Page 17 - DIVA_1_2009

More water, less energy!

New technology for transforming salt water into fresh water

Interview with Ragnar Lyng, Director Aqualyng

0: You have developed a today between 2 and 3kWh. your website. Is it really We have also supplied a plant
new technology for This means that the "reverse that cheap? producing 9,000m3/ day for
transforming salt water osmosis" technology is now the Royal Palace in Jeddah,
into fresh water. Could available to various markets Today, with the energy Saudi Arabia. This was a very
you tell us how it all where it had previously been recovery system patented by prestigious project and some-
started? too expensive. Aqualyng, you can produce thing we are very proud of.
1,000 litres of high-quality
In the mid-1990s, the founder Q: "More water, less drinking water at a cost of less Q: Your family has been
of the Lyng Group and energy" is a slogan to be than US$1, exclusive of involved in a wide range
Aqualyng -- the now late found on your website. financial investments. In most of technological inven-
Bjorn Lyng -- started work on How does it work? markets, that is a very cost- tions in a variety of
the spectacular Anfl Del Mar competitive way of obtaining markets. What exactly
resort hotel in the Canary It all depends how you look at stable access to high-quality have you invented?
Islands. He was happy with it. Of course, if you have a drinking water.
neither the quality nor the large river passing through The Lyng Group has always
price of the water supplied by your city containing fresh, Q: You are about to finish focused on inventions. Some
the local municipality and, in clean water, desalination a desalination plant in of the success stories are:
his typical entrepreneur spirit, cannot compete. But that is Karachi, Pakistan. Could • Elsafe, started in 1979, is
thought: I can do better! That unfortunately not the case you tell us something the biggest international suc-
is how he started working on with many countries that need about other projects cess of the Lyng Group so far.
his own desalination process, more water than is available around the world? This electronic safe can today
with special focus on energy from surface and ground be found in most 3-,4- and 5-
recovery. The first Aqualyng water. Their alternatives are Aqualyng has installations in star hotels in over 150 coun-
plant was built in the Canaries either to build long pipelines the Canary Islands, Morocco, tries.
in 1998 and the company has from more water-rich areas, Egypt, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia • Lyng Drilling has recently
since expanded to work on or actually to continue and Oman. We have also been sold to an American
four continents. surviving with an under- secured a large contract in company -- Schlumberger --
supply of water. Pakistan as Ghana, where we built a plant but has been one of the great
Q: One of the challenges an example: they cannot producing 20,000m3/day for successes of the Lyng group.
in the years to come will expect to obtain more water Ghana Water on a Production of drilling bits for
be to ensure a supply of from the River Indus than the build/own/operate basis. In the offshore oil industry was
fresh water to the world's country is already using. They other words, we assume all the core business of this
population. Do you really need to rely on desalination to the financial costs for company.
think that you can make cope with the growing building the plant and • Lyng Motor has developed
a difference? demand. operating it We then sell the a device that controls valves
water to the local water on ships. The "Eltorque" is
In the 1990s, the energy There are numerous ways of authorities who can then fill regarded as the world's finest
consumption for producing desalinating seawater, but the their empty pipelines with electrical valve activator for
one cubic metre of potable most popular method is called high-quality drinking water. such applications, and Lyng
water via desalination would "reverse osmosis". This is a Motor is one of the most exci-
have been between 5 and 6 process where seawater is In fact, in the Nungua area, ting companies in the Lyng
kilowatt-hours (kWh). Bjorn filtered through membranes. Ghana has been suffering Group at the moment
Lyng and his team focused on The seawater will have a from a water shortage for • Anfi Del Mar, built by
reducing energy consump- pressure of about 50-bar some time. This initiative Bjorn Lyng in the mid-1990s,
tion, knowing that this would when going through the from Ghana Water to is regarded as the most
be critical in opening up new membranes. After passing introduce desalination is a spectacular resort hotel in the
markets for desalination. through, about 40% of the major step towards improving Canary Islands. It is still 50%
Aqualyng -- with its energy input water will come out as a critical situation. This is the owned by the Lyng Group,
recovery device, the freshwater. first large-scale desalination and is -- with close to 900
Recuperator -- has been an project in West Africa and is rooms -- a truly spectacular
important driving force in Q: "As long as we have part of a long-term plan to hotel that is today one of the
reducing costs for the water oceans, we can produce introduce
Aqualyng flagships in the Lyng Group
desalination industry. Energy good drinking water at desalination plants to portfolio.
consumption for producing low cost" is another numerous locations along the (www.anfidelmar.com).
one cubic metre of water is slogan to be found on Ghana coastline.

1 2009 Diva 15

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