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Report
Technology Assessment for LSI Electro-Coagulation.
Prepared by:
Brad McLean Engineering & Management Consultant.
Prepared for:
Philip Thompson CEO iota Services Pty Ltd.
Prepared: 8 May 2015.
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Introduction:
iota have been approached by Liquid Solutions International to consider
participating with Liquid Solutions International in development and proving of
applications for an electro-coagulation technology. The applications being
considered in the context of this proposal relate primarily to the treatment of
wastewater anywhere along the train from production to end reuse or disposal.
Before participating in the venture iota wish to assess the capability and
potential market for the technology to inform their consideration of a commercial
business case.
This report makes a concept level assessment of the potential for the electro-
coagulation device to have place in the treatment technology market in the
water industry.
The assessment has been undertaken in four parts:
1. A comparative capability assessment.
This provides a qualitative assessment of the capability of the Electro-
coagulation technology in comparison with other common technologies.
2. A comparative cost assessment
This will provide a comparative assessment of capital and operating costs
for a selection of similar technologies (e.g. chemical coagulation) or
management alternatives (paying for trade waste disposal).
3. A market assessment
This describes which market segment/s are best suited to the
characteristics of the technology.
4. A collated assessment
This provides an overall qualitative assessment of the potential of the
technology to have a place in the water industry market.
A positive finding for the device in this assessment does not guarantee success
for the device, it merely identifies that there is potential for the device to be
competitive in the marketplace at this point in time. Actual success will depend
on the development and marketing strategy from this point forward and
appropriate opportunities presenting in the market.
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Electro-coagulation technology in general.
Electro-coagulation (EC) is an electrochemical technique for treating polluted
water. It uses electricity to create coagulating chemicals in the reaction vessel
rather than adding the chemicals. It has been successfully applied for treatment
of soluble or colloidal pollutants in various industrial effluents including, effluent
from food industries, tanneries, mechanical workshop (soluble oil)
polymerization manufacture, and wastewater textile industries containing heavy
metals, suspensions solids, emulsified organics and many other contaminants
(Erick Butler et al. 2011).
Typically electro-coagulation applies a DC voltage across a circuit made up of
two electrodes which are immersed in the water that is being treated. One of
the electrodes is a passive electrode that acts as the cathode in the electrical
circuit and one sacrificial metal electrode that acts as the anode.
The sacrificial anode is made of other iron or aluminium which release iron(Fe)
or Aluminium (Al) ions which form metal hydroxide coagulants in the water
being treated. This is similar to dosing with Alum (Al2(SO4)3) or Ferric
(Fe2(SO4)3) in traditional flocculation processes. Both of these combine with
alkalinity in the water to form metal hydroxides similar to those formed in
electro-coagulation.
Electro-coagulation has the ability to remove colloidal particles (particles
between 1m and 1 nm in diameter). These are difficult to remove with
traditional flocculation–coagulation as they are difficult to chemically flocculate
to a sufficient size to settle. The electric fields in electro-coagulation cause the
colloidal particles to move, increasing the likelihood of colliding with other
particles and increasing the potential for flocs to form.
The cathode is either a similar metal or a more durable metal. Here water is
hydrolysed by the electrical current to form hydrogen gas and hydroxide ions as
well as chloride ions being converted to chlorine gas.
The hydrogen can facilitate flotation of lighter solid material suspended in the
water enabling separation of solids from the liquid phase. The suspended
material may be flocculated solids present in the water or solids formed by
precipitating dissolved material.
The chlorine gas is similar to traditional chlorine disinfection so the process has
the potential to provide some level of disinfection depending on the nature of the
water being treated and the amount of chlorine generated.
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The hydroxide ions combine with heavy metals to form insoluble metal
hydroxides that precipitate and can be settled out.
Hydrogen and hydroxide ions also bond to oils in emulsions, breaking the
emulsion and separating the oil and the water phase allowing oil and grease to
be floated and skimmed off the water.
