A bioremediation company that efficiently removes … bioremediation company that efficiently removes metals and inorganics from wastewaters Jack Adams (801) 712-2760 [email protected]
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A bioremediation company that efficiently removes metals and inorganics from wastewaters Jack Adams (801) 712-2760 [email protected]www.inotec.us 2010 NATIONAL 2010 CLEAN TECH OPEN: WINNER ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
NATIONAL 2010 CLEAN TECH OPEN:WINNER ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
Presenter
Presentation Notes
IN A NUTSHELL: INOTEC is a ‘C ‘ corporation that started business in 2010 with support from the University of Utah and the mining industry to commercialize the Electrobiochemical reactor (EBR)
Problem
The world is running out of fresh water
AGRICULTURE
MINING
INDUSTRY
•Current focus is on removal of metals and inorganics
•Technology can be applied to many water treatment processes for enhanced contaminant removal
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The problem is a combination of fresh water shortage and pollution –compounded by water use that is doubling about every 12-15 years. This is coming at terrible social and environmental costs – almost 2 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water and around 40% of America’s rivers and lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or healthy aquatic life. Many examples come to mind, for every barrel of oil, six to nine barrels of contaminated water are produced that can contain harmful levels of metals such as arsenic, selenium, and mercury – and inorganics like NO3 and SO4. The US uses ~20 million barrels per day, this equates to ~6 billion gallons of wastewater daily. Thus far INOTEC has focused our attention on removal of Se, As, Hg, and inorganics like NO3, and SO4. However, the technology is applicable across many water treatment sectors and a broader spectrum of metals and inorganics. State laws and federal regulations are in place that drive the adoption of more effective treatment solutions.
Patented Electro-biochemicalReactor (EBR)
Solution
Presenter
Presentation Notes
INOTEC’S solution is the electrobiochemical reactor, the EBR. The technology is protected in the Americas, China, Australia, India, Africa, and Europe. The EBR can be used alone or as SHOWN ON THE RIGHT, a component in conventional treatment systems for metal and inorganic removal. The EBR substantially advances the proven microbe/chemical based, water treatment methods. Typically, microbes or chemicals alter or remove metal and inorganic contaminants by adding and/or removing electrons; this is a requirement of all chemical and biological systems. In conventional systems, these electrons come from nutrients and reagents added to the system. In conventional systems, a large EXCESS of nutrients or chemicals are required to provide the electrons needed – e.g., to adjust the reactor chemistry, for microbial growth and contaminant removal, and to compensate for system sensitivity and inefficient electron availability. The EBR overcomes these shortcomings by directly supplying excess electrons to the reactor and microbes using low voltage and no current. One volt supplies about a trillion, trillion electrons. These electrons cost effectively replace the electrons normally supplied by excess nutrients and chemicals, at a considerable savings. The electrons needed for a full-scale facility can easily be supplied by a small solar grid and system configurations can reduce or eliminate additional power requirements. The provided electrons make reactors more controllable - efficient, economical, and robust; -- 50% smaller, 50% cheaper to operate, and the metals captured can be recycled to help off-set costs.
Annual Markets• $39B World Market• $11B US Market
• $5.1B US Marketfor metals and inorganics
1) US Department of Commerce, 1999 -2007 2) EPA Report -2004-P-00005, March 20043) EPA Clean Water Survey, EPA NPDES Data 20104) EPA AML CERCLIS Inventory, March 20105) 2006 - 2010 Frost and Sullivan Reports
Market
$0.6B.6% $0.9B
8%$1.3B12%
$1.1B10%
$0.6B6%
$6.4B58%
US Wastewater Treatment Market( >$11B Annual Expenditure)
Mining Power Petroleum Industry Agriculture Other
TARGETMARKET
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There is an ~$39B world market for treatment products and services with a total US market of ~$12B annually The US market to treat metals and inorganics exceeds $5B annually The US mining industry shown in the pie chart does not include sites currently identified for the US superfund list that have significant water treatment issues requiring $2.1 billion annually over the next 25 to 50+ years.
Competitive Landscape
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INOTEC’s EBR technology is in an ideal position relative to cost and treatment effectiveness. It produces higher quality water in less time and at lower cost than competition technologies. In short, EBR technology starts with the best aspects of proven microbial systems and takes them to the next level of performance and cost-effectiveness.
