The Company has been established to exploit the new discoveries in heavy metal removal/recovery by biosorption.
There are two decades of original R&D experience and engineering know-how available for applying biosorption in effluents detoxification.
Biosorption is capable of removing toxic heavy metals from industrial effluents and other sources very cost-effectively, it is extremely economical.
Company services span a broad spectrum ranging from advising to contracted-out treatment plant operation.
There are three main lines of Company business.  Engineering consulting leads the way on an immediate basis.
Priority clients are large industries including mining and ore processing, electroplating and coal-powered electricity generation.
As mentioned, removal of Arsenic from drinking water represents a peculiar and particular problem where biosorption can also be very effective.

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 PRODUCTS - biosorbents
               1) Biosorbent materials from waste industrial biomass
            2) Biosorbent materials from algal biomass
            3) Specialized biosorbents


 EQUIPMENT
               1) Sorption columns - various sizes
            2) Pilot-plant sorption assembly


 SERVICES
               1) Engineering consulting
            2) Laboratory-supported treatability studies
            3) Process concept and design
            4) Contract operation of wastewater treatment plants

 New BOOK:   " SORPTION and BIOSORPTION"

 Engineering services offered by the Company can span a wide range - from advising the Client to fully operating the treatment process and guaranteeing its performance in compliance with regulatory requirements.
Metal removal is considered within a broader scope of complete effluent treatment as mandated by local regulatory requirements. Bringing the new biosorbent materials to the market is the simplest business alternative. Design of the process and equipment in which they would be used for metal removal is the way of most effectively applying the proprietary technology and existing unique Company know-how.
Running the entire treatment operation for the Client or closely supervising it may sometimes be very advantageous for the Client.
Resale of the recovered metal(s) can offset the treatment  expenses.

  Biosorbents - a whole family of these newly developed materials resulted from two decades of pioneering research. These highly metal-sorbing materials are based on natural biomass or industrial (fermentation) by-products. That is why new biosorbents can be very competitively priced - at about 1/10 (!) of the ion-exchange resin costs. Biosorbents perform just like these much more expensive  synthetic resins whose price depends totally on the crude oil price and availability.
Metal Selectivity - biosorbents are very selective with high affinity for toxic heavy metals.  "Light metals" (Na, Ca, Mg, K) do not interfere with heavy metal priority uptake.
Biosorption process offers a cost-effective alternative for treating different metal-laden effluents.

Biosorbents are powders or granules of 0.1 and 3mm size. They can also be as irregular particles. They are capable of extracting heavy metals from water solutions by fixing metal ions within the porous and chemically active particle structure.
Regeneration - When saturated, biosorbent particles are washed, releasing the metals in a small volume of highly concentrated wash solution. This simple processing can take place in the same equipment.
Metal Recovery - The metals of value can be recovered from the wash solution in a different and separate recovery process.

High Efficiency - biosorbents load single or mixed metals in excess of 10% of the sorbent dry weight.  They have metal-removal efficiencies of >99.9%, yielding effluents with total metal concentrations of less than 10-50 ppb.  This is more effective than with other metal removal methods. No toxic sludges left over.
High Versatility - biosorbents function generally over a wide range of pH values (pH 4-10) as well as temperatures (5-75^oC) with no change in efficiency. They could be used in different process operating arrangements.
Tolerance to Contaminants Biosorbents are not seriously affected by other organic contamination in concentrations <5,000mg/L.. They can even be used with streams containing particulate matter.
                     

Biosorption Pilot Systems (BeePS) are of different sizes as required.  They use a range of sorption columns from small laboratory columns to a man size. Advanced BeePS are partially automated, self-standing modules for the sorption process containing all the operating elements: columns, tanks, pumps, flow-control valves and plumbing.
Apart from the standard sorption column operation, there could be fluidized bed or mixed-tank sorption operations that allow working with suspensions feeds containing particles.  Again, all components are standard equipment.
Regeneration of spent biosorbents is usually done in situ inside the equipment. When completely spent biosorbents are to be disposed of after multiple-use cycles, they are washed clean in the last cycle and landfilled or incinerated - they are safe and biodegradable.

Equipment: One of the key advantages of the biosorption process is that it uses a completely standard equipment easily available in all sizes and modifications, readily order from specialized manufacturers and assembled by the Company in an appropriate format as required.
The Company engineers and technicians look after equipment sizing, ordering, assembly, modification, testing and piloting - even operation, if required by the Client.
Supplying and assembling the equipment provides a small portion of Company revenues.
The Company aims at delivering fully engineered turn-key effluent processing plants - with operation supervision and/or full operation.

CONSULTING WITH THE CLIENT   
We consider the cooperation and collaboration with clients as the most important aspect of problem solution.
There are essential steps: 
● Reviewing the problem nature.
● Assessing the regulatory demands.
● Establishing a wastewater sampling and analysis program.
● Quantitative determination of the wastewater problem.
● Consideration of alternatives and/or modifications of treatment schemes.
● Preliminary collaborative design of the wastewater treatment, its feasibility assessment and cost estimations.

Major outcome:  Precise knowledge and understanding of the wastewater disposal problem and its treatment alternatives.

LABORATORY BACK-UP 
Laboratory analyses are an essential component of:
● Understanding the wastewater problem and discharge impacts.
● Determining overall and especially metal-related toxicity problems.
● Quantitative determination of the key pollution/toxicity factors - and metal(s) content as well as their type.
● Providing the fundamental and time-based treatment-performance results.
● Following performance of the laboratory or pilot treatment procedures with their variations and alternatives.
● Determining the effect of the inflow composition and hydraulic variations.
● Following the performance of a full-scale operation.
● Providing a basis for submissions to regulatory authorities.

TREATABILITY STUDIES 
 ● Are usually carried out either on a small scale in the laboratory or on a larger scale as field operations.  This is where the Company know-how and its laboratory infrastructure is crucial for minimizing the expenses involved.
● Treatability studies produce the essential experimental result basis for establishing design of the operating requirements and sequences  required for the successful full-scale treatment operation.
TREATMENT PLANT OPERATION
The installed full-scale treatment plant can eventually be operated by the Client personnel. While there may be various degrees of initial operator training and/or follow-up supervision provided by the Company, some Clients may prefer to contract out the effluent treatment responsibilities.  The degree of Company participation in this regard is negotiated on an individual basis with the Client.
Potential metal recovery from the treatment operation represents another dimension of its operation.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL vs RECOVERY CONCERNS:  
Metal-laden waste solutions usually contain metal(s) at concentrations too low for recovery that is thus not feasible without an effective pre-concentration step.  The wastewater toxic metal content, however, is high enough to pose a serious environmental hazard.  Biosorption treatment results in low volumes of high-concentration wash solutions suitable for subsequent metal recovery.