What is the Algaesys resource recovery system?

It is a combination of wastewater treatment and bio-mass treatment that makes use of natural processes to remove and treat the water and bio-mass in order to recover water (for re-use), bio-methane (for energy production, re-injection or compression and use in vehicles) and soil-conditioner for rehabilitating poor soil.

What makes the Algaesys system sustainable?

As we make use of biological processes and the power of the sun to do our work (with more than a helping hand from bacteria and algae) we do not require significant amounts of energy to operate (unlike comparable solutions). In fact we are energy positive - i.e. we produce more energy than we consume. We are also Carbon Positive. We consume carbon dioxide during the processing of wastewater, and by anaerobically digesting the bio-mass, we stop that bio-mass from being dumped in landfill, sequestering the Methane produced, washing out the carbon dioxide and re-processing it and effectively abate natural gas production in the process. We also look at every aspect of our design, maintenance procedures and operations in order to minimize our carbon footprint and the carbon footprint of our plants wherever possible - which is why we moved away from concrete tanks and replaced them with stainless steel.

How expensive is the Algaesys system?

Whether looking at CAPEX, OPEX or the TCO, you will find that Algaesys comes out ahead of the competition. While it isn’t possible to quote an exact price for a system, as it largely depends on the wastewater content and volume, we have been able to see our cost in relation to equivalent SBR/MBR systems and there are a number of factors that result in us being significantly cheaper than our competitors, namely:

• Footprint - we occupy one quarter of the footprint of a comparable solution

• Speed - we process water up to ten times faster than comparable solutions.

• Simplicity - we require no chemical or process engineers to run the plant during its’ lifetime.

• Power - with a small PV solution, we require no external power source (we can operate completely off-grid).

• Modularity - due to our design, we can be up and operational quickly and can simply swap-out components or expand without complex additional works.

• Efficacy - we remove microplastics, microfibers, nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals, pathogens, hormones, medications and persistent organic contaminants.

Our most pessimistic estimates show us to be at least seventy percent cheaper than a comparable alternate solution when looking at the TCO, with a higher degree of flexibility and usability.

Does the system smell?

No. In fact any well run wastewater processing plant should be odour free. Our solution is not only odourless but is also self-contained in a greenhouse to protect the vital components (algae & bacteria) from the elements, while ensuring they still have access to sunlight.

Is the Algaesys system suitable for all wastewater processing?

While the system is suitable for almost all potential applications, unsurprisingly there are some processes for which it would not make sense to use the Algaesys solution. Where the flow rates are too high (megalitres per day - although theoretically our solution would scale to be able to service that kind of volume) it is, as yet, untried. Any industrial process that has a significant quantity of algaecide or toxins would need to be diluted or pre-treated before our system could be used. Any location with limited sunlight or limited daylight hours would also prove more challenging to setup a sustainable solution that relies on solar power.