FAU and City of Dania Beach Host Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening of Nanofiltration Facility
Project Expected to Become the First LEED® Gold Certified Water Treatment Plant in the World
Florida Atlantic University faculty and student researchers within the College of Engineering and Computer Science and officials from CDM Smith and the City of Dania Beach will host a ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Dania Beach Nanofiltration Facility on Tuesday, March 27 at 9 a.m. at the City of Dania Beach Nanofiltration Water Plant, 1201 W. Dania Beach Blvd., Dania Beach.
The Dania Beach Nanofiltration Facility is expected to become the first water treatment plant in the world certified to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Frederick Bloetscher, Ph.D., P.E., associate professor in the department of civil, environmental and geomatics engineering within FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, was the project manager and the LEED administrator. CDM Smith was the design-build contractor.
“This collaborative project is a great example of how industry may harness the power of student and faculty intellectual capital for projects that positively impact the economy and environment of our region,” said Bloetscher. “I am proud of our students’ involvement and know that the experience they gained working with the professionals on the project is invaluable.”
Nanofiltration is a membrane separation process that removes a range of inorganic and organic substances from solution in a liquid. FAU faculty and students contributed to the project by conducting research on increasing the recovery of waste concentrate. Two civil, environmental and geomatics senior student groups submitted conceptual designs as their capstone project and spent significant time analyzing the process, site and design issues. CDM Smith and FAU students also collaborated on pilot testing the highest recovery for a nanofiltration facility in the world, which was 95 percent. The pilot testing results were featured in the International Water Association Journal, and the students’ designs are integrated into the new Nanofiltration Facility, including the LEED Gold concept.
March 22, 2012