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B&V work on Koch Fertilizer plant expansion contributes to award

 

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World Fertilizer,

Black & Veatch has announced that it helped guide a Koch Industries subsidiary to an award-winning water treatment project at the Koch Fertilizer plant in Enid, Oklahoma, US.

Koch Fertilizer Enid LLC recently accepted the Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s inaugural ‘Water for 2060 Excellence Award’ as part of the panel’s target that the state’s fresh water consumption in 2060 does not go beyond its usage in 2010. The award was created to recognise groundbreaking contributions in water use efficiency and conservation of Oklahoma’s fresh water resources. The Koch Fertilizer project team also won Koch’s internal ‘Project of the Year’ award.

Black & Veatch designed the new water treatment system, which will allow Koch Fertilizer to switch most of its water supply from potable water to reclaimed city water as part of the US$1.3 billion Koch Fertilizer Enid expansion project.

Enid experiences severe drought conditions, and so the city’s water supply and the fertilizer plant’s resilience were challenged. Koch Fertilizer looked for an environmentally responsible and financially viable way of making sure that precious water resources were being managed efficiently and in a way that benefits Enid’s citizens and industry. That solution includes using Koch Membrane Systems technology involving ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes.

As part of the plant expansion that commenced in 2014, Black & Veatch provided design, program management, and engineering and procurement services for a new water treatment system. The upgrade includes a new pipeline (approximately 3.5 miles long) from the Enid water reclamation plant, ultrafiltration and single-pass reverse osmosis technology. It treats tertiary wastewater from the city to be used in the plant’s cooling towers and demineralised water treatment system. The expansion included the construction of a 26 000 ft2 water treatment facility that, eventually, will save the city over 4 million gal./d of drinking water.

Patrick Brabston, Black & Veatch project director, said: “The expansion sharply reduces the plant’s dependence on Enid’s potable water supply, saving the client money while preserving a precious resource.

“For an area that has been grappling with drought, this focus on resource conservation is a huge payoff for everyone.”

Vincent Como, Black & Veatch project manager, added: “The Koch Water Treatment Project showcased the breadth of engineering expertise at Black & Veatch, including water treatment, pipeline design and project execution to provide Koch Fertilizer and the city of Enid with a practical and sustainable solution to water conservation.”

Marc Hoss, plant manager for Koch Fertilizer, said that the project was “an ideal example of how public and private institutions can work together for a cleaner environment and more efficient use of valuable resources.”

Julie Cunningham, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s director, added: “If Oklahoma is to achieve the goal established under the Water for 2060 Act of 2012 – consuming no more fresh water in 2060 than consumed in 2010 – it will require large-scale innovative water reclamation projects like Koch Fertilizer's Enid plant.”

Steve Kime, Enid’s city public relations director, said: “Often times the strength within a city and growth opportunities for communities rely on corporate partnerships. Enid is privileged to have many partnerships, and the relationship with Koch Fertilizer is a great example.

“As our community looks for ways to conserve water usage and yet allow for growth to meet future needs, Koch has led the way in this effort by their innovative efforts to use reclaimed water in their processes.”

 

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