Blog Entries

Upcoming Course: Osmosis Inversa y Procesos de Filtracion por Membranas

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:42:22 +0100

Grupo Akvotek, S.A. de C.V. is proud to invite you to the upcoming course held by FEMISCA entitled "Osmosis Inversa y Procesos de Filtracion por Membranas ".

The course will be dedicated to all professionals working in the field of water treatment who are interested to learn about the principles behind membrane treatment as well as design caracteristics, operation and maintenance. The course is going to be in Spanish and held in the corporate offices of FEMISCA in Mexico City. [...]

Looking for a Position in the Water Industry

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:35:56 +0100

Being part of an online networking community exposes you to many different things. For one, you get to learn about so many different industries, people, hobbies, etc. If you take it a step further and network with people in your industry, you get to learn more about the different technologies available in the world and the different experts that can handle these technologies.

As a consulting/OEM firm, that's good to know. It opens our horizons to what is new, hip and functional. It [...]

Save the Rain

alan@akvotek.com — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:03:58 +0100

Other than using this blog for technical information sharing and a bit of PR, I wish to also use it to share resources and promote website and organisms that are working in the field of water and have an important impact of said resource.

I came accross Save The Rain, a project dedicated to teaching the developing world how to harvest rain water and use it is a source of potable water.

Now, I have my reservations about drinking rain water directly, without any treatment. Mos [...]

New Organisations in the Water World

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:19:05 +0100

The availability of fresh water sources, or lack thereof, is being felt every day, especially in the developing world. So much so, that organisms and associations are being created to help face this issue.

One of these organisms is Safewater International. Their mission is quite simple: To identify clean drinking water solutions for the poorest rural areas of the world and to promote local marketplace involvement in delivering those solutions.

Lately, I have been debating with several clients about the difference between membrane separation processes and conventional chemical treatment for water and wastewater treatment.

There are several advantages and disadvantages to both concepts. However, I believe that membrane technology is a much superior option to conventional chemical treatment.

To illustrate my point, I’ll use the example of a Drinking Water Tr [...]

Residential Greywater Treatment Ideas

alan@akvotek.com — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:08:28 +0100

A friend of mine asked me to look into some solution to treat grey water (mostly for laundry and dishwasher) and to reuse it for his lawn.

I was curious to know if you have ever used/sold or know if any piece of equipment that can do that.

Awaiting comments and suggestions...

Reducing Water Footprint

alan@akvotek.com — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:54:34 +0100

"Carbon Footprint" is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide."Water Footprint"can be translated as the impact of human activites on the world water resources, shall we say, in m3 of water.

As we hear more news about the fresh water shortage the world is experiencing, one comes think how to positively impact this shortage by doing little actions to reduc [...]

Desalination Can Boost Water Supplies

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Recent advances in technology have made removing salt from seawater and groundwater a realistic option for increasing water supplies in some parts of the U.S., and desalination will likely have a niche in meeting the nation's future water needs, says a new report from the National Research Council. However, a coordinated research effort with steady funding is required to better understand and minimize desalination's environmental impacts -- and find ways to further lower its costs and [...]

What's in your water?

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:20:04 +0100

It is important to understand that information and data collection is key in any project, large or small. The lack of reliable information and accurate data can turn a project inside-out and have serious consequences. As such, it is important before we initiate any project in water that a detailed and profound water analysis is done. Other than the typical water analysis, it is also important to invest in analyzing elements that can represent a potential health risks, such as heavy metals, bacte [...]

Uses of Reverse Osmosis Waste Stream

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:16:30 +0100

Reverse Osmosis Concentrate, or reject stream, is highly concentrated in dissolved salts. This stream is usually rejected to the sewer system, septic system or pumped back into the original water source.

There are some ways this water can be used such as:

Lawn and garden irrigationWater supply for toilet tanksWashing water, etc.

Before reusing the salty rejected water back into your home, it is important to consider the consequence of reusing it.

Irrigating the l [...]

Water Hardness: The Origin

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:12:01 +0100

Hard water is water that contains high concentrations of minerals. The ions that are of concern are calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+). These minerals are naturally occurring and enter the water as calcium carbonate (limestone) or calcium sulfate. The source of magnesium is called dolomite and has the following formula: CaMg(CO3)2.You can easily determine if you have hard water in your home by doing a simple test called lather (or froth) test. Soap usually lathers (or creates foam) with soft wa [...]

The Dangers of Blue-Green Algae

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:09:13 +0100

One group of toxins produced and released by cyanobacteria are called microcystins because they were isolated from a cyanobacterium called Microcystis aeruginosa. Microcystins are the most common of the cyanobacterial toxins found in water, as well as being the ones most often responsible for poisoning animals and humans who come into contact with toxic blooms. Microcystins are extremely stable in water because of their chemical structure, which means they can survive in both warm and cold water [...]

Understanding Water Management

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:07:54 +0100

Water Management is defined as: the practices of planning, developing, distribution and optimum utilizing of water resources under defined water polices and regulations.

Interesting… but what does that really mean?

Water Management includes all tasks involved with making water, distributing, using and disposing water. In industrial applications, water management means:

To make sure that the water entering the process is up to standardThat the pumps and pipelines distri [...]

Why are Membranes so Popular?

alan@akvotek.com — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:00:00 +0100

A life is worth protecting and one threat to such a life can indeed be diseases caused by water-born bacteria. Such examples are giardia and cryptosporidium. Both of these parasites cause digestive diseases with symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps, fever, etc.

With this in mind, we have to also consider that a lot of municipalities keep there water with a certain level of hardness. The main reason is to keep the water in a state that will prevent any corrosion in the munic [...]