Environmental Treatment Concepts

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life.

But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Environmental Treatment Concepts is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Based near Fareham, Hampshire, Environmental Treatment Concepts are manufacturers of electronic fluid treatment technology that helps treat a variety of water systems for limescale damage. It has evolved over its 30-year existence and created a number of new applications for its technology, which has allowed for expansion into the commercial, industrial, hotel and marine sectors. CEO John Thompson tells The Parliamentary Review more about the business’s journey and his ambitions for the future.

Despite our modest start to life as a company, we have pioneered electronic fluid conditioning and made the process of heating and cooling water more economical. The water we treat is healthier as our technology helps reduce the risk of bacteria, leads to better levels of health and safety and ensures greater sustainability for capital equipment. We introduced the very first effective electronic unit for dealing with hard water and subsequently built an unrivalled reputation with our customers, a reputation that persists today and which we guard passionately.Hard water affects 70 per cent of people in the UK and many other countries in the world. It is good for our bodies but limescale is not good for water systems. Limescale left untreated can narrow pipes, block jets, reduce thermal efficiency and is expensive to remove. It is estimated that limescale build-up costs industry over £1 billion a year in descaling while further money is wasted in lost production and downtime, early renewal of equipment, excessive use of chemicals harmful to the environment and increased energy and water costs. There are also major health and safety considerations, including increased risk of bacteria proliferation like legionella.

With our technology, however, limescale need no longer be an issue or cost to industry, commercial or government-owned premises. It can permanently and continuously treat hard water scaling without resorting to harmful chemicals or expensive water-softening equipment. This year we were announced as the winners of the David Green Sustainability Award 2018/19, a prestigious prize in the field of sustainability and green innovation that recognises the quality and importance of our solutions.

Sustainable solutions for the long term

Today, the use of our technology is widespread throughout a number of industry sectors. A key client is the Ministry of Defence, whose prime contractor, Debut Services Ltd, commissioned our services for a £1.3 billion Single Living Accommodation Modernisation project.

In 2003 this private finance initiative gave DSL responsibility to build and manage armed service accommodation for seven years after which they would hand back the building in as-new condition. Within a year many of the blocks had suffered limescale build-up that threatened the sustainability and profitability of the project. They initially investigated salt softeners but they calculated that using our technology would save them £75 million during the term of the PFI while maintaining the portability of the water. Since returning to MoD ownership, this efficiency has been paid forward and water systems haven’t needed replacement to date. Following on, we have secured orders at The Gherkin, St Paul’s Cathedral and St Thomas’ Hospital as a result, while continuing to supply the MoD on other projects.

Our technology is also particularly useful in the treatment of ships’ ballast water. In the example of an oil tanker, after discharging its cargo it needs to take on sea water in ballast tanks to maintain ship stability. However, the unfortunate consequence of so doing is the transportation of invasive species that upset ecosystems when released in a different part of the world. As an example, Thames Water systems in the capital are infested with zebra mussels, native to Russia. Ships are now required to treat the water to kill off these invaders and neutralise the water prior to releasing it. International regulators ran a number of efficacy tests in September 2018 in which some major players in the industry failed. The one system in which our technology is the critical component passed the test impressively. Shore based and sea trials are currently being undertaken, aiming towards International Maritime Organization and US Coastguard approval. Once approved, we hope our systems will become widespread throughout the shipping sector internationally.

Southern Water also invited us to conduct a prototype treatment of waste water at one of their Havant locations. We treated the sludge feeding their anaerobic digestion tanks and their yield has increased by up to 25 per cent as a result. This significant increase in biogas production has allowed them to create more of their own electricity, earning them significantly increased eed-in tariffs. Southern Water has an optimiser scientist analysing the data and we anticipate wider collaboration, and benefits to both them and the environment.

Potential regulatory change Over a number of years, we have worked hard to ensure our financial future, and we are currently in a stable position, employing nine members of staff on a full-time basis. We have run debt free for a long time and, as I outlined above, we are involved in some exciting ongoing projects. As we look to the future, however, we want to see a change in the way that legislation and regulation work within our sector.

Building regulations and compliance guides demonstrate a lack of understanding of the potential damage caused by hard water in buildings’ water systems. Non-domestic buildings compliance guides entirely ignore it, while those for domestic buildings lack the necessary accurate detail. As a result, builders can choose not to install hard water treatment measures.

This results in excessive energy consumption, working against carbon reduction and climate change targets, premature failure and replacement of systems, not commensurate with the circular economy and risking the increased threat of legionnaires’ disease.

Builders naturally look for the cheapest possible solutions and, by not being required to address hard water, are allowed to ignore the long-term impact. If regulators instead required builders and councils’ enforcement teams to consider the long-term impact of limescale damage and forced them to implement appropriate preventative measures, the cost would not simply fall on home and business owners. Sadly, derelict regulations are allowing this to perpetuate, and residents, businesses, the country and the globe are suffering as a result. A huge difference could be made to save money and resources in the future, if only a minor change, with massive impact, were applied to the existing building regulations