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GLOBAL RENEWABLES ONLINE - DECEMBER 2011 BISHOP WATER TECHNOLOGIES - SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Kevin Bossy, CEO of Bishop
Water Technologies, explains that
the company began as a pilot
project to turn waste into useable
material. By 2008, however, the
company’s original pilot facility in
Eganville was in full scale. “Our
primary goal when we spun out the
Geotube® business from Bishop
Aquatics was to provide innovative
sludge options, and expand those
solutions where you place
Geotube® units,” he explains. In a
nutshell, Bishop Water Technolo-
gies is continuously helping
businesses and communities solve
tough environmental problems.
WHAT IS THE GEOTUBE
TECHNOLOGY?
Chances are, you have come across a
Geotube® unit at some point in your travels.
However, you might not have known the
container was present—it can be buried in
almost any ground type—and often is hidden
from plain view. For instance: there are 1.4
miles of Geotube® units under the beach in
Cancun, Mexico, that were installed after a
hurricane. The Geotube® technology itself is
made from dual filament, polypropylene
fabric, and is used for dewatering solutions.
The container is custom fabricated based on
specifications of each application it is used
for, and is, according to Bishop Water
Technologies, a “simple, low maintenance,
and cost-effective solution for the
dewatering needs of many industries,”
including municipal uses, pulp and paper,
aquaculture, agriculture, and marine and
shoreline industries.
Bishop Water Technologies describes the
Geotube® dewatering solution as working in
the following ways: through containment,
dewatering, and consolidation. Sludge is
pumped into the Geotube® container (which
can be built to suit various size
requirements), and is then mixed with a
coagulant. From there, the solids separate
from the liquids in the Geotube® units and
eventually the water product flows through
the material of the container leaving the
solids inside. “The filtrate can then be
directed to a lagoon, wastewater treatment
plant, aerobic in ground secondary treatment
system, or where ever the design applications
require. In turn, these solids retain a very
high amount, and in many cases 100 per cent
of chemicals and metals,” demonstrating the
ability of the Geotube® technology to keep
pollutants from the environment.
During consolidation, solids in the
container go through a microbial compost
process, and continue to de-water over time.
The remaining solids, upon completion of
dewatering, are removed with equipment.
This entire process takes approximately two
to 12 months. “Dewatered sludge can be
spread on approved fields, go to landfill, or
be used, if applicable for energy production.
In the case of biosolids and agricultural
waste, the sludge can go through secondary
composting, the end results being top soil.
The dewatered sludge can also be used for
digester energy production,” the company
says.
APPLICATIONS
While the applications range for
Geotube® units, Bossy says that there has
been a challenge selling the idea of
Geotube® technology for marine and
shoreline applications to municipalities in
Ontario—despite international shoreline
success. “The regulatory environment for
this type of technology is a hindrance for
shoreline applications. There is a reluctance
to look at the Geotube® technology as an
option as a shoreline protection,” he explains.
Instead, Ontario municipalities have stuck
with traditional shoreline protection
strategies, like rocks. “With rocks, all it takes
is one to weaken. But Geotube® units are
strong, and there is a lack of environmental
impact. If you look at the applications in the
U.S., Asia, and Europe, and places in Canada
like northern Quebec, it’s more cost effective,
and it works.”
MARKETS FOR BISHOP WATER
INNOVATIONS
“We are now looking at several markets
for our technologies, which are not just
revolving around Geotube® applications. We
are looking at customers in heavy and light
industrials, mining, and other Canadian
municipalities,” Bossy says.