SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1977
PWD'S WATER ENGINEERS ATTEND DESALINATION CONGRESS
IN TOKYO *****
TWO SENIOR ENGINEERS OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT LEFT FOR TOKYO TODAY (SUNDAY) TO REPRESENT HONG KONG AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON DESALINATION AND WATER RE-USE.
THEY ARE MR. WU YU-NGONG, CHIEF MECHANICAL ENGINEER (DESALTING), AND MR. PAU MAN-YUK, SENIOR MECHANICAL ENGINEER (DESALTING), OF THE P.W.D.'S WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT.
THE CONGRESS, WHICH BEGINS TOMORROW, WILL LAST FOR SIX DAYS. IT IS SPONSORED JOINTLY EY THE INTERNATIONAL DESAL INATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION (IDEA), OF WHICH HONG KONG IS A MEMBER, AND THE MINISTRY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY OF JAPÁN (MITI).
SOME 400 REPRESENTATIVES FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES, BRITAIN, WEST GERMANY, CANADA AND A NUMBER OF MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES, ILL ATTEND THE MEETING DURING WHICH THEY WILL EXCHANGE THEIR LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND EXPERIENCE ON DESALINATION. THEY WILL ALSO VISIT DESALTING PLANTS IN JAPAN.
MR. WU, WHO IS A DIRECTOR OF THE IDEA, WILL, TOGETHER WITH TWO JAPANESE ENGINEERS, JOINTLY CHAIR ONE OF THE SESSIONS.
AT THE END OF THE CONGRESS BOTH MR. WU AND MR. PAU WILL STAY ON FOR ANOTHER WEEK VISITING MORE DESALTING PLANTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE OPERATING ON REVERSE OSMOSIS PROCESS.
THE BENEFIT OF THE REVERSE OSMOSIS PROCESS, IF PROVED TO EE APPLICABLE TO SEA WATER, 15 THAT IT CONSUMES MUCH LESS ENERGY THAN A DISTILLATION PROCESS AND IS FAR MORE ACCEPTABLE
ENVIRONMENTALLY, AS IT DOES NOT PRODUCE THE ATMOSPHERIC AND THERMAL POLLUTION ASSOCIATED WITH DISTILLATION PROCESS.
(IT IS RECALLED THAT THE DIRECTOR OF WATER SUPPLIES, MR. WILLIA TUCKER, IN HIS SPEECH TO ROTARY CLUB OF KOWLOON RECENTLY, SAID THAT THE APPLICATION OF REVERSE OSMOSIS TO BRACK ISH WATER ON A LARGE SCALE WAS WELL ESTABLISHED.
HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT AT THE PRESENT STATE OF TECHNOLOGY, THE DESALTING OF SEA WATER BY REVERSE OSMOSIS DID NOT COMPETE ECONOMCIALLY WITH DISTILLATION PROCESSES.
BUT, MR. TUCKER ADDED, THE MANUFACTURERS WERE CONFIDENT THAT TECHNOLOGY WOULD IMPROVE WITHIN ABOUT THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, SO AS TO MAKE SUCH A PROCESS MORE ECONOMICALLY ATTRACTIVE THAN CISTILLATION.)
ON THEIR WAY HOME FROM THE CONGRESS, SOME 100 DELEGATES WILL VISIT HONG KONG.
DURING THE IR STAY HERE, THEY WILL VISIT THE LOK ON PAI DESALTING PLANT, THE BIGGEST PLANT OF ITS TYPE IN THE WORLD.
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