Electro-coagulation relies on a level of salinity in the water to conduct electricity
and make the circuit that allows the electrochemical reactions to occur. Salinity
below 400 mg/l total dissolved solids begins to impact on the effectiveness of
the electrochemistry. The efficiency of treatment increases with increasing
salinity in the water being treated as lower power is is required to achieve the
same current across the electrodes.
Specific features of the LSI Technology
The Electro-coagulation device marketed by LSI International has some unique
features aimed at addressing some of the shortcomings of traditional electro-
coagulation devices. The technology uses two passive electrodes in conjunction
with recycled material as the sacrificial element. This aims to eliminate loss of
performance due to erosion of the anode as it is electrolysed. It also regularly
reverses the polarity of the two passive electrodes to avoid build-up of any
electrolysis product that may be deposited on the electrode. Deposits on the
electrode have the potential to increase the resistance in the electrical circuit
and increase power consumption.
These two measures aim to provide a machine that is more efficient to operate
by maintaining peak performance for long periods and having a low cost
sacrificial metal material that is simple to replace.
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Comparison of capability.
Capability requirements for wastewater treatment technology can be
categorised into:
Solids Separation:
Physical separation of suspended solid material from the water by
floating, settling, centrifuging or filtering. The smaller the particles
the more difficult they are to separate. Depending on size and
nature of the suspended solids chemicals may be required to
flocculate pollutants into agglomerated particles that can be settled
or floated from the water. Typical flocculants includes iron (Ferric),
Aluminium (Alum) or poly-electrolytes
Oil & Grease Separation:
Physical separation of oil and grease from the water phase. If the
oil and grease is separate from the water phase it typically floats
and can be skimmed off. If it has emulsified with the water
(dispersed into the water and bonded to the water molecules) then
the emulsion needs to be broken to achieve separation.
Biological Digestion:
Using bacterial processes that use pollutants as their energy source
to move the pollutants within the water into solids or into gases.
Typical bacterial processes are:
o converting carbon compounds to methane, or carbon dioxide
gas that can be released to the air or captured and used.
o converting nitrogen compounds to nitrogen gas that is
released into the atmosphere
o converting carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus into bacterial
biomass that can be settled and removed as sludge.
The capability of biological processes for a particular wastewater
stream is a function of the relative ratio of carbon, nitrogen and
phosphorus in the water and whether other pollutants in the water
will biochemically inhibit the bacteria or physically prevent the
processes from ocurring.
Chemical Precipitation
Using chemicals to precipitate pollutants into agglomerated solids
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particles that can be settled or floated from the water. Typical
precipitation processes include:
o Adding aluminium (Alum), Iron (Ferric) and/or Calcium (Lime)
to precipitate dissolved phosphorus allowing it to settle as
solids.
o Adding Hydroxide (Lime or Soda) to precipitate dissolved
heavy metals as metal hydroxides
Chemical Oxidation:
Using aggressive chemicals to oxidise organic and inorganic
pollutants into gases or into less harmful compounds. These are
typically used to treat chemicals that are otherwise difficult to treat
like pesticides, residual chemicals that cause colour, taste and
odour or toxic compounds that inhibit bacterial processes.. These
pollutants can be oxidised to carbon dioxide, water and common
salts. Typical chemical oxidation agents include ozone, hydrogen
peroxide, or hydroxyl radicals. Hydroxyl radicals are produced by a
number of processes known as advanced oxidation processes.
Disinfection:
Using bacterial agents to damage the physical structure,
biochemistry or reproduction capability of pathogenic organisms so
that the health risk is reduced to an acceptable level. Typical
disinfection agents include:
o Chlorine which is added to the water as either chlorine gas or
hypochlorite.
o Chlorine dioxide which is typically generated on site and
added to the water as a gas.
o Ozone which is typically generated on site and added to the
water as a gas.
o UV light which is applied by passing the water through a
chamber fitted with UV lamps.
Residuals Removal.
This is used to remove low level very small residual particles or
dissolved from otherwise clean water. Typically this is achieved by
filtration with ultrafine pore filters, by adsorption or by ion
exchange.
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A typical wastewater treatment application will require one or more of
these capabilities depending on the source of the wastewater and the final
quality that is required.
