GE contract reduces refinery’s environmental impact, expands digital capabilities with cooperation agreement
Seeking to reduce the use of water in the refining process and as a way of minimizing its environmental impact on the North Saskatchewan River, North West Redwater (NWR) Partnership turned to GE’s Water & Process Technologies for NWR’s new Sturgeon refinery in Alberta, Canada. Like many regions, Alberta has very stringent regulations regarding freshwater withdrawal and effluent discharge, and Water & Process Technologies provided an innovative solution to meet NWR’s sustainability and environmental goals as well as the province’s policies.
To further the creation of digital solutions that address pressing issues in water distribution and management, GE’s Water & Process Technologies entered into cooperation agreements with two leading water analytics and water technology providers, WaterSmart Software and Smart Earth Technologies (SET).
With these agreements, Water & Process Technologies will help improve water utility efficiencies and enhance consumer engagement for customers by developing and evolving applications on its existing InSight asset performance management (APM) platform.
The joint applications being developed include digital consumer communication and engagement tools that deliver billing information, leak identification, remote valve control, resolution notifications and deep insights into water usage. This information will make it easier for consumers to understand their water consumption habits, save money and protect their property from costly water damage. For utilities, these customer self-service applications will reduce the cost to service consumer accounts by proactively addressing customer concerns, minimizing the need for on-site visits and improving payment performance.
Microvi awarded contract for phosphorus removal technology
Microvi received a competitive project from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further develop its technology to remove nutrients in water that can threaten the environment and human health. Microvi’s technology uses specialized natural organisms to remove an unprecedented amount of phosphorus from any body of water, including wastewater, to below 0.1 mg/L phosphorus. It also enables recovery of the nutrient so it can be converted into agricultural fertilizer.
Nutrients in water and wastewater pose serious threats to human health and can cause oxygen depletion in lakes and oceans, known as "dead zones," that affect marine life. Nutrients like phosphorus can also lead to toxic algal blooms, such as those that have occurred in the Great Lakes and have led to the shutdown of drinking water supplies. Microvi’s technology will help reduce the hundreds of millions of dollars that would otherwise be necessary to upgrade existing facilities for phosphorus removal.
RWL Water to acquire Acquavit in Brazil
RWL Water, the New York-based global water, wastewater and waste-to-energy solutions provider, reached an agreement to acquire Acquavit, a Brazilian water and wastewater treatment company headquartered in Jundiai, São Paulo, Brazil. Subject to meeting certain customary conditions, closing is expected in January 2017.
The acquisition of Acquavit, which will be renamed RWL Water Brasil following closing, reinforces RWL Water’s strategy to further expand in the largest market in South-America and will help promote the company’s global expertise in water, wastewater and reuse solutions to municipal and industrial customers. RWL Water previously acquired Unitek S.A. in Argentina in 2013 (now known as RWL Water Argentina) and has secured several strategic contracts throughout Latin America since the acquisition.
