MARBLE HILL, GA, Feb. 7, 2011 -- Food processors have a Georgia-based company to thank for a new zero liquid discharge treatment process that surpasses other water treatment capabilities, and does so at the food processing site. Watervap LLC, the winner of the 2005 Dow Jones/General Electric ECOnomics Environmental Award has just introduced this new brine disposal solution to the United States agriculture market.
This cost competitive process, which uses thermal desalination to eliminate brine and other minerals, was invented by the engineers at Watervap and surpasses treatment capabilities of existing systems currently in use by food processors.
"This has widespread possibilities for cheese, meat and poultry processors as well as other agricultural commodities. Watervap's desalination process is the most cost competitive where waste steam or other types of waste heat sources are available," said Robert Wright, a principal of the privately held company.
"This offers a process for completely treating wastewater, especially those with high concentrations of salt, right at the production site. By treating at the site, there are significant reuse opportunities as well as the production of dry salt solids which have additional monetary value."
According to a World Water Development Report from UNESCO, "Steadily increasing demand for agricultural products to satisfy the needs of a growing population continues to be the main driver behind water use. Steady economic development, in particular in emerging market economies, has translated into demand for a more varied diet, including meat and dairy products, putting additional pressure on water resources."
Benefits of Zero Liquid Discharge
- Protects aquatic resources by reusing water
- Prevents pollution by eliminating need to dispose of water waste
- Annual cost savings in water and energy
This new process is patented and has been tested in multiple food processing environments where dry salts and distilled water were produced from brine. Successful on-site testing locations included a pork processing plant in Florida, landfill leachate in Georgia and a chicken cooking plant in Wisconsin, among others.
About Watervap
In 2005 Watervap was the winner of the Dow Jones / General Electric ECOnomics Environmental Business Plan Award and is the developer of the unique Brine Disposal Solution (BDS) -- a water purification process which reduces salt and other minerals dissolved in water to a dry powder. Optionally, the resultant water vapors can be condensed to achieve fresh water, which has purity virtually equal to distilled water.
The Watervap patented process has wide applicability. It is able to treat concentrates from cheese, meat and poultry processors as well as oil well production water, oil and gas drilling frac water, many industrial effluents, agricultural wastewater, cooling tower blow-down, seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants and other water solutions infused with dissolved minerals.
The result is pure water and dry minerals. Other technologies are either unable to treat them at all, or can only partially do so, or are not economically feasible.
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