On 16 December 2015, the Sydney Desalination Plant suffered severe damage from a tornado. GANDEN personnel were seconded into a team of specialist technical advisors to assist the insurance loss adjusters. GANDEN also had people on site designing and operating a temporary SBS dosing system to ensure the $55m worth of RO membranes were preserved. GANDEN’s assessment of the storm damage to the main process building of the desalination plant was that the reverse osmosis membranes were at risk due to the draining of sodium bisulphite preservation solution. GANDEN designed a temporary SBS batching and dosing system that enabled the reverse osmosis system to be refilled. These actions saved the membranes and prevented a substantial claim for loss of the membranes.

Study of desalination options for a Water Authority in northern NSW

GANDEN provided expert process review of the design of a new 50L/s desalination plant for the Colombian Caribbean Sea island of San Andrés.

Third Party Expert Review of a New reverse osmosis desalination plant treating brackish water and of a new sewage treatment plant for the $2b Amrun mine expansion in Far North Queensland.

Ballina Shire Council’s effluent reuse scheme is designed to provide recycled water to a portion of Ballina’s residential customers, commercial customers and for open space irrigation. Due to the coastal location, the plant influent sometimes has elevated levels of total dissolved solids from salt water inflow into the sewerage system. GANDEN was contracted by Council to develop, assess and compare a range of feasible options and recommendations for the on-site desalination of recycled water at Ballina WWTP to meet the TDS limit imposed by Council. Options considered included reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, electrodialysis reversal, capacitive deionisation, ion exchange, thermal distillation and solar distillation.

Due to drought conditions causing low levels in the two town’s water supply dams, the Queensland Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning required an emergency desalination scheme to be investigated and tendered for the town. GANDEN provided technical advice for the investigation of the intake, outfall and treatment plant site options. GANDEN also wrote the technical specification for the tender documents and assisted in the evaluation of the tenders.