From October 2 to 4, 2025, a team of Japanese researchers and engineers led by Professor Fujioka installed a demonstration unit at the An Duong Water Treatment Plant of Hai Phong Water (HPW). This is the first demonstration unit developed under the SATREPS project. The submerged nanofiltration membrane unit, shipped from Japan, was assembled and installed on site. A container office equipped with furniture and measuring instruments necessary for system operation, data collection, and continuous monitoring was also set up. During the installation, the Japanese team worked closely with HPW engineers to coordinate the installation of auxiliary equipment, design and arrange the intake and discharge piping, support the piping system, and resolve potential operational issues.
Once assembly was completed, the pilot unit began initial operation using raw water supplied from the reservoir of the An Duong Water Treatment Plant. This activity marks the official start of the project's demonstration phase. The performance and efficiency of the submerged membrane treatment system will now be evaluated under actual operating conditions.
In addition to the installation work, regular research progress meetings were held with the participation of Japanese researchers, Vietnamese researchers, and members of the JICA Vietnam Office. During these meetings, research progress was shared, and a list of the demonstration unit's components as well as a system diagram (basic design drawing) were provided by the Japanese side to the Vietnamese side.
Going forward, the Vietnamese research team plans to develop a second pilot unit using locally sourced materials, taking the first pilot unit as a reference. Through this process, the project aims to develop a low-cost, locally manufactured membrane treatment system that can be widely adopted and disseminated throughout Vietnam. In addition, the installation of a third pilot unit is planned as part of the project to further verify the applicability and scalability of the technology under different operating conditions.