A qualitative assessment of the capability of electro-coagulation has been
made in two parts:
1. By assessing the extent that it and other technologies provide the
range of capabilities outlines above. This is summarised in Table 1
below.
2. By assessing the extent that it and other technologies are capable
of removing the various pollutants that are typically present in
wastewater. This is summarised in Table 2 below.
An assessment has also been made of the operating characteristics of the
various treatment technologies. This is summarised in Table 3 below.
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Table 1 Comparison of Capability
Technology Type Examples Solids Separation
Oil & Grease Separation
Bacterial Digestion
Chemical Precipitation
Chemical Oxidation
Disinfection Residuals Removal
Oil/Grease Interceptors
Grease Trap
Screening & Filtering
Barrel Screen, Belt Press
Larger particles
Sedimentation Settling Tank, Lamellar Settlers. Dosed with Alum, Ferric, Polyelectrolyte, etc
Activated Sludge Aeration tank & clarifier
Membrane Bioreactor
Aerated tank with submerged membranes.
Anaerobic Digestion
UASB.
Ozone Dosing
Chlorine Dosing
Membrane Filtration MF, UF, RO
Evaporation Mechanical Driers Vacuum Driers
Electrocoagulation LSI EC Device with settling tank.
Legend: Full Capability Partial Capability Possible Capability depending on
circumstance Not Capable
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. Table 2 Comparison of Pollutant Removal
Technology Type Examples Suspended Solids
Oil & Grease
Soluble COD/BOD
Nitrogen Phosphorus Pathogens Heavy Metals
Trace Organics
Colour
Oil/Grease Interceptors
Grease Trap
Screening & Filtering Barrel Screen, Belt Press
Larger particles
Sedimentation Settling Tank, Lamellar Settlers. Can be dosed with Alum, Ferric, Polyelectrolyte, etc
Activated Sludge Aeration tank & clarifier
Membrane Bioreactor Aerated tank with submerged membranes.
Anaerobic Digestion UASB.
Ozone Dosing
Chlorine Dosing
Membrane Filtration MF, UF, RO
Evaporation Mechanical Driers Vacuum Driers
Electrocoagulation LSI EC Device with settling tank.
Legend: Readily removes substantial amounts Readily provides partial removal or
removal of smaller amounts Possibly removes smaller amounts depending on circumstance
Not Capable of removing
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. Table 3 Comparison of Operational Characteristics
Technology Type Examples Start Up Operational Effort Maintenance Effort Complexity Operator Skill
Oil/Grease Interceptors
Grease Trap Immediate start at full production.
Low Regular emptying and cleaning.
Simple passive device Low
Screening & Filtering
Barrel Screen, Belt Press
Needs tuning to optimise
Moderate monitoring Regular cleaning and maintenance of moving parts
Simple to moderate mechanical device
Moderate
Sedimentation Settling Tank, Lamellar Settlers. Can be dosed with Alum, Ferric, Polyelectrolyte.
Settling Immediate. Dosing needs time to be optimised
Low to moderate to monitor and regulate dosing
Moderate maintenance of mechanical equipment.
Simple to moderate mechanical devices for dosing and settling tank
Moderate
Activated Sludge
Aeration tank & clarifier
Needs weeks to grow biomass.
High effort to monitor and manage set points.
Significant mechanical & electrical and control maintenance
Moderate to complex aeration and clarification equipment
High
Membrane Bioreactor
Aerated tank with submerged membranes.
Needs weeks to grow biomass.
High effort to monitor and manage set points.
Significant mechanical & electrical and control maintenance plus membrane cleaning
Complex system with aeration, membranes and pumping systems
High
Anaerobic Digestion
UASB. Needs weeks to grow biomass.
Moderate effort for biogas control.
Low process maintenance. High effort on biogas equipment
Complex System with gas collection
High
Ozone Dosing Needs extended commissioning to ensure safety
High effort to monitor and manage safety and performance
Intensive management to maintain safety.
Complex process with complex chemical safety
High
Chlorine Dosing Needs careful commissioning to ensure safety.
Moderate effort for process. High effort for safety
High effort to maintain function in highly corrosive environment.
