As part of its commitment to innovation and the application of the latest technologies to the complete water cycle, FACSA has launched a pilot water treatment plant in Nules using an electrochlorination system. This pioneering technology, the first of its kind worldwide, utilizes a membrane electrolysis system to generate a disinfectant on-site from brine and an electrode for water treatment.
The research project, which was launched in mid-March, aims to obtain a disinfectant that is more effective than commercial sodium hypochlorite and, at the same time, minimize the loss of properties of this product by avoiding its exposure to heat and sunlight, in order to obtain higher quality water.
“It starts with water and a brine solution to which an electric current is applied, allowing the two base components to dissociate and recombine to form hypochlorous acid, which, as soon as it is generated by electrolysis, can be used for disinfection,” explained Juan Luis Orenga, Head of Supply at FACSA, who also indicated that “the disinfectant does not degrade when exposed to heat or sunlight, so it does not lose its properties, with the advantages that this implies for guaranteeing the proper disinfection of water intended for human consumption.”.
In this way, in addition to generating a quality disinfectant in real time and in the facility itself, without storage, it is expected to prevent the progressive degradation of the disinfectant, something that does occur with other methods used to date, as well as improving the sanitary quality of the water distributed to homes.
In this regard, the First Deputy Mayor of Nules, Adrián Sorribes, stated that “the City Council is working to improve the quality of services we provide to the public, and in this sense, Nules is once again a pioneer in using new technologies, especially those of an environmental nature.” “In this case, thanks to FACSA, we have become pioneers in water treatment and have provided greater safety for the employees of the wastewater treatment plant, as they no longer have to handle chemical products,” the councilor emphasized, adding that “this initiative is part of the green policy that the Nules City Council has been implementing in recent years, with notable examples including the use of geothermal energy for heating the municipal swimming pool, the use of endotherapy for treating tree pests, and the installation of street furniture made from recycled materials.”.
