Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. (hereafter “MRC”) has launched sales of a range of package-type water treatment equipment, to complement its existing lineup of membrane products in the China market. This move is in line with our April 2011 expansion of the scope of operations of membrane element processor Dalian Rayon Environmental Equipment Co., Ltd., our wholly owned China subsidiary. MRC has sold increasing numbers of hollow-fiber membrane products in the expanding Chinese water treatment market, and aims to further tap this diversifying demand base.

Our sales target for package-type water treatment equipment for fiscal 2015 is ¥3 billion.

1. New products being marketed
(1) Wastewater treatment facilities using the MBR (Membrane Bio-Reactor) system (trademark in Japan: AQUAMATE) Facilities using the MBR method in a single-package solution include membrane separation tanks, suction pumps, aeration blowers, membrane cleaning systems and control panels.

By combining our own technology with the advanced water-treatment facilities of our subsidiary Nippon Rensui Co., we have expanded the range of applications for quality enhancement of recycled water to include re-cooling water and boiler water.

Applications: Recycling of all kinds of wastewater from office buildings and hotels, and collection and recycling of wastewater from factories (food products, chemicals and paper) and hospitals

Features: Equipped to handle per-unit water volumes ranging from 50 tons to 800 tons per day, depending on type

(2) Wastewater treatment system for mineral oils
This is a package-type treatment system for wastewater containing mineral oils. It uses the special MRC-developed material DIAMARS, which can selectively adsorb mineral oils.

Applications: Recycling of wastewater containing various plant-emitted oils in the automotive, machinery, steelmaking and power-generation sectors, and of wastewater from railyards and bus-washing facilities

Features: Compared with the conventional method (coagulation and pressure flotation), this system is simpler to operate and enables superior treated water stability and quality. Because it makes oil, chemical oxygen demand (COD)*¹ and suspended solid (SS)*² levels at close to zero through the wastewater treatment process, recycling of treated water is possible.

*1 Chemical oxygen demand (COD): Indicator for water pollution
*2 Suspended solid (SS): Indicator for water pollution, expresses the concentration of floating (insoluable) substances in water

(3) Degassing equipments
These are precision degassing facilities for removing gases dissolved in liquids.

Applications: Prevention of oxidative degradation in food and beverages, false readings by medical instruments and corrosion by cooling water used in injection-molding dies

Features: Using a triple-layer composite hollow-fiber membrane developed by MRC, our degassing equipments can be used for continuous processing. Compared with other treatment methods, this is a compactly designed system. Because its does not have a multi-porous structure, there is no leakage of liquids, and liquids other than water can be degassed.

(4) Water purification equipment
These are water purifiers with microfiltration (MF) membranes *³, used in household water purifiers, and ultrafiltration (UF) filter membranes *⁴.

Applications: Used to convert underground and industrial water into safe drinking water
Features: Comprising pressure and immersion types, unit choice can be tailored to specific needs.
Can be used in a very wide range of applications, due to incorporation of Nippon Rensui ultrapure- and utility-water equipment, depending on the untreated water quality and the targeted quality level of treated water.

*3 Microfiltration (MF) membranes: Separation performance of 0.01-10μm (particle size range)
*4 Ultrafiltration membranes: Separation performance of molecular weight 1,000-200,000

2. Background factors in launch of sales of package-type water treatment equipment
The rapid industrial and urban development of China has been accompanied by worsening pollution of water sources, exacerbated by chronic shortages of water in major cities. MRC has been quicker than its rivals in aggressively developing purification products for sewage and wastewater and for collecting water for recycling, chiefly using MBR technology.

Given that the Chinese government has announced plans to earmark ¥50 trillion over the next 10 years to water-treatment-related industries, the market can be expected to expand going forward.

MRC aims to consolidate its position in this market in China by marketing package-type systems using MBR and other technologies that enable a close matching of products to diverse water-treatment needs.

3. Dalian Rayon Environmental Equipment Co., Ltd.
Representative: Naoya Tanakamaru, President
Address: Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China
Established: May 2002
Capital: ¥200 million
Sales: ¥240 million (FY2010)
Number of employees: Approximately 100
Nature of business: Manufacture and marketing of functional membrane products
Marketing of water treatment systems