A method to soften waste water from coal-fired power plants and a method to identifiy indicator bacteria: The Chinese and Israeli partners of the Global Water Tech Hub Alliance are looking for these solutions. A Call for Solutions for both methods has been realised and the global water technology community is invited to submit their solutions. The deadline is 18 June.
Cheaper alternative for chemicals
One call has been issued by the Jiangsu Water Tech Cluster and challenges organisations to run an on-site pilot for pre-treatment of waste water at a coal power plant in the Jiangsu province in China. According to the cluster the power plant uses limestone gypsum from its desulfurization process in its waste water treatment process. The limestone gypsum causes calcium hardness and the softening with chemicals is costly. Therefore the cluster challenges the global water community to come up with a cheaper alternative.
Rapid identification of indicator bacteria
A totally different Call for Solutions comes from the Israeli national water company Mekorot. It seeks an innovative method for rapid identification of indicator bacteria in the field, in the laboratory, and continuously in the water supply system. Mekorot is specially interested in automatic field sensors for early warning and continuous real-time detection of changes in water quality and acute pollution. The Israeli water company offers a full scale comparative pilot testing of the technology for 6-12 months, side by side with other innovative technologies in its central laboratory.
First two calls
The two global Call for Solutions are the first ones made public by the Global Water Tech Hub Alliance (GWTHA). The hub was established last year during the European Water Technology Week in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. One of the hub’s aims is to speed up the development of innovative water technologies addressing an existing demand.
According to Hein Molenkamp, director of the Dutch partner Water Alliance, these first two calls fit this aim perfectly. “It shows how our global hub can help to foster innovative solutions that have a potential of international application. Interested technology suppliers have an opportunity to test their solution on international markets”. Molenkamp expects that the hub can soon publish more of such calls.
Showcased at international trade fairs
In addition to the facilities to pilot the requested technologies in China and Israel, the hub will showcase the solutions at interntional trade fairs. An international panel of experts will evaluate the proposals and interview shortlisted applicants before the finalists are announced in August.
Successful solutions will be piloted with the aim to implement them at scale. The challenges are directly linked to significant business or research opportunities and the initial outcomes of the results will be showcased by GWTHA at water events like Aquatech Amsterdam and WATEC as of November 2019.
This news item was originally published on the website of Global Water Tech Hub Alliance.