Simple process but complex chemical safety
High
Membrane Filtration
MF, UF, RO Quick to start, some time to optimise.
High effort to manage performance and backwash.
High effort to maintain high pressure equipment and membrane function
Complex control and backwash
High
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Evaporation Mechanical Driers Vacuum Driers
Quick to start Low to moderate effort Moderate effort to maintain mechanical equipment
Simple process with moderate control.
Moderate
Electrocoagulation
LSI EC Device with settling tank.
Immediate start at full production.
Low to moderate effort manage and top up sacrificial material and manage solids handling.
Low to moderate effort to maintain simple electrical equipment.
Simple process set control. Low - moderate
We can see from the comparisons of treatment capability that the electro-coagulation technology can provide a similar
treatment profile to the physical and chemical based treatment but with some advantages.
It has the potential for chemical oxidation, disinfection and residuals removal where physical processes don't provide this.
It has the capacity to deal with suspended solids and oil and grease where the chemical processes don't.
In terms of pollutant removal the electro-coagulation process on its own cannot compete with biological processes in
applications where removal of soluble COD/BOD and nitrogen is important
It can however provide heavy metal removal, colour removal and potentially removal of trace organics where the physical
processes do not.
Electro-coagulation is also a relatively simple process with low to moderate operational and maintenance requirements.
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Cost Comparison
We can see from the comparison of capability undertaken above, different
technologies have different capabilities. This means the technologies are not
directly comparable on cost but need to be assessed for relative value given a
particular scenario.
For the sake of a comparison however, a technology will have potential
applications if the cost is lower than technologies that provide similar or greater
levels of treatment and is lower in cost than alternative management options.
To enable such a comparison indicative costs have been derived for a 100kL/day
wastewater stream for the different treatment technologies and for trade waste
discharge as a management option. The cost data for the different technologies
is derived from literature and from personal experience. The cost data for trade
waste disposal is derived for an example wastewater stream using South East
Water's trade waste charges. Within the scope of work in this report these costs
are indicative only. They are appropriate for relative comparison but should not
be interpreted as absolute costs for the technology in a particular application.
It is also useful to consider the footprint required for the technology. While this
is not reflected in the capital and operating cost it is a real cost to the owner of
the treatment technology.
The example wastewater characteristics used to derive the costs are:
Characteristic Value
Flow 1000 kl/day
COD 2000 mg/l TSS 1000 mg/l
Nitrogen 50 mg/l Phosphorus 10 mg/l
This comparison is provided in Table 4 below.
It can be seen from the comparison that electro-coagulation has the potential to
be lower in cost that trade waste discharge. It is relatively low in capital cost
and within the range of operating cost for comparator technologies.
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. Table 4 Comparison of Costs
Technology Type Examples Capital Cost Operations & Maintenance Cost
Footprint
Oil/Grease Interceptors Grease Trap $30k to $50k $10k to $20k small
Screening & Filtering Rotating Screen, Belt Press
$60k to 120k $ 150k to $250k
$140k to $180k $280k to $350k
Moderate
Sedimentation Settling Tank, Lamellar Settlers. Can be dosed with Alum, Ferric, Polyelectrolyte, etc
$400k to $600k (DAF)
$60k to $100k (DAF) Moderate
Activated Sludge Aeration tank & clarifier $3 to $6M $300k to $600k Large
Membrane Bioreactor Aerated tank with submerged membranes.
$4M to $5M $1.4M to 2.0M Moderate to Large
Anaerobic Digestion UASB. $1.0 to1.5M $150k to 225k Moderate to Large
Ozone Dosing ~$600k ~$30k Moderate
Chlorine Dosing ~$200k ~$15k Moderate
Membrane Filtration MF, UF $500k to $1.5M $40k to $60k Moderate
Evaporation Mechanical Driers Vacuum Driers
$1 to $2M $6 to $8M Small - Moderate
Electrocoagulation LSI EC Device with settling tank. $150 to$300k $200 to $500k Small - Moderate
Trade Waste Discharge $1.2M None
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Market Assessment
A market characterisation has been undertaken for water industry related
applications with a focus on the sewerage end of the industry. The sewerage
focus has been chosen as the recycled material used in the device does not
readily lend itself to water treatment application without further development.
