WaterWhelmWaterwhelm has developed a game-changing Forward Osmosis (FO) technology for wastewater treatment and desalination, validated through our pilot plant in Edinburgh. The technology operates at low pressures (2-4 bar) and is powered by waste heat (or solar thermal/geothermal energy), therefore, in comparison to reverse osmosis (RO), our FO technology uses 80% less electricity, 35% less CAPEX, realising a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. The product water can be used as potable, industrial or irrigation water. Waterwhelm will be looking to implement this technology across many wastewater or desalination sites, and other sectors such as hydrogen production, power plants, chemical plants, refineries etc., to utilise waste heat in the context of circular economy and contribute to achieving net zero emissions globally.

 
   Waterwhelm Intro Slides V8

 

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 Applications

WastewaterWastewater treatment: The patent-pending technology developed by Waterwhelm presents a self-powered method for wastewater treatment. We tap into the bio-chemical energy available in wastewater and sewage to extract the maximum energy available in these undermined waste resources in order to drive our energy efficient membrane process. The entire cycle is therefore capable of taking in wastewater or sewage and producing freshwater and renewable energy in the form of electricity. The process is particularly financially appealing to places where the infrastructure for delivering power may not be available or would be costly to develop. The technology is also compact and enables water recovery for direct re-use or discharge with minimal footprint. The membrane units will also prevent the pollution of water courses by micro-plastics and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) whilst recovering phosphorus.

 

 

7 1Water treatment: Waterwhelm’s membrane technology offers a sustainable method for water treatment driven by renewable sources of thermal energy such as solar thermal collectors, geothermal plants, biomass thermal energy or industrial waste heat. The process is capable of removing natural organic matter (NOM) with maximum efficiency in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. This technology presents a significantly lower electricity consumption, maintenance and environmental impact in comparison with processes such as ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.

 

 

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Desalination: The developed technology presents a transformative concept for desalination with substantially higher performance than reverse osmosis (RO). Capable of coupling with solar thermal energy, geothermal energy or waste heat, Waterwhlem’s pioneering process eliminates the need for high pressure pumps, high pressure vessels and energy recovery units. The result is a 90% reduction in electricity consumption and 35% reduction in capital costs in addition to significantly lower maintenance and higher water recovery.

 

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Concentrating: There are many challenges associated with the concentration of products in the Food and Drink industry. Using only thermal energy, the developed technology is capable of providing compact modular units for the concentration of products leading to significantly more efficient transportation and added value.