Dynamic Water Technologies saved thousands of gallons of water and cut operating costs at a federal building in Georgia as part of a government study to find alternative technologies to conserve energy and water. According to PRNewswire, the report recommends governmentwide adoption of the company's electrochemical process water treatment technology.
In late 2018, the General Services Administration released a report based on a multi-month study at the 242,000 sq-ft Juliette Gordon Low Federal Building in Savannah, Ga, according to PRNewswire. The building has two cooling towers that used traditional chemical water treatment for the cooling water circulating through the two chiller condensers.
"Cooling tower-related water consumption is one of largest potable water loads within buildings in the United States, with substantial building water use associated with heating and cooling," the report said, according to PRNewswire. "Reducing water consumption is a priority. These factors have brought about the investigation of cost-effective opportunities to reduce water use, such as alternative water treatment technologies for cooling towers."
According to PRNewswire, the study took place from July to October 2017. The researchers found that the system effectively treated the water without the expense of added chemicals and reduced water use by 32%.
Mike Boyko, chief executive officer for the Scottsdale-based Dynamic Water Technologies, was not surprised by the results. Boyko had been working to convince businesses and government agencies for the past four years since founding the company about the savings in water that DWT can help realize.
"Participating in this government study is just another step toward showing how much more U.S. businesses can be doing to conserve water," Boyko said, according to PRNewswire. "We are thrilled with the results and the GSA's recommendation that our systems be used at additional governmental facilities."
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory assessed Dynamic Water's system during the study. According to PRNewswire, the study was to determine whether the electrochemical process would: save water and water/sewer costs by reducing the amount of blowdown required, allowing the system to operate at higher cycles of concentration; eliminate the need for water treatment chemicals for scale, corrosion and biological growth; increase chiller efficiency by preventing scaling and removing some of the existing scale, which improves heat transfer; and maintain low corrosion rates.
In all instances, Dynamic Water's system met or exceeded expectations. According to Boyko, the results are similar at installations throughout the Southwest and worldwide that have installed and are using the electrochemical system to treat industrial process water.