To date, the bulk of analysis on the U.S. fracking industry has largely centered on well counts and oil and gas production.

Is this innovative desalination technique ready to topple incumbent technologies? An industry expert explains the benefits and potential of forward osmosis.

One study cannot answer every question about water pollution risks from oil and gas drilling, nor should it be expected to. But as my colleague Nichole Saunders pointed out, the oft-quoted statement of EPA’s water study – that it found no evidence of “widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water sources”– implied to some that activities related to hydraulic fracturing had been declared risk-free.

Until recently, it was difficult to find an optimal meter for the harsh conditions that can occur during water transfer in oil and gas applications. The good news is that an effective, accurate, and rugged meter is emerging as an alternative.

There are few topics more controversial these days than hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"). While the debate rages on as to whether fracking poses a risk to water quality, a new desalination technique addresses two other environmental concerns: water scarcity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC), the breakthrough technology uses excess carbon dioxide created in the fracking process to desalinate the process water, making it available for water reuse. It also generates chemicals — hydrochloric acid and carbonate salts — that are valuable for many industrial applications.

Food and beverage wastewater treatment demands often fluctuate more drastically than municipal wastewater applications in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) relating to the foods being processed or to cyclical activity. Modular, self-contained systems offer practical, cost-effective solutions to help food processors keep pace with such variability — as a total or supplemental solution. Here’s how.

Parkson recently had a very successful pilot test at the facility of a bio-feedstock supplier of waste products turned into fuel. The Rotoshear® unit, equipped with a .060” wedgewire screen, successfully removes solids directly from Industrial Waste Hauling trucks to recover grease. Screening this material before it enters the receiving station allows the facility to focus on proper treatment of the industrial wastewater rather than the expensive downtime to drain and clean their receiving pond.

To assist industrial operators in managing and preventing biofilm, Italian start-up ALVIM Srl created a monitoring system that provides early warning detection of bacterial biofilm growing on pipelines, tanks, heat exchangers, RO membranes, and other equipment.

In commercial brewing — as with other food, chemical, or industrial processes — control over steam heating can have significant influence on process costs and consistent quality in the final product. But its measurement and control can also be impacted by unique circumstances of those applications. Here is how changing just one aspect of steam measurement brought economy and consistency to multiple aspects of a brewer’s overall process.

Domestic cooking has taken a back seat across several developed economies, given the steady rise in the female workforce and subsequent lack of time. This, along with significant improvement in disposable incomes, has been playing a critical role in accelerating the shift toward processed food and beverages. 

Resources being a scarce commodity, it’s incumbent upon us to optimize the use of water and energy as best we can. While conservation is the prime course of action for the public, the best solution for utilities may be to work smarter — by having the water-energy nexus work for us instead of against us.

This paper shows how the four pillars of operator effectiveness lead operators to greater awareness, faster response and better decisions.

Utilities are faced with myriad threats looming in the future, but chief among them is increased stress from population growth. In Denver, comprehensive planning for that future is underway.

To assist industrial operators in managing and preventing biofilm, Italian start-up ALVIM Srl created a monitoring system that provides early warning detection of bacterial biofilm growing on pipelines, tanks, heat exchangers, RO membranes, and other equipment.

In commercial brewing — as with other food, chemical, or industrial processes — control over steam heating can have significant influence on process costs and consistent quality in the final product. But its measurement and control can also be impacted by unique circumstances of those applications. Here is how changing just one aspect of steam measurement brought economy and consistency to multiple aspects of a brewer’s overall process.

Let’s lift a glass — of water — to celebrate World Soil Day, created by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to recognize the thin mantle that sustains us. Of course, as a water guy, I look at World Soil Day as a time to highlight the symbiosis of soil and water. As anybody who has been to the barren deserts of China, North Africa or the Middle East knows, soil without water doesn’t produce anything.

Food and beverage wastewater treatment demands often fluctuate more drastically than municipal wastewater applications in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) relating to the foods being processed or to cyclical activity. Modular, self-contained systems offer practical, cost-effective solutions to help food processors keep pace with such variability — as a total or supplemental solution. Here’s how.

A Q&A with Snehal Desai, global business director for Dow Water & Process Solutions, about the power of RO (reverse osmosis) membrane technology — to provide cleaner water, save precious resources, and improve sustainability.

In many industrial applications, water is not part of the final product but an important process facilitator — for cooling, cleaning, etc. Like energy, it can quickly become a major expense and, therefore, an important target for cost control. As potable water supplies tighten or become increasingly expensive, reuse is becoming a more attractive alternative. Here is some of the information needed to evaluate the opportunities it offers.

To date, the bulk of analysis on the U.S. fracking industry has largely centered on well counts and oil and gas production.

British Columbia’s fly-in recreational fishing lodge industry was threatened by federal regulators to be closed or fined up to $200,000 unless the sewage wastewater was treated. NOMADIC™ kept them open and operating.

Is this innovative desalination technique ready to topple incumbent technologies? An industry expert explains the benefits and potential of forward osmosis.

The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), introduced as part of the 1972 Clean Water Act, has continued to evolve as new challenges and new technologies emerge. Its latest update, due to go into effect on July 19, 2021, expands the analytical test methods available to governing bodies, industries, and municipalities for compliance reporting under the NPDES permit program. Here is what that entails.

Electrowinning is a widely used technology in modern metal recovery, mining, refining, and wastewater treatment applications.

Cost-efficient aeration still remains an underlying challenge. This Q&A article provides a look at how the industry arrived at today’s opportunities and where it’s headed for the future.