Growing demand for more portable water per capita revealed at technical seminar 7th December 2006, Dubai, UAE, - Concorde-Corodex Group, the Middle East’s leading water treatment company, today held a seminar to educate industry professionals and key customers on the potential crisis in clean water, in light of increasing regional populations and the boom in real estate developments. Speaking at the seminar held at the Novotel Hotel, Dubai World Trade Center, Mr. Ahmed Al-Shuha, Senior Technical Manager for Concorde-Corodex, commented: “Demand is growing for new technologies to facilitate the water purification process. The Middle East is considered an arid zone with almost negligible natural fresh water resources, which have recently reached crisis levels. For the first time in history, the portable water and water treatment industries in the Middle East are under pressure to increase their efficiency.” Along with a panel of experts from Concorde-Corodex, Mr. Al-Shuha demonstrated how previously unconventional technologies, Membrane Bio Reactor and Ultra Filtration / Reverse Osmosis, allow domestic sewage to be treated and safely reused for industrial application. These technologies are currently being applied by Concorde-Corodex throughout the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and KSA, and as well as being more efficient, they are proven to be more economical than standard water purification processes. Mr. Mohanned Awad, Group Marketing Officer for Concorde-Corodex Group, “Studies have shown that the UAE will be the only country in the region to have satisfactory levels of portable water supply; evidence of the UAE government’s attention to this crucial issue in the sustainable development of the country’s economy.” Background on Water Standards The World Health Organization (WHO) has set guidelines for drinking water which vary from country to country, and similarly the HYPERLINK "http://www.fao.org/" Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has guidelines for irrigation methods which are revised regularly. Continuous global research investigating the effect of every single water contaminant on health, coupled with the upgrading of technologies like Corodex’s Membrane Bio Reactor and Ultra Filtration / Reverse Osmosis, mean that the water purification is always under scrutiny to improve, a factor which will only benefit the health of the consumer. Summary of Membrane Bio Reactor Water Treatment A high efficiency wastewater treatment plant which eliminates the need for final settlement tanks and primary settlement tanks. The final effluent is of very high quality, and is partially disinfected, enabling end-users greater opportunities for water reuse. Also, sludge production is very low versus conventional technologies. Summary of Ultra Filtration / Reverse Osmosis The process of removing Total Suspend Solids (TSS) and Total Disolved Solids (TDS) from water entails the use of Ultra Filtration (either by Membranes or micron rated filters) and Reverse Osmosis (the use of Membranes under considerable pressure to remove salts and other total dissolved solids). -ENDS- Notes to the Editor: About Concorde-Corodex Group Concorde-Corodex Group is one of the first companies established in the UAE in 1974 to provide water purification and waste water treatment services to the region. It has since expanded its network to cover the Asian and African markets. Major projects include the Palm Jumeirah (UAE), International City (UAE), ADWEA (UAE), Occidental Mukhaizna (Oman) and Parsons (Iraq). Concorde-Corodex Group’s services extend to handling sewage equipment, fire protection and safety equipment, machine tools and engineering equipment, scientific and laboratory equipment, oilfield equipment, agricultural equipments, industrial gasses, welding equipment, and marine and industrial equipment. Group member companies are Corodex Trading Co., Corodex Agencies Est., Corodex Industries, Corodex Marine, Corodex Electromechanic, Bristol Fire Engineering, Al Jaddaf Electro Mechanical, and Elfo International
