The world’s first mobile wastewater treatment plant to be powered entirely by the sun has been shipped to the Canadian Army.
Housed in a 6 metre shipping container, Island Water Technologies’ modular REGEN system is able to process wastewater produced by up to 75 persons.
The “plug and play” plant supplied to the Army is powered by 10kW of solar panels that charge a 48V bank of deep cycle batteries.
REGEN uses an enhanced fixed film biological process optimized for energy efficiency and is controlled by a smart PLC system; with all data transmitted wirelessly for remote system monitoring and control.
Wastewater is first treated aerobically in a primary treatment tank with enhanced fixed film materials. A secondary chamber provides additional filtration and disinfection. The treated water can then be used for applications such as drip irrigation.
In addition to military applications, REGEN is also suitable for disaster relief scenarios, campgrounds and parks.
“This solution is a game-changer for wastewater treatment at remote camps,” said Dr. Patrick Kiely, Island Water Technologies CEO.
” This low-energy solution is readily deployable and system performance can be monitored or controlled from our central facility. This sustainable technology saves money and reduces risk for remote population clusters that require on-site wastewater treatment.”
According to the Canadian Army’s Major Luc Doré, REGEN has the potential to provide tactical benefits in the form of energy consumption reduction and lessening the environmental footprint of compounds in military operations; as well as reducing the number of soldiers required to provide logistical support for wastewater treatment.
Development of the system has been rapid and supported by the Canadian Government’s ACOA Business Development Program, which provided a conditionally repayable contribution of CAD $500,000 in February this year. In May, the company also secured CAD $250,000 in venture capital from Innovacorp.
As well as REGEN, Island Water Technologies has developed two other wastewater treatment products. ClearPod is a drop-in device for residential and commercial septic tanks that accelerates wastewater treatment. Sentry is a sensor that uses microbes to monitor wastewater treatment systems in real-time.