This assessment has been collated by looking at the opportunities that are
available through the sewerage cycle from the initial creation of the wastewater
through treatment to recycling and reuse of the water.
At each potential point of application in the sewerage cycle an assessment has
been made of:
the features and characteristics that are typically important for the
application,
the potential for electro-coagulation to provide those features and
characteristics, and therefore
the suitability of electro-coagulation for the market segment.
This assessment is provided in Table 5 below.
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. Table 5 Market Analysis
Market Segment
Description Segment Characteristics Capability matches with EC. Market Opportunity
So
urc
e T
rea
tmen
t
On site treatment of wastewater from commercial or industrial enterprises to minimise or avoid discharge to sewer.
Smaller scale. Typically coarse treatment to reduce to discharge standard or for product recovery. Driven by Return on Investment Small footprint usually important Need simple low input technology that is reliable to operate. Often batch treatment. Often, heavy metals, toxicants or hard to treat compounds
Small footprint. Simple to operate. Fast start up suits batch processing. Can be lower cost than discharge to sewer. Don't need and often don't want biological processes. Efficient solids removal Heavy metal removal advantageous. Potential for capability for hard to treat compounds. More likely to find higher salt streams that favour electrocoagulation.
Opportunity in at source applications where solids removal and/or metals, and/or trace toxicants is the priority. Particularly for higher salt streams.
Se
we
r M
inin
g
Extraction of sewage from the sewerage system for treatment and reuse. Solids are typically returned to the sewerage system
Smaller Scale. Needs high level of treatment, typically solids removal plus biological treatment to remove dissolved carbon and nitrogen and then disinfection. Small footprint often an advantage. Driven by minimum overall cost
Possible match with solids removal step. Cannot provide dissolved carbon and nitrogen removal. Disinfection capacity may or may not be adequate.
Not seen as a priority market. Would need to be paired with other technologies to provide a full treatment train.
Tre
atm
en
t
Pla
nt
-
Pri
mary
First stage of treatment at a treatment plant providing removal of gross solids and the majority of suspended solids.
Larger Scale. Driven by minimum overall cost. Have resources to provide operational support and control. Long term view favours low operating cost options
Solids removal in capability set. Unlikely to be competitive on operating cost. Simple to operate less of an advantage. Scale up presents a challenge as it would require multiple cells to keep current at a manageable level.
Not seen as a priority market as electro-coagulation is unlikely to be competitive
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Tre
atm
en
t P
lan
t -
Se
co
nd
ary
Second stage of treatment process at a treatment plant providing removal of soluble carbon, nitrogen and possibly phosphorus.
Larger Scale. Driven by minimum overall cost. Have resources to provide operational support and control. Long term view favours low operating cost options. Biological treatment almost exclusive technology of choice as it minimises total energy requirement.
Biological treatment not in capability set. Phosphorus removal is a strong capability. Cost for P removal is unlikely to be competitive as an add on as most of the requirements for chemical dosing for P removal would already be available.
Unlikely to be a viable market.
Tre
atm
en
t P
lan
t
Tert
iary
An additional stage of treatment at a treatment plant where it is required to remove residual suspended solids, colour, and/or trace organics.
Larger Scale Driven by minimum overall cost. Have resources to provide operational support and control. Long term view favours low operating cost options.
Capability set potentially aligned. All tertiary treatment options are more expensive so operating cost may be comparable. Scale may present a challenge as multiple cells would be required losing efficiency of scale. Would need to assess whether LSI technology adds any new residuals from the sacrificial material.
A market to keep a watching brief and assess on a case by case basis. Opportunities where the residual contaminant is well suited to electro-coagulation may be a viable market.
Tre
atm
en
t P
lan
t
Dis
infe
cti
on
Removal of pathogens to make treatment plant effluent safe for discharge into the environment
Larger Scale Driven by minimum overall cost. Have resources to provide operational support and control. Long term view favours low operating cost options. Clean, low residual options a priority. Quality assurance on the treatment process an important consideration
Disinfection capability would need to be proven. A quality control mechanism and protocol would need to be developed. Would need a stream with sufficient levels of chloride to enable chlorine generation and higher total salinity to enable sufficient current. Electro-coagulation may have added value by providing additional functionality that is not normally associated with disinfection.
