Several important trends are reducing costs and making water management more sustainable. For example, membrane bioreactors( MBRs) combine biological treatment with advanced membrane filtration, such as microfiltration or ultrafiltration. The result is higher-quality effluent, whether in municipal or industrial wastewater treatment, or recycling. MBRs reduce the footprint of treatment facilities, are adaptable for retrofitting, and have been deployed in projects world-wide, from Owatonna, Minnesota, to St Helena, California, and Thiruvananthapuram, India. Forward osmosis( FO) reduces energy demand and fouling by relying on osmotic gradients rather than high-pressure pumps. π www. valve-world. net Valve World November 2025 15
Water
Reverse osmosis system and nanofiltration membranes for water treatment. Photo: Dreamstime.
Forward Water Technologies Industrial FO Installation at Terrapure-2019. By Thornley15- Own work, CC BY-SA 4.( Wikipedia).
RO technologies to maximise output while improving energy efficiency. In Morocco, drought conditions and declining rainfall have accelerated investment in desalination infrastructure. A plant near Agadir, inaugurated in 2022, supplies both drinking water and irrigation water to critical agricultural zones. By 2031, Morocco plans to
Valves used in water treatment
host four of the world’ s ten largest desalination facilities. Renewables are increasingly integrated: Oman’ s Sharqiyah desalination plant recently inaugurated a 17 MW solar power installation, capable of supplying over a third of the plant’ s electricity needs and reducing CO2 emissions by 27,200 tonnes per year. In terms of overall efficiency, Veolia’ s Mirfa 2 plant in Abu Dhabi promises to break new ground: it will deliver 550,000 cubic meters per day of potable water while reducing energy use by up to 80 % compared to older thermal systems. Smaller-scale plants are also making a significant impact. In Tunisia, Lantania is constructing a 7,500 cubic metres per day RO desalination facility for the company Agro Care, aimed at irrigating greenhouse crops. Even smaller are the modular MBR systems that enable small communities and industries to gain access to advanced treatment without large infrastructure investments.
Recycling
If desalination expands supply, wastewater reuse exemplifies sustainability by transforming waste into a resource. Increasingly, water treatment is being tailored to end use, whether irrigation, industry or drinking water. Potable reuse is no longer experimental: it is established in Singapore, Namibia, and parts of the USA and Europe, with new projects under way in Perth, El Paso, San Diego and Los Angeles.
Valves are essential for any water application, from extraction to treatment to transportation. The most commonly used valves for water treatment are:
• Gate valves: Used for isolation, ie fully open or closed, not for throttle. Gate valves provide low flow resistance when open and a tight shutoff
• Butterfly valves: Used for on / off or throttling control, these are the go-to valves for large diameters.
• Ball valves: Used for smaller diameters or auxiliary line. Vall valves provide a quick shutoff with minimal pressure drop.
• Check valves: Also known as non-return valves, these are essential for preventing back flow
• Globe valves: Commonly used wherever flow regulation of throttling is needed.
• Air release / vacuum valves: These are crucial for long pipelines and high points
• Pressure reducing & control valves: These automatic valves maintain a stable downstream pressure in water systems.
New technology
Several important trends are reducing costs and making water management more sustainable. For example, membrane bioreactors( MBRs) combine biological treatment with advanced membrane filtration, such as microfiltration or ultrafiltration. The result is higher-quality effluent, whether in municipal or industrial wastewater treatment, or recycling. MBRs reduce the footprint of treatment facilities, are adaptable for retrofitting, and have been deployed in projects world-wide, from Owatonna, Minnesota, to St Helena, California, and Thiruvananthapuram, India. Forward osmosis( FO) reduces energy demand and fouling by relying on osmotic gradients rather than high-pressure pumps. π www. valve-world. net Valve World November 2025 15