A container is loaded with a new water purification solution system
Fresh water accounts for only 2.5 percentage of all water on Earth, and according to the WHO, almost one billion people lack access to clean drinking water. One of the big boars is the heavy industry that discharges dirty industrial wastewater so called leachate, but this is changing – thanks to the Swedish start-up company Clearwell.
We offer the industry advanced water treatment solutions as a rental service. This allows the industry that generates large amounts of heavy metals to smoothly access the newest and most advanced water treatment technologies. Additionally, when leasing our containers, these companies avoid the large investments usually required for water treatment processes, "says Patrik Philipson, CEO at Clearwell.
Clearwell is becoming a leading global supplier of “Best Available Technology” (BAT) in the form of container-based water treatment systems. The company has been invited to the EIT RawMaterials Accelerator programme, which supports European start-ups by introducing the EIT RawMaterials partner network.
“For us at the EIT RawMaterials, it is important to capture and support innovative start-ups in Europe, such as Clearwell. We have a broad network of several hundred companies in raw materials, industries that are looking for new sustainable solutions, "says Ulf Orrebrink, Business Developer at EIT RawMaterials.
Scrap is gold of the future
Since 2020, HJ Hansen Recycling A/S, a metal recycling company aiming at minimizing its environmental impact and water treatment costs, has been using Clearwell’s modular and scalable system.
“During this year of activity, we have focused on optimising our water treatment. The quality requirements for discharged water are being strengthened and we want to be at the forefront of existing legislation. Therefore, we joined forces with the water treatment experts at Clearwell to clean our water at Prøvestenen. In 2021, we had a new water treatment plant installed at the sites in Malmö and Prøvestenen. Additionally, we want this recirculation technique to be implemented in Odense," says Lars Haunstrup, COO at HJ Hansen Recycling A/S. He is impressed by what the Clearwell system has achieved so far.
Recycling copper, aluminium, iron, lead, rare earth metals and other substances from scrap is an important part of the circular economy. But with increased recycling, more stringent requirements for the treatment of leachate from heavy metals are laid down.
There are many ways to separate harmful particles from water. Methods involve the use of membrane filter systems with micro- or nano-large pores as well as in combination with plasma treated metal filter solutions.
Many metal recycling facilities pay high fees for landfilling their leachate. A complete Clearwell wastewater treatment system is a complex combination of pre-treatment steps and various filters that lower the levels of heavy metals by more than 98 percent.
“We have also developed a smart, cost-effective and flexible solution for our smaller customers in the recycling industry. Customers can save up to 80 percent of today’s cost. Our water treatment systems are based on entirely modular container systems, allowing the customer to easily scale up the systems as requirements increase and change” says Philipson.
ENDS
About Clearwell Europe AB
Clearwell Europe AB specialises in purifying water from the presence of heavy metals in leachate. We believe that everyone has a responsibility in effective water management – to use water in a more fair, sustainable, and beneficial way. By offering best available technology (BAT) solutions for water treatment, Clearwell enables companies and organisations to meet regulatory requirements in an increasingly complex environment.