A market that requires some development work. If disinfection capability stands up then keep a watching brief and assess on a case by case basis. Opportunities where solids removal (eg algae) is a valuable bonus may be a viable market.
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Wa
ter
Re
cy
clin
g
Additional treatment on the end of a treatment plant to generate water suitable for recycling. Typically disinfection with the possibility of a requirement to remove low levels of algae, suspended solids or residuals and potentially salinity reduction.
Small to Medium Scale Driven by minimum overall cost. Have resources to provide operational support and control. Long term view favours low operating cost options. Clean, low residual options a priority. Quality assurance on the treatment process an important consideration Ability to tolerate water quality variability (eg Algae) a benefit. Low salinity is important in most applications.
Disinfection capability would need to be proven. A quality control mechanism and protocol would need to be developed. Would need a stream with sufficient levels of chloride to enable chlorine generation and higher total salinity to enable sufficient current. Salinity requirement may not be compatible with some recycled water uses. Electro-coagulation may have added value by providing additional functionality compared to traditional processes. With development algae removal may be viable as a standalone process. Solids removal and electrical action may mean electro-coagulation is a useful pre-treatment step for membrane treatment processes, particularly RO.
Should be considered as a possible development market. Development opportunities are:
Algae removal
Pre-treatment for membrane processes.
Development and testing work would be required to test the viability of these applications.
Tre
atm
en
t
Pla
nt
Ca
pa
cit
y
Au
gm
en
tati
o
n
Addition of treatment capacity for a plant that is overloaded or has additional discharge standards.
Small - Medium Scale. Driven by minimum overall cost. Have resources to provide operational support and control. Often shorter term view favouring low capital cost options.
Capability match for applications where additional capacity is required for solids removal, phosphorus removal or heavy metals removal. Low capital cost may be advantageous. Biological treatment not in the capability set if this is the capacity requirement is for soluble BOD and nitrogen.
A case by case market. Applications where augmenting solids removal, phosphorus removal or heavy metals removal may be viable.
Em
erg
en
cy
Re
sp
on
se
Provision of short term treatment capacity to clean up after a spill, manage sewerage following a system failure or manage wastewater that is not suitable for discharge to sewer.
Smaller Scale. Needs to be easy to transport Requires fast set up and start up. Needs to be simple and reliable to operate. Often a quick 80% result is better than a slower 100% result.
Simple process that is fully functional from start up. LSI technology adds to this. Small footprint lends itself to being transported. Key capabilities align with priority issues for spills, namely oil & grease and solids.
A potential service market providing a transportable first response service for spills and asset failure.
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The market analysis points to opportunities in at source treatment as the priority
market.
The characteristics of electro-coagulation lend itself to being competitive in
particular opportunities. The characteristics for competitive market
opportunities are:
Where flocculation of colloidal material is required. Here electro-
coagulation has an advantage over chemical coagulation in capturing
colloidal material. Example applications include:
o Separating paint from water in wastewater from paint manufacture.
o Separating inks and dyes from water.
o Separating fine clay particles from water used for brick, stone,
ceramic processing.
Where there is emulsified or very fine droplets of oil and grease in the
sample making treatment difficult. Here electro-coagulation has an
advantage as it can break emulsions and separate oil and grease as well
as settling other particles. Examples include:
o Treating dairy waste to separate fat and protein from the water.
o Fat and protein recovery from rendering or abattoir waste.
Where the application requires removal of a number or a selection of
pollutants that match with the capability of electro-coagulation. Examples
include:
o Landfill leachate where removal of solids, heavy metals, possibly
phosphorus and trace organics is required and retaining nitrogen in
the water may be an advantage for reuse.
o Separating the organic content of food industry (dairy, brewing)
process or waste water into fat protein and sugar to increase reuse
potential of both the water and the solids.
