Technology
The Problem
Red tide and algae blooms cost the Florida economy millions, maybe billions, of dollars – it increases health care costs and lost days of work; it hurts local businesses, tourism and property values; and, worst of all, it harms our environment.
In fact, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that nutrient pollution is America’s most widespread, costly and challenging issue.
Even more, traditional technologies only lower water column phosphorus, which leaves the “removed” phosphorus in the ecosystem in the form of sediments and decayed vegetation that unless removed periodically will release the removed phosphorus back to the water.
The bottom line is: As long as our waters are contaminated with excess nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, there is a potential for algae and red tide. That is why our innovative and environmentally friendly CleanWater process focuses first on completely removing all soluble phosphorus from the ecosystem, permanently. Where nitrogen removal is necessary, our advanced biological system removes 95% of the reactive nitrate species.
Our Solution
Phosphorus Free Water Solutions’ CleanWater Process can begin delivering verifiable results within 9-12 months of approval for construction compared to the substantial time older and less effective technologies require.
The dirty water is first filtered to remove particulates and then treated with one or more of our proprietary processes where the nutrients are converted to an insoluble form and filtered for removal from the watershed, delivering a “marsh- and lake-ready” water that meets all federal standards. When necessary and beneficial, our technology can remove dissolved and total phosphorus to levels as low as 10 parts per billion.
A proprietary porous ceramic media is utilized in conjunction with locally sourced denitrifying bacteria to remove nitrogen, which is converted to innocuous nitrogen gas, a gas which occupies 78% of the air we all breath.
These techniques combine to provide an economically viable process to remove total phosphorus and other nutrients to previously unattainable levels at a cost far less than traditional methods.
The entire process is environmentally friendly with no chemical discharge and no waste other than the periodically replaced filter media. The removed phosphorus can be eventually recycled and utilized as a phosphorus source to reduce the demand for mined phosphates.
Pay For Performance
Using a pay-for-performance financial model, in which we bear all financial and performance risk, we can provide a comprehensive solution that can be deployed faster and without the significant upfront capital expense that typically comes with building water treatment systems.
Phosphorus Free Water Solutions utilizes their own capital resources for construction and operation and is only paid for validated and verified nutrients removed from the environment. Contrary to most, our approach places all financial and performance risk on us, not the taxpayer.