When it comes to water and wastewater systems for businesses, especially on the larger scale such as industrial systems – there can be an overwhelming amount of treatments and other information available that can make it easy to overlook certain ones that may help not only for profit, but it makes sustainability better and can also help lessen the environmental footprint that comes with larger scale industrial applications. Our article below covers water recycling/reclamation companies and services in Alberta, that can better help your company and understand what options are available.
What is water recycling, how does it work, and why is it important?
Water recycling and/or reclamation is the process of treating wastewater or any type of “used water” to a high enough quality that it can be safely reused again for whatever various purposes it may be needed for, including whatever same system it came from, depending on your industry, manufacturing, or business. The treatment methods to reuse water varies depending on the source water and its intended reuse application, which can include many different types of processes such as industrial processes, landscape irrigations, drinking water, or even so basic as toilet flushing.
Water recycling works by collecting the wastewater from your business, industry, or even your home if it’s residential by a series of pipes that go to a treatment plant or treatment system setup. Large items are screened out and any remaining grit is removed. This is further evened out by slowing down the water so that any other solids settle to the bottom and form a sludge that is removed for later treatment.
The water that’s remaining from these processes undergoes further treatment to remove any remaining impurities, whether it’s done by physical processing such as membrane filtration and biological treatments to break down any contaminants to purify the water. After that, it’s all disinfected to catch the last of the parasites or issues that may be present and from there it can be rerouted back for use as clean, reusable water for your business.
Water recycling/reclamation is important for industrial business, and in general, as it not only helps with water conservation and reduces the demand on freshwater resources such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater but it also benefits by:
- Increased water security – Provides a reliable and drought-resilient water supply
- Resource recovery – Recovers energy and nutrients from wastewater
- Cost savings – Reduces costs associated with water acquisition and wastewater discharge as a whole
About 40% of wastewater from industries in Canada are reused or recycled water, as it helps keep costs down and lessens the environmental impact on resources. Many industries benefit from wastewater recycling and reclamation, and already profit from reusing industry wash water:
- Equipment yard rentals
- Military fleet operations
- Automotive recyclers
- Forklift dealerships
- Trucking businesses
- Marinas
- Manufacturing plants
- Food processing plants
- Warehouses
- Oil field services
- Commercial car washes
- And more, as examples.
It benefits industries across the board as it can increase profits and reduce environmental impacts. When using a wastewater recycling system, not only will you reduce the company’s carbon footprint, but it will also save money and increase profits, as reusing industrial wash water can significantly reduce the consumption of municipal water services and drastically lower your annual water bills. Moreover, water recycling can also help save on sewer costs and to help avoid fines and regulatory litigation.
Top water reclamation companies in Alberta
Hotsy Water Blast
Hotsy Water Blast is three industry leaders combined into one dynamic company that serves Alberta, Saskatchewan, BC, and even dips into North Dakota, USA. They offer many different water related cleaning services, including insulated caustic dip tanks for larger industry business, and more. The main reason they’re featured in this list is that they also offer industrial wastewater recycling systems that can help businesses with being more sustainable and profitable by reusing your water.
They’re an authorized supplier of Water Maze and Cascade wastewater recycling treatment systems and can size a system to fit your specific needs. Going through a multitude of technologies such as using mechanical filters to trap and remove large particles such as grass clippings, silt, and sand, to electrocoagulation that removes emulsified oils and heavy metals, bioremediation uses biological agents to turn environmental pollutants like total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides into harmless water and carbon dioxide, and evaporators that create temperatures up to 1100 Celsius to flash boil the wastewater. The concentrated waste is then collected at the tank bottom and automatically removed.
Whatever your business is, your water recycling system can incorporate one or all the above processes, depending on your goal. Their systems come with accessories such as oil skimmers and separators, above-ground pit systems, ozone and bacteria control features, and additional capacity for storage of treated water.
Livestock Water Recycling
Livestock Water Recycling is a world leading provider of manure treatment technology, with their innovation center being in Calgary. They work with farms around the province and the world to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, concentrate, and segregate nutrients for strategic fertilizer application, and recycling clean, reusable water. Their LWR system is the only proven and fully operating technology that reduces the overall volume of manure, concentrates nutrients, and delivers a renewable, high-quality water source that also provides a minimum 20-30% return on investment.
Water recycling and being able to reclaim any biomass related waste is very important, especially in Alberta with how much farmland there is across the province. Livestock Water Recycling is top of the list when looking to recycle any farm industry and to maintain the quality of use from start to finish. They can be contacted on their website to get further information, as they work with varying businesses and industries. The specific treatments you may need or are curious about can be discussed.
Epcor
Epcor has their own water treatment for water recycling, with its Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant in Edmonton. It uses membrane-based recycling to supply reclaimed water to local industries. Epcor also has the Nutri-Gold Program which provides treated biosolids from wastewater treatment as a fertilizer to farms/farmers, that improves soil health and reduces the need for commercial fertilizers. Their large plant treats the wastewater to the quality that it can be returned and reused into the North Saskatchewan River, bringing the water recycling back full circle.
Epcor saves around $200,000 per year in fuel related costs, as the treatment process creates/recovers valuable biogas during its water recycling journey. The Nutri-Gold programs takes the leftover biosolids from the wastewater treatment and provides it to farmers within an approximate range of 100km radius of the Clover Bar Biosolids Recycling Facility. Epcor’s program has more information available depending on your inquiry on their website and depending on what you need, they can be contacted by form or phone.
Waste’n Water Tech
Waste’n Water Tech has been working and evolving in Alberta since 1996, and in 2009 they changed their name to what it currently is and boasts twenty manufacturers, and stands out in western Canada as having the top tier collection of water, wastewater, and biosolids treatment technologies represented by a single company. They’re headquartered in Calgary, and they support outside of the province as well with two regional sales offices in BC and Manitoba.
They offer a wide range of water, wastewater, and biosolids treatment options. They offer parts, services, and their team can help you with whatever your business or large company is looking for in terms of water related services. Their team has 25 years of experience and whatever your needs are, they can more than likely find the ideal solution for you.
Is water recycling relevant to any size business or industry?
Yes, water recycling/reclamation is relevant and important to anyone, regardless of business size or industry, and even for homeowners as well when possible. As mentioned previously, it not only saves money and costs down the road, but it can save upfront as well if your location and industry benefit from possible tax breaks or tax credits. Recycling water also helps save with having to get fresh water constantly and other difficulties that come up, such as disasters causing issues with fresh water sources, droughts, and more. Recycling water means using less water resources, lowering your carbon footprint, and it keeps industry resource use more efficient and can ensure a smoother work process.
For more information, efficiency rates, including sustainability solutions – EnergyRates.ca can help your business or large-scale industry with any questions or concerns you may have, as our team of professional energy consultants can help you better understand what will help your business with saving costs, becoming more efficient, and better understand what’s available on the market across Canada currently.
