particular, as regards fresh water, a reduction in the withdrawals of about 1 million m3 / year is expected, equal to 13% of the water consumption of a city like Brindisi.
The project was carried out at the Enipower plant in Brindisi, inside the petrochemical plant. The demineralised water produced is used both for thermoelectric production and in the production processes of the wineries. The plant continues to use sea water as the main raw material but, for the same production, it allows to reduce the withdrawal of about 6 million m3 / year. This reduction allows to obtain a further advantage represented by the decrease in the quantity of chemical products necessary for the conditioning of sea water.
The technology now used is also less energy-intensive than the one that has been replaced and will lead to a reduction in consumption of natural gas of about 6 million m3 / year. This will be possible thanks to the recovery of low pressure steam, previously used by the watermaker, which optimizes the production of electricity, thus reducing CO2 emissions for 11.500 tons / year.
Enipower and Syndial, always in line with Eni's strategy for the development of the circular economy, the recovery and enhancement of natural resources and decarbonisation, have also presented a project, currently awaiting authorization from the Ministry of the Environment, to recycle the treated water from the groundwater treatment plant, the TAF. Enipower and Syndial, following technical in depth and joint laboratory tests, have in fact shared the possibility of using the water discharged by the TAF plant for the production of demineralized water, thus covering about 50% of the total flow requirement. of feeding to the new plant, further reducing the withdrawal of sea water.
The Syndial TAF system treats the water emitted from the wells for the safety and reclamation of the deep stratum of the petrochemical plant in Brindisi. Currently, the remediation project foresees that this water, once treated, is discharged directly to the sea (about 1,5 million m3 / year).
In Italy Syndial manages 30 water treatment systems for a total capacity of 22 million m3 / year. With this initiative in Brindisi Syndial increases by a further 5% the volume of groundwater reclaimed and recovered in order to reuse production, reaching a total of over 6 millions of m3 of water reused per year.