Archive for January, 2014

Arguably the most important molecule on the planet is water; and more than any other single molecule, it is essential to sustaining life. So why do we take it for granted? Why do we waste so much of what we need to survive? As the world comes to grips with this enormous challenge, the answer is more efficiently using this precious resource, and water reuse is key.

Interestingly, citizens in developed nations consume far greater daily amounts of water on a per capita basis than citizens of developing nations owing to industrialization itself. On-demand energy, 24 hours a day, and the availability of clean water is critical to the growth, prosperity and quality of life of global citizens, and these needs place ever-increasing demands on natural resources.

In real-world issues, water reuse can help arid regions of the world sustain growth and development, as well as improve the health of the population. In business applications, water reuse can help conserve energy and proves to be cost-effective with incentives given in a world leaning more and more towards “going green” and being energy efficient. With water usage tripling over the last 50 years, water reuse has become a necessity.

At Voltea, we realize the importance of water reuse and specialize in cost-effective technology that advances the reuse in residential and industrial applications. Capacitive Deionization (CapDI©) controls water composition by removing dissolved impurities, thus improving water quality. The advantage of CapDI in an industrial system is that the reduction of TDS (total dissolved solids) is tunable, chemical consumption is low, and there is low systematic maintenance.

An example of an industry that relies on significant daily volumes of clean water is the global commercial laundry business. A typical commercial laundry will consume 250 m3/day of potable water, as well as discharge approximately 200 m3/day of wastewater. The feed and wastewater costs typically represent over 50% of total operating expenses for these industrial companies. It is important to note that the water sent to drain in this critically important industry suffers elevated levels of dissolved salts due to the cleaning process.

Voltea’s technology is revolutionizing this industry because it has proven capable of controlling TDS below levels that would otherwise result in gray linens. Equally as important, Voltea technology treats laundry water at elevated temperatures, without first having to cool the water, treat it, and then re-heat for use. All of which would be an energy intensive, expensive process. CapDI’s ability to remove TDS at temperatures used in commercial laundries is allowing much greater water reuse efficiency in this critically important industry. Moreover, Voltea’s TDS management reduces water consumption and discharge, which results in energy savings and cost reductions that matter!

Dan Gates, President at American Water Purification (AWPI) commented “Voltea and their team has delivered a TDS trimming solution that opens the door to an unprecedented opportunity for savings in hot water reuse for commercial laundry facilities.” Voltea has such a unique application for the commercial laundry industry where CapDI is the only successful technology in the world that can help this industry leap forward towards being more energy efficient and become a leader in water reuse.

In Western Australia, Voltea has integrated CapDI into a water reuse system for commercial laundry to help address the dramatic water scarcity across the country. Sue Murphy, CEO of the Western Australia Water Corp noted “Western Australia has seen climate change happen faster and earlier than almost anywhere else on the planet. In the last 15 years, the water from rain into our dams has dropped to one-sixth of what it used to be before that.” If Voltea can help these companies with this technology now, water reuse can quickly become a staple in not only the commercial laundry industry, but also any industry where water reuse is of critical importance.

Another industry in which Voltea is making significant progress with commercializing CapDI is industrial cooling towers. Trimming the TDS of cooling tower make-up water by removal of up to 90% of the incoming salt delivers an immediate increase in cycles of concentration. Multiple global installations are yielding an average 20% reduction in make-up water, 40%-60% reduction in wastewater, and a full 60% reduction in the use of anti-scalants and anti-corrosion chemicals.

Voltea is delivering measurable benefits through a powerful economic message combined with meaningful environmental benefits.

Voltea continues its global expansion by partnering with Texchine, a South Carolina-based distributor and reseller of equipment for commercial laundry, cooling tower, and general water treatment industries. Voltea is honored to have Texchine as a reseller of their industrial water softening equipment, and is excited to enter into the North American market.

Through this partnership, Voltea has already completed the first installation in a U.S. based commercial laundry facility where Voltea equipment is allowing reuse of laundry water by controlling TDS (total dissolved solids) yielding superior, bright white linens washed with recycled water. This laundry facility has already achieved significant cost savings and has been able to double their daily throughput without exceeding daily discharge permit limits. This is attained because of the ability to use recycled water.

Jay Dixon, Owner of Texchine (www.texchine.com), commented “Texchine has forty years of experience bringing new technologies to the industries we serve. We are excited to work with Voltea to introduce CapDI© into laundry and cooling tower applications. This technology will allow our customers to conserve water at a time when these industries are recognizing the need.”

Voltea’s award winning CapDI© technology removes dissolved salts from water at the temperature that commercial laundries clean their linens, so cooling the water down before treatment is not necessary. Energy costs are lowered due to Voltea’s ability to treat water at elevated temperature (North American laundries operate at temperatures exceeding 45° C (113° F).)