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The MBR Book: Principles and Applications of Membrane

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D<br />

R IVE<br />

R S<br />

R EST<br />

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N TS<br />

Bathing<br />

water<br />

treatment<br />

directive<br />

1.4.1 Legislation<br />

UWWTD<br />

ISO14001<br />

Industrial<br />

effluent<br />

treatment<br />

Marinebased<br />

applications<br />

Lack <strong>of</strong><br />

legislation<br />

Delay in<br />

legislation Industry uses<br />

cheapest option<br />

Rising<br />

cost <strong>of</strong><br />

municipal<br />

sewer<br />

Economic<br />

situation<br />

Interest in<br />

technology<br />

Mature<br />

markets<br />

Public<br />

concern<br />

Age <strong>of</strong><br />

existing<br />

plants<br />

Eutrophication<br />

Introduction 5<br />

Figure 1.3 Forcefield analysis, growth drivers <strong>and</strong> restraints. Factors influencing the market both positively<br />

(“drivers”) <strong>and</strong> negatively (“restraints”) are shown, the longer arrows indicating the more influential<br />

factors. Dotted lines indicate where the influence <strong>of</strong> a particular factor on the European market is<br />

subsiding (Frost <strong>and</strong> Sullivan, 2003).<br />

<strong>The</strong>re appears to be little doubt that the major driver in the <strong>MBR</strong> market today is<br />

legislation, since it enforces more stringent water quality outputs <strong>and</strong> water<br />

resource preservation globally, <strong>of</strong>ten through recycling, <strong>and</strong> therefore dem<strong>and</strong>s that<br />

organisations re-evaluate their existing technology in the light <strong>of</strong> the new requirements.<br />

A number <strong>of</strong> reuse <strong>and</strong> recycling initiatives have also been introduced to the<br />

same effect.<br />

In the European Union pertinent legislation is manifested as a series <strong>of</strong> acts relating<br />

to water <strong>and</strong> wastewater (Table 1.1), <strong>of</strong> which the most important with respect<br />

to <strong>MBR</strong>s are:<br />

● <strong>The</strong> EC Bathing Water Directive (1976): This directive was designed to<br />

improve bathing water quality with respect to pathogenic micro-organism<br />

levels in Europe at selected localities <strong>and</strong> is currently under revision in order<br />

to both simplify <strong>and</strong> update it. <strong>The</strong> revised version is expected to be implemented<br />

in 2006.<br />

● <strong>The</strong> Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (1995): <strong>The</strong> purpose <strong>of</strong> this<br />

directive, which was agreed in 1991, is to protect the environment from the<br />

negative effects <strong>of</strong> sewage discharges. Treatment levels were to be set taking<br />

into account the size <strong>of</strong> sewage discharges <strong>and</strong> the sensitivity <strong>of</strong> the waters<br />

into which the discharges were to be released (Defra, 2006a).<br />

● <strong>The</strong> Water Act: <strong>The</strong> Water Act, most recently amended <strong>and</strong> updated in 2003<br />

(OFWAT, 2003), comprises three sections <strong>and</strong> relates to the abstraction <strong>and</strong><br />

D<br />

R IVE<br />

R S<br />

R EST<br />

R AI<br />

N TS

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