SEOUL, March 21 (AJU PRESS) -- South Korea's LG Chem will supply about 18,000 reverse osmosis membranes to the world's largest fertilizer production site in Morocco. The industrial complex operated by Morocco's state fertilizer producer, OCP Group, will incorporate LG Chem's components to desalinate water necessary for fertilizer production as well as for providing potable water to around 1.5 million residents in the nearby area.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is used to remove salt and other substances from water through a semi-permeable membrane. Unlike the conventional method which evaporates water using heat, RO membranes can filter out water molecules without the use of heat. LG Chem said its RO membrane has a salt removal rate of 99.89 percent.
LG Chem said in a statement on Thursday that the company will supply RO membranes to the Jorf Lasfar Industrial Park. More than 10 million tons of fertilizers are being produced in the area annually. However, it's been difficult to access drinking water in the region due to its hot and dry climate, as well as the scarcity of fresh water.
LG Chem has maintained a significant market share in the Mediterranean seawater desalination market by securing large-scale projects in Egypt, Israel, and Algeria. LG Chem purifies 1.86 billion tons every year with RM technology. Assuming an average daily water requirement of 110 liters per person, this volume can adequately serve more than 46 million people.
According to LG Chem, more than 50 percent of the total water in Egypt and the Canary Island, a Spanish autonomous community, were generated through its RM membranes. The United Nations predicts that 14 percent of the world's population will rely on desalinated water by 2025.
