Ionic Solutions commences power station pilot in Saskatchewan
The greenest, most sustainable, desalination technology in the world is being piloted in one of the largest thermal power stations in Western Canada.
In collaboration with a power sector partner, Ionic Solutions’ patented Capacitive Electrodialysis Reversal (C-EDR) technology will purify millions of litres of water used to power 600,000 homes across Saskatchewan. The 5-month pilot will demonstrate low-power, high-performance desalination as a replacement for an ageing lime softening system, which produces a large volume of lime sludge waste.
Housed inside a cargo trailer, our C-EDR cells will remove ions including calcium, sodium, and chlorides from 58 million litres of boiler feed water, drawn from the South Saskatchewan River, using a small electric current and ion-selective membranes.
In addition to demonstrating a sustainable and sludge waste-free alternative to the lime softening system, the pilot will also lessen the work of the Saskatoon plant’s demineralization system.
Barry Johnson, Co-founder and President of Ionic Solutions, says the power sector has much to gain from the adoption of advanced water technologies like C-EDR.
“Power stations use large volumes of water in their processes and that water needs to be demineralized prior to use. Unfortunately, conventional processes for removing minerals from water come with environmental impacts and challenges for operators – but these can be dramatically reduced with our technology,” he explains.
“Ionic Solutions’ C-EDR technology is a clean and sustainable solution that has the potential to transform the way the power sector thinks about demineralization. As a Canadian start-up, we’re excited to be partnering with a progressive power company on home soil and see our technology at work to support a sustainable power supply for Saskatchewan.”
Thermal power stations use steam to power the turbines which produce electricity. To make steam, they need high purity boiler feed water, but conventional demineralization systems must be rinsed regularly with large volumes of water to function optimally.
To reduce the burden on the demineralization system, Ionic Solutions’ C-EDR technology pre-treats the water, removing selected minerals using less energy than any other technology on the planet – up to 40 times less energy in some applications – without the need for sludge waste removal.
Each cell will process 60 litres per minute of South Saskatchewan River Water, for a total of 240 litres per minute. The pilot is remotely monitored from Ionic Solutions’ headquarters in northeast Calgary.
