Kaohsiung’s History as Industrial Center Leads to Residents’ Doubt on Tap Water Potability

The Gaoping River sources the 1.5 million tonnes of water used by municipal residents and the heavy industries based around the greater Kaohsiung area. However, severe contamination of both public and industrial-use water in the upstream area has rendered traditional purification methods – chlorination and sediment filtration – ineffective.

Over a decade ago, Kaohsiung area tap water – carrying with it a distinctive odor and of poor quality – was nigh undrinkable. Kaohsiung residents had to forego tap water and purchase safer, more drinkable water for use, leading to a brief period in which stations offering clean water for money were a common sight on the streets of Kaohsiung.

With improvements to living quality, so too has residential demand for quality drinking water increased. The government had stepped up inspection for illegal activities for industries around the upstream area, as well as providing local companies with government consultation in attempts to nip the problem in the bud.

The government was also faced with the difficulty that Taiwan, as an island, has little hinterland to spare and fewer sources of freshwater. Without new freshwater sources, water companies must ameliorate quality of potable water for public use via improvements to their water filtration equipment.

The Taiwan Water Corporation had, therefore, established five water filtration plants at the Chengcing Lake, Kaotan, Weng Park, Fongshan City, and the Pingding area. Out of the five, Kintech equipment was installed at the Kaotan and Weng Park facilities, marking the first use of nanofiltration in the country.

Kaotan Facility in Kaohsiung Largest UF and LPRO dual-Membrane Water FIltration Plant in the World

Kintech has set four goals for itself regarding potable water quality – To remove sickness-inducing organisms in the water; To ameliorate odor and taste; Control by-products of water purification and To lower the number of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Total Hardness (T-H).

Compared to the Chengcing Lake facility, whose source of water is surface water – which is comparatively cleaner – the Kaotan and Weng Park facilities process water from considerably more complex origins.

These sources include Gaoping River, the water quality of which is both hard and considerably murkier; phreatic water, retaining high levels of iron, manganese, and silicon dioxide; hyporheic water, surface water, and eutrophic water from Nanhua Reservoir, in Tainan. Seasonal rain contributes an inestimable water source further complicating water purification processes at the two plants.

Based on the water source, the facilities utilize basic coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, and filtration processes to remove the majority of algae and suspended solids (SS) before pumping the water through the UF membrane filter. The final step involves sending the UF-treated water through the LPRO filter.

The process not only drastically cuts down on the chemicals used to treat water, compared with traditional water treatment methods, but also provides cleaner and safer-to-use potable water due to the dual-membrane filtration process.

UF and LPRO Dual-Membrane Filtration Achieves High Water Filtration Efficiency

The UF-treatment allows Kintech to remove finer SS and sediment matter, silicides, oxidants from iron and aluminum, organic matter, bacteria, and other colloids from the water, reducing the Silt Density Index below one, proving to be an effective pre-filter and providing cleaner water.

The UF filter itself is made from high-grade PVC materials, which is highly resistant to both stains and chemicals, preventing the pipes in the LPRO system from clogging up. Additionally, the ease of cleaning the pipes – a simple remove and rinse procedure – helps extend the system’s years of service.

LPRO treatment for water removes heavy metals, toxic materials, TDS and softens T-H rates for the water, increasing the drinkability. With system efficacy in mind, the Kaotan and Weng Park facilities both adopted the four-stage serial pressurized pump. The pump enables the company to minimize power usage and emit less carbon emission while ensuring a 90 percent water production rate.

Water T-H rates Lower than 150mg/, Living up to Highest International Potable Water Standard Internationally.

The average range of tap water hardness, internationally, falls between 80 and 150mg/L. As an industrial city of renown, the water hardness in Kaohsiung, on average and pre-treatment, falls between 250 and 400mg/L, as well as proving to be less tasty while malodorous.

Since Kintech installed its systems at Kaotan Facility in 2007, lab tests have shown that water hardness – post-filtration processes – has dropped to 150mg/L or below and no longer retains any odor, allowing Kaohsiung citizens to safely drink tap water.

UF and LPRO Dual-membrane FIltration Provides Best Solution for Industrial Sector to Recycle and Reuse Water

As an island nation, Taiwan has limited water resources. Furthermore, its focus on developing its electronics industry makes industrial wastewater, and the pollution it presents, a pressing problem.

Kintech’s filtration system provides the best solution to filter heavy metals from wastewater and could be the key to increasing the efficacy of water recycling and reuse. It has further adapted its system to be capable of reusing and recycling water resources, which could help panel production factories, the Industrial Technology Research Institute, and others to cut back on water usage, treat wastewater, and minimize impact toward nature.

Selling Points：

• The UF filter itself is made from high-grade PVC materials, which is highly resistant to both stains and chemicals, effectively preventing LPRO system pipes from clogging up, while the ease of cleaning helps extend the system’s years of service.
• Utilizing a four-stage serial pressurized pump and increasing hydraulic pressure at different times achieving a 90 percent water production rate.
• Lowering water T-H rates under that of international standards
• Kintech’s systems can assist major industries in achieving water recycling and water reuse goals.