Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1517668
MARCH 2024 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 17 tised. It only comes up when some- one is putting up a new factory or their old system has just melted down. at's where the market is right now. My recent focus has been on how to encourage somebody whose system is running fine to invest in this system by lowering the hurdle rate and making a stronger ROI. Having achieved this and gotten some orders for the tech to confirm the market readiness, we are now segueing into marketing and scaling. e first step was the invention, followed by getting it IP-protected. IP the is always a risk, especially in such a competitive market. And you don't want someone blocking or acquiring you to stop the technology from being used. My goal is not to get acquired (unless it is by someone who funds more rapid achievement of our goals), but rather, to just get rid of the waste. I'm kind of an activist. Also, many people actually think that they are doing green things already by partially recycling water or using less water. Interest- ingly, using less water does not benefit the envi- ronment like people think. e less water a fab uses generally means that the contamination of what they discharge is higher because that contamination has to go somewhere. A factory that recycles 80%, or that reduced its water use by 80% sounds pretty good to most folks, but the reality is that the discharge from such a fac- tory is a five times higher concentration of car- cinogenic petrochemical derivatives, micro- plastics, and toxic salts than if they did noth- ing. Chemical suppliers who constantly change formulations to use new chemicals that are not on the list of lists (until they are) have become experts at greenwashing. You are basically trading less water for stronger poison no mat- ter how you spin it. is marketing reminds me of the "Institute for Tobacco Studies" in the movie "ank You for Not Smoking." ere is a reason that the Dead Sea earned its name. e only solution is ZLD. LaRont: Alex, are there other green tech- nologies that fabricators should be paying attention to? In our industry, there are technology solu- tions addressing the three types of waste: solid waste, liquid waste, and airborne emissions. ZLD deals with the liquid waste, but the system is also reducing the solid waste because we've taken the chemicals out of the waste treatment process. So, the sludge volume is less than that of a normal system. Also, we are not deminer- alizing the incoming city water, and saving the sludge volume there. Matties: How much lower is the solid waste with the chemical reduction? Typically, it's about 30% lower. On the solid side, it can be reduced even further by adding circular regeneration at each individual process step. is is unpopular with chemical and con- sumables suppliers, but it is great for business owners because you only fill the swimming pool once. I want to develop a model where the chemical suppliers provide the circular economy systems. en they can get rid of the waste, and they can keep their margins if their IP is under control, but that is a more difficult business model than just selling stuff. From a sustainability perspective, you're reducing all the hazardous chemicals into a one-time use. It is a much better model for the world. It will take time and happen in steps, but it means less profit for chemical companies.