Deionized Water Treatment

- Client Challenge
  - An automotive proving ground campus is located in an area with very poor water quality (high hardness & iron) and there are restrictions on the volume of water that can be sent to sewage. Some of the water at this campus is used for humidification in environmental chambers that are used to test vehicles in different artificial climates. The challenge for our client was to purify the water for these environmental chambers and minimize the amount of waste water produced.
- American Aqua Solution
  - American Aqua partnered with Voltea to create a system that removes the iron, softens the water, and then purifies the water to the desired level of dissolved solids. This system minimizes waste (significantly less reject than a traditional Reverse Osmosis System) and eliminates precipitation of solids in the humidification system. American Aqua also worked with controls engineers to integrate the purification system into the Building Management System.

- - Client Challenge:
    - An international commercial real-estate firm manages a large campus for one of its clients in an area just Northwest of Detroit. The challenge for this location was the water quality. The water has extremely high solids, high hardness, high iron, and high alkalinity. This made the water virtually non-potable. Due to the size and scope of the campus, bottled water was not an option.
  - American Aqua Solution:
    - American Aqua designed and installed several “Central Systems” on the campus to purify the water and then distribute the water to several “Point-of-Use” filters. The water is purified, treated with UV radiation to eliminate microbes in the water, and filtered through a microbiological filter to insure the highest quality potable water. American Aqua is on campus weekly to monitor the water chemistry and the performance of the water treatment equipment.

- - Client Challenge
    - A leader in the prepared coffee industry has several different types of coffee drinks that are sold in their stores as well as high-end equipment that prepares these beverages. One of the challenges for this franchise business is water quality. Each location has source water with different chemistry, and a unique solution is needed for every geographic location. Improper water chemistry can create bad tasting coffee and ruin expensive and specialized equipment.
  - American Aqua Solution:
    - American Aqua tested the water and determined that hardness and iron were present. We then installed a softener that removed the iron from the water and exchanged the hardness for sodium. The sodium was then removed, along with all other dissolved solids, by using a Reverse Osmosis system. Because RO water is corrosive, we then blended back a small amount of hard water to prevent corrosion of the different metallurgies found in the coffee making equipment. The result was water chemistry that protected the equipment from premature failure and created the best possible coffee and specialty beverages.

- - Client Challenge:
    - A national insurance company has a large campus located in Southfield, MI. The water that is typically used in this area is Detroit City Water, which can be used without concern in most applications. To save money and reduce municipality water usage, our client used a well for its irrigation system. This well has a high level of iron which causes staining on concrete and stone work around the campus. Years ago, our client had an iron filtration system installed. Due to the age of the system the media was no longer filtering iron and staining began to appear on all concrete, costing our client thousands of dollars to repair their concrete.
  - American Aqua Solution:
    - The challenge for us was that we needed to remove all the media and replace it with new media along with replacing antiquated and malfunctioning controls. American Aqua worked with several different partners to vacuum out over 30 cubic feet of spent media, install proper interior components to the filtration system, repair the air compressor (needed for aeration and oxidation of iron), and install proper controls. It was a very complex project where preparation, communication, and execution were needed to stick the dismount.

- - Client Challenge
    - A distillery located in Southeast Michigan produces several different spirits that range from Bourbon to Vodka. They are considered to be a “Boutique Distillery” and they differentiate themselves by making their spirits with the best quality ingredients that are sourced right here in Michigan. Unfortunately water unreliability was making it difficult to produce consistency in their final product, and the presence of iron was stunting the fermentation process.
  - American Aqua Solution
    - American Aqua analyzed the source water and found that iron was intermittent due to the location of the facility relative to the municipal water plant. It was in an area where water could stagnate in the pipes. American Aqua installed a twin alternating softener with a reverse osmosis system that eliminated the iron and provided the consistent water quality needed with minimum solids. This allowed our client to control the water chemistry and create the best possible products for their customers.

- - Client Challenge:
    - An automotive supplier located in MI required a new softener system to replace an aging system. The existing softener system was a twin steel tank with 300 cu ft of resin per tank. Upon evaluation of water usage at the facility, it was determined that the softener was significantly oversized. The average flow through the softener was significantly less than the required minimum flow for a softener of that size. Due to improper softener size, the softener was using significantly high volumes of salt and the softener was not consistently producing soft water.
  - American Aqua Solution:
    - American Aqua proposed a quadplex system with the progressive flow. Each softener tank contained 60 cu ft of resin. The smaller tanks have a lower minimum flow rate that is in line with the flow rates at this facility. The system is designed with “Progressive Flow'' controls. In layman's terms, flow through the system is based on water demand in the facility. With this type of control, salt is reduced, regenerations are minimized, and soft water is consistently produced. With this optimally designed system, this facility is expecting a $72,000 / year cost avoidance.

— DEIONIZED WATER SOLUTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS —