Abstract

The research task of the “Mega–ton Water System” was to build core water–treatment technologies, using Japanese initiative, with the low cost, low environmental impact and energy reduction demanded by the 21st century.With contribution to the resolving of global water problems as its core concept, “1,000,000 m3/day scale seawater desalination”, as research with a view to release around 2020, and “100,000 m3/day scale sewage treatment system”,as basic research for the core technologies of the future, were positioned as the final deliverables and output, and of these, for the seawater desalination system, we aimed to develop a practical system with top–level global competitiveness (price, performance, reliability).In order to carry out this development, we worked on a total of eight research subthemes for elemental technologies and system technologies, with the societal needs of energy reduction, low environmental impact and low cost as challenges. With a view to get the latest trends in relevant research areas and societal needs, we have been actively participating in international symposia held in Europe, America, China, the Middle East and Asia.With regard to research in the eight subthemes, in addition to holding periodic subtheme leader meetings in order to gauge their progress, by holding SSD (Senior Scientific Director) rounds for individual themes and engaging in cooperative working between subthemes for related themes, we confirmed and reviewed the direction for the research as a whole. In addition to these research activities, we have been engaged in bibliographic surveys and analyses, exchanged information with international experts gaining a review of the direction of the research, as well as an evaluation.With regard to the dissemination of information, we have also been making active use of academic conference presentations and lecture requests and news reports.In the final year, from the viewpoint of international business, we held an international symposium as a place for disseminating strategic information on the results of research, inviting a group of foreign lecturers from a wide variety of fields of industry, government and academia.The main challenge of development goal is the construction of mega–ton–scale system for seawater desalination for half the current cost. Accordingly, we developed the world’s first low–pressure, multi–stage, high yield RO system, using a low–pressure seawater desalination membrane, and, as a result of incorporating into it the elemental technologies gained from research in subthemes, such as highly–efficient pressure energy recovery, low–cost and highly durable plastic piping, pretreatment without the use of chemicals and intelligent mega-ton plant, and system technologies, we have gained confidence in our ability to succeed in achieving our goal of “Halving conventional equipment costs and desalination costs with mega–ton scale”. As a result of aiming for a paradigm shift to an“energy generation sewage treatment system”from the conventional“ energy-intensive sewage treatment system”as research to pursue future core technologies in regards to sewage treatment systems, it become possible to obtain technical prospects that allow significant benefits to be obtained,such as energy generation, reclaimed water utilization and valuable materials recovery.

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