Clean TeQ Water has successfully completed a nitrate removal trial using BIONEX technology in Tianjin, China – and discussions have commenced for the implementation of large scale projects.

The aim of the trial was to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of Clean TeQ’s BIONEX system to reduce nitrate levels in wastewater in order to meet China’s increasingly strict waste water disposal regulations. Successful completion of this trial is important because it provides Clean TeQ with independently verified confirmation of the efficacy of the BIONEX technology in the very large Chinese nitrate removal market.

Nitrate water pollution is a major problem throughout the world. Elevated nitrate levels in waste water can lead to eutrophication of natural water bodies which causes algal blooms which severely harm water quality. Nitrate in drinking water has also been linked to Infant Methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome) and increasingly to various forms of cancer. For that reason, there are strict nitrate limits for wastewater treatment plants throughout the world.

Traditional nitrate removal plants use bacteria to break down nitrates in waste waters. These biological systems are typically suitable for removing high concentrations of nitrate but are often not able to meet the strictest (<5 ppm) nitrate effluent concentrations which are required for disposal of water into sensitive environments including certain rivers, lakes and drinking water catchments. This challenge is even greater during colder weather months when bacteria are less active.

Clean TeQ’s BIONEX system utilises ion exchange resins to extract nitrate from wastewater streams into a highly concentrated, nitrogen-rich brine product. This brine is then treated with our BIOCLENS encapsulated bacteria technology which converts the nitrate into harmless nitrogen gas. The flow rate of the concentrated brine product stream is typically only around two percent of the main flow, delivering substantial water treatment cost-savings.

During the demonstration plant trial in Tianijn, our BIONEX system was used to treat 95m³/day of effluent from a wastewater treatment plant by consistently reducing the influent nitrate concentration from 30 ppm down to 0 ppm. Using BIOCLENS to treat the brine confirmed that no nitrate would need to be discharged to the environment.

With this trial Clean TeQ has demonstrated that BIONEX can eliminate nitrate at very low cost (below A$0.20/m³ for this application, and even less for removal of nitrate in lower concentrations) while significantly reducing waste (brine) production. The BIOCLENS lenses used in the process are manufactured by Clean TeQ in our 100% owned factory in Tianjin.

Clean TeQ is actively promoting the BIONEX and BIOCLENS technology with two further demonstration trials which are scheduled to commence in China over the coming weeks (in aquaculture and another municipal project). The Company is also negotiating with several parties who are interested in projects for large scale implementation. Clean TeQ is also working with partners in the US to introduce our BIONEX technology for removal of nitrate from ground water sources of drinking water.