LG Chem to supply membranes for world’s largest fertilizer complex

LG Chem has entered into an agreement to supply over 18,000 Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membranes to the Jorf Lasfar Industrial Park in Morocco, the company said in a a statement on Thursday. Managed by the OCP Group, Morocco’s state-owned phosphate and fertilizer leader, Jorf Lasfar is recognized as the largest fertilizer production complex globally, with annual outputs reaching four million tonnes of phosphate and over 10 million tonnes of fertilizer.

The initiative, which is slated for phased completion by May, is designed to enhance the desalination capacity at Jorf Lasfar, enabling the purification of 90 million tonnes of seawater annually, or approximately 246,000 tonnes daily. This advancement promises to supply water to nearly 1.9 million people in the surrounding Moroccan territories. With an anticipated rise in demand, future projections estimate the requirement for desalination plants could increase to over 26,000 units.

Previously, LG Chem’s RO membranes have been utilized in several of OCP’s desalination operations, but the scale of this new contract marks a significant expansion in companies’ partnership. The Jorf Lasfar complex, which is located in a region plagued by high temperatures and limited freshwater resources, plans to deploy these membranes as part of the Jorf Wave 2 desalination project. The project is designed not only to provide industrial water essential for fertilizer production but also to ensure potable water supply to 1.5 million residents in the adjacent Safi and El Jadida areas.

Leveraging Thin Film Nanocomposite (TFN) technology, LG Chem’s RO membranes offer a superior water yield—over 20% higher than competing products—while maintaining effective salt removal efficiency. Additionally, these membranes are expected to contribute to environmental sustainability efforts by reducing energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions through their operation at lower pressures.