MINNETONKA, Minn., April 28, 2003 - In response to demand for a less cumbersome and costly way to treat seawater for production of drinking water and industrial process water, GE Osmonics has engineered the new Seasoft(tm) membrane elements. Utilizing Seasoft nanofiltration (NF) elements as a pretreatment step reduces the hardness of seawater by more than 95 percent. This hardness reduction enables reverse osmosis (RO) plants to operate at lower pressures and higher recoveries. By providing a more purified feed to subsequent processes, Seasoft has facilitated a 25 percent increase in overall productivity while reducing pressure requirements by 17 percent.

Seasoft spiral wound membranes employ GE Osmonics' proprietary three-layer membrane technology to achieve an extremely scaling-resistant membrane surface. Comprehensive industrial testing has proven that Seasoft's membrane surface enables higher process productivity, while increasing membrane and equipment life cycles. Seasoft pretreatment allows RO plants to operate at up to twice the normal capacity and evaporators to gain up to 30 percent capacity by operating at design parameters.

Global dependency upon seawater for future demand is rapidly increasing. To date, RO and evaporation systems have been intentionally underutilized due to the operational constraint of scaling and the costs associated with high energy demands. Now, Seasoft NF elements alleviate prior concerns and maximize equipment capabilities because they were developed specifically to pretreat seawater prior to RO and/or evaporation processes.

Seasoft NF membrane elements are available in a standard 8 in. diameter and 40 in. length.

For further information on GE Osmonics' spiral wound membrane technology, call (800) 423-3725 or (760) 598-1800; write to GE Osmonics at 5951 Clearwater Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55343-8995; or visit the web site at www.desalwater.com.

GE Osmonics is a leading manufacturer and worldwide marketer of high-technology water purification and fluid filtration, separation and handling equipment. GE Osmonics also manufactures replaceable components used in purification, filtration and separation equipment. These products are used by a broad range of industrial, commercial, household and institutional customers.

GE Osmonics is part of GE Water Technologies, a unit of GE Specialty Materials (GESM), which is a platform for growth within GE. GESM offers a wide range of products including fused quartz, polymer additives, silicones, industrial diamonds, and water and process technologies. GESM uses technological innovation and Six Sigma to serve customers in segments as diverse as cosmetics, semi-conductors, oil drilling, construction and telecommunications. Visit GE Specialty Materials online at gespecialtymaterials.com.