Water Technology Group Associate Editor Robyn Tucker speaks with Chris Thomson, director of product development with Kruger Inc. in Cary, N.C., a subsidiary of Veolia. We discuss water industry trends, including current challenges such as aging infrastructure and technological advances.
According to Thomson, two important recent advancements have been made in the industry: resource recovery and plant optimization. These two elements work together to make better use of resource coming into the treatment plant used during the treatment process, including innovations regarding sludge and biosolids.
Maintaining a culture of innovation is also key to the industry. Organizations can encourage this environment by having the right people involved in research and development for the company.
Thomson shared how the water industry as a whole is faced with the challenge of an aging infrastructure, even as it is tasked with coming up with innovations on a frequent basis. New technologies such as moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) a biological aerated filter process offer ways for new innovation to improve older infrastructure and make it more efficient.