The Relevance of Desalination Plants in the Water Context
Given the current rainy situation, the role of desalination plants becomes crucial to guarantee the water supply. This reality opens the doors to various innovations in the sector. A clear example is the advance developed by the company Keiken, based in Gavà, which has provided the industry with a revolutionary system that promises to increase the efficiency of seawater filtration by 50%. Additionally, this system has the potential to reduce production and raw material expenses by 15% to 20%.
The Change of Raw Material: Zeolite Instead of Anthracite
Keiken has directed his research towards replacing anthracite, a carbonaceous element commonly used in seawater filtration, with an alternative material: zeolite. This modification not only optimizes the pretreatment performance in desalination plants, but also significantly accelerates the filtration speed, allowing the surface area required for filtration to be reduced by up to 30%.
Collaboration with the Eurecat Technological Center
To carry out this study, Keiken has benefited from collaboration with Eurecat, a recognized technology center. The results have shown that zeolite, known commercially as Zeomedia, is capable of stopping particles as small as two microns. This advance increases the ability of desalination plants to remove impurities from water.
Durability and Efficiency of the New Material
Keiken’s analysis also highlights that the durability of zeolite is comparable to that of anthracite, which represents a significant advantage. According to the company, the primary objective is to guarantee that seawater is treated in optimal conditions, transforming it into a resource suitable for consumption. They assure that thanks to the new system, better quality water can be obtained, more quickly and at a lower cost for the entities in charge of its treatment.
Keiken: A Growing Catalan Company
Since its founding in 2015 in Gavà, Keiken has grown significantly, recording a turnover of €4.7 million in 2023 and employing a team of 11 employees. Zeolite, a mineral mined in countries such as Mexico and Turkey, is presented as an innovative solution in the desalination sector. The company estimates that this new approach to filtration can reduce operational costs by 15% to 20%, thus contributing to a more sustainable future in water supply.
