Desalitech, a water treatment company, has been named the winner of the 2016 Global Water Award for Breakthrough Water Technology Company of the Year, by Global Water Intelligence.
“Reverse osmosis is widely used, yet typical systems waste 25 percent of the water they treat, consume excess energy and often suffer membrane failure,” Nadav Efraty, CEO at Desalitech told The Source. “Desalitech’s reverse osmosis systems are easy to operate, delivering pure water at guaranteed maximum recovery rates. Waste and energy consumption is reduced, and membrane fouling and scaling are avoided, even in challenging feedwaters.
The award has been a source of great pride and another testimony to Desalitech’s place at the forefront of modern water purification and reuse.”
Desailitech have developed a closed-circuit reverse osmosis system that recirculates the brine until it reaches a certain concentration before being expelled from the system. The ReFlex systems operate at guaranteed maximum recovery rates, reducing wastewater by 50 to 75 percent and energy consumption by up to 35 percent, resulting in operating cost savings.
“Everyone wants the latest phone, TV, and car,” added Efraty. “Not many will consider taking a 30 year old model, yet the industrial sector is filled with and still buying inefficient and unreliable water treatment Debora Rodrigues, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Houston, Texas, has received the 2016 C3E Research Award, for her work focusing on developing bio- and nanotechnologies to reduce energy costs in water and wastewater treatment.
The Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) initiative was launched in 2010 by the US Department of Energy as a way to highlight women working in the field.
University of Houston researcher recognised for work in clean energy systems, that have not changed in decades. Energy is the major cost of seawater desalination, and Desalitech addresses this challenge with seawater systems that use less energy than the most efficient traditional reverse osmosis methods available.”
The ReFlex systems have attracted clients and partnerships among Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola, Southern California Edison, Novelis and Pall who are moving away from inefficient and less reliable traditional reverse osmosis systems.
“The biggest challenge for a startup company is crossing the proverbial valley of death, taking a technology that works and turning it into something that sells,” said Rick Stover, Executive Vice President of Desalitech. “The award acknowledges Desalitech’s emerging leadership in the water treatment and water reuse industry.”