In addition if opportunities have a highly variable or event based nature then the
quick start up of electro-coagulation has an additional advantage. This points to
incident response as a potential market for spills of oil and paint and for cleanup
of storm runoff from construction or manufacturing sites.
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Collated Assessment
The three assessments undertaken above have been collated into a summary
analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats. (A SWOT
Analysis).
This is provided as Figure 1 below.
Figure 1 SWOT Analysis
Strengths•Small footprint.
•Fast start up
•Simple to Operate
•Ability to remove more difficult contaminants.
•Effective on oils and grease.
•Can be transportable
•Does not need chemical or biological agents.
•Uses recycled material as the flocculating agent.
•LSI technology addresses key problems with traditional electro-coagulation technology.
Opportunities•Fast start up and transportability suited to emergency response
•Potential for carbon/energy recovery with at source treatment.
•Early work demonstrating effectiveness on algae removal. (An increasing issue for recycled water.)
•Current or recent research activity using electro-coagulation for removing residual organics.
•Potential to use for heavy metal removal from sludge. (Would need to be able to concurrently float organics and settle heavy metal hydroxides)
Weaknesses•Requires higher salinity in the water. (~1000 mg/l)
•Unable to treat nitrogen
•Not viable c.f biological processes for soluble BOD.
•Relies on electricity.
•Needs sludge reuse or disposal route (common to most technologies)
•Not widely used in the wastewater industry.
Threats•Rising cost of electricity•Residuals from sacrificial material (in sludge or water)•Seen as old technology (Electro-coagulation has been available for more than 100 years)•Not seen as a “wastewater” technology.•Disposal options for sludge (common to most technologies)
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Summary Conclusions
Taken as a whole the assessment identifies that there is the potential for the LSI
electro-coagulation device to have a place in the market.
It has:
a capability profile that:
o addressed key challenges with traditional electro-coagulation
technology, and
o is competitive with other treatment technologies ,
a cost profile that falls within the range of competing technologies and
management options, and
identifiable market opportunities.
Realising this potential will require identification and pursuit of suitable
opportunities in the market. The key characteristics of suitable opportunities
are:
At source treatment of wastewater where the salinity in the water is
moderate to high. Target opportunities should include:
o applications requiring removal of solids including colloidal material
like wastewater that includes paint, ink or dye.
o applications where the solids in the wastewater includes fine or
emulsified fat and oil like dairy, abattoir or rendering wastewater.
o applications requiring removal of multiple pollutants in the
capability suite of electro-coagulation (solids, metals and trace
organics) like treating landfill leachate.
o Applications where separation of dissolved and suspended organic
material is valuable like food industry process or wastewater.
Emergency response activities requiring rapid deployment to remove oil
and grease, capture of solids, or remove heavy metals from affected
water.
The assessment identifies some knowledge gaps that need to be addressed for
the LSI technology. The key gaps are:
The contribution the sacrificial material makes to residuals in the solids
and the water stream and whether this limits market opportunities.
Optimising operating parameters (voltage, current, salinity and time) for
different applications.
Optimising settling characteristics of the resulting sludge and optimised
settling tank characteristics.
Quantifying disinfection capability and the factors that influence this
capability.
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Building on current research work on algae removal to assess market
viability.
Next Steps
Based on an overall view of the assessment and the knowledge gaps the
suggested next steps are:
1. Assess whether the identified opportunities in source treatment and/or
emergency response market possibilities are viable as part of the iota
business model and plan.
For the at source treatment opportunity,
2. Identify industrial partners in the target suite of applications and work
with them to develop and prove the specific application.
3. The proving process should prioritise:
a. Demonstrating ability to treat
b. Verifying suitability of resulting solids and water streams
c. Optimising operational settings sufficient to provide a viable
solution.
4. Where the proving is successful implement the solution/s as a
demonstration application and promote to build awareness in the target
market.
For the emergency response opportunity
5. Be prepared to invest in a mobile emergency response setup.
6. Initially target oil water separation as a known capability, particularly in
salty water.
7. Consider using the emergency response setup as an onsite pilot plant for
potential at source opportunities.
8. Use this experience to broaden the base of emergency response
applications.