Testing Model*
* Testing model is based on 33% to start/33% delivery/midpoint/33% final report
Current Customers 6 CONTRACTS with WORLD’S LARGEST
MINING COMPANIES
Customers/Testing
Contracting Stage Estimated Cost Estimated Time
• Assessments $5,000 to $15,000 Up to 1 week
• Bench Tests $10,000 - $30,000 2 to 3+
months
• Pilot Tests $50,000 - $250,000 1.5 to 3 months
• Full-Scale $500,000 - $6,000,000+
5 to 12+
months
Presenter
Presentation Notes
INOTEC’s focus is the mining industry, we currently have 6 contracts with some of the worlds largest mining companies and are bootstrapping growth through sales to existing and new customers. The variation in treatment cost shown in the testing model are due to Time constraints for testing Water chemistry and amount of water to be treated Location of site
EBR Testing
Process Water – Laboratory Results
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A classical two stage bioreactor is shown in dark blue diamonds on this graph and the data points cover several small changes in influent water chemistry. A single stage EBR is shown in light blue circles covering the same period with the same waters and ½ the nutrient. Note the stability in the ORP in the EBR system. All reactors were operated under conditions that approximated plug flow (up flow).
Process Water – Laboratory Selenium Results
3 VOLTS EBR
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Presentation Notes
Process water comparisons with a two stage conventional bioreactor system and a single stage EBR. Retention times were 12 hours in the EBR and 24 hours in the conventional 2-stage CBR reactor. Nutrient amount were also 2x in the CBR system. All reactors were operated under conditions that approximated plug flow (up flow). EBR ONLY was operated at 3 volts (no current). All other conditions in the CBR and EBR stages were identical. (Note: Microbial populations in the EBR’s were higher and more robust due to the easy availability of electrons [energy] in the EBR systems. The 24 hr CBR effluents averaged 600 ppb and EBR 12 hr effluent levels averaged ~70 ppb towards the end of testing. All analysis used ICP-MS.
Process Water – Laboratory Selenium Results
CBR and EBR ComparisonsCBR Tests
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Three different process waters. Retention times were 12 hours in the EBR and 24 hours in the conventional 2-stage CBR reactor (BEMR). A pretreatment feed was applied only to the BEMR system and significantly increased treatment time to a total of 42 hrs and contaminant removal – these pretreatments were continued for the comparison testing. Nutrient amount were also 2x in the CBR (BEMR) system. EBR ONLY was operated at 3 volts (no current). All other conditions in the CBR and EBR stages were identical. (Note: Microbial populations in the EBR’s were somewhat higher and more robust due to the easy availability of electrons [energy] in the EBR systems – single stage EBR (12 hr retention time) produced effluents similar to the pretreatment and 2 stage CBR (BMER) with initial feed selenium concentrations of ~9 mg/L. All analysis used ICP-MS.
Process Water – Laboratory Selenium Results
3 volts1 volt
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Presentation Notes
Selenium removal from two process water streams represents a change in feed waters. All reactors were stabilized between sampling points. All reactors were operated under conditions that approximated plug flow (up flow). Retention times were 12 hours in the EBR and 24 hours in the conventional 2-stage CBR reactor. Nutrient amount were also 2x in the CBR system. EBR ONLY was operated at 3 volts (no current). All other conditions in the CBR and EBR stages were identical. (Note: Microbial populations in the EBR’s were somewhat higher and more robust due to the easy availability of electrons [energy] in the EBR systems – EBR effluent at 3 volts was below detection of 0.002 mg/L. All analysis used ICP-MS.
On-Site
ON-SITE DEMONSTRATION
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Pilot-scale tests. Note stability in EBR system ORP carries over from laboratory to pilot-scale systems. All reactors were operated under conditions that approximated plug flow (up flow). Influent NO3 was about 24 mg/L. EBR systems were tested at flow rates from 0.8 gpm to ~0.5 gpm during the sampling points indicated – note system As effluent increase when flow rates ~0.8 gpm on 8/16/2010. All reactors were operated under conditions that approximated plug flow (up flow). Pilot-scale tests were finished in November 2010. During this time we had a 10 C temperature drop in treated waters and the EBR’s maintained a consistent metal and nitrate removal when held within the operational parameters defined in bench scale testing.
ELEMENT Al S Fe Ni Cu Zn Mo Ag Cd SbITEM mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L
The increased metals came from a sacrificial iron electrode used in bench-scale tests to examine the ability to controllably add essential components in a continuous manner to a wastewater system as treatment was conducted using essentially iron free test waters.
EBR process advantages for metal and inorganic removal include: • Native, non-pathogenic microbes • 2 to 10 times faster contaminant removal • ≥40% lower capital costs • ≥50% less operational nutrient/reagent costs • More controllable, stable, and robust reactor environments • Usually no water heating required/expected • Significantly lower contaminant levels in effluent waters• Power requirements for a full-scale facility can be supplied by a small solar grid
5 successful bench scale tests for various mining companiesSelenium and nitrate - Arsenic and nitrate - Mercury
1 successful on-site, pilot-scale test for arsenic and nitrate
EBR technology starts with the best aspects of proven microbial systems and takes them to the next level of performance and cost-effectiveness.
Summary
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Technology can be applied to existing facilities Produces up to 5,000 times less metal sludge Produces metal precipitates that can be sent to a refinery More consistently meets or exceeds discharge water quality standards for metals and inorganics Low energy requirements
