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Membrane Technology

Proteus designs, manufactures, delivers, commissions, trains and supports water and wastewater solutions that are based on the best available technologies worldwide. As a result of this process we have an equipment package that is a ‘cookie-cutter’ solution for treating wastewater sewage or potable water. The core of our technology are membranes  which are surrounded with supporting technologies and  complete automation. 

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Compared to legacy solutions, like the lagoon, our membrane-based system vastly outperforms in the areas of:

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Cleanliness:

Lagoons can treat wastewater to approximately 25 mg/L of BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand, which is a measure of the dirtiness of water, where the higher the number is the dirtier the water is), which barely meets the out-of-date regulation in Western Canada. 

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On the other hand our system constantly produces water with only 3 mg/L BOD. 

 

There is a lot of pressure to raise the regulatory standards of water cleanliness, and that will happen in due time. When this regulation gets tightened, lagoons will not meet the new requirements. Our system is ahead of the regulation and safe from regulatory risk.

 

Land-Use:

Lagoons take up over 200 acres because of regulatory setback distance and their offensive smell and risk of overflow. 

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Because our system does not let sewage sit (that is where the smell comes from) and because it is so reliable membrane systems have been installed in the basement of office/apartment buildings. 

 

Sustainability:

Lagoons pollute mother earth with greenhouse gases and leaks.

 

Our system recovers dirty water in a way that does not give off lagoon level gases. Since Lagoons focus on bacterial based processes, there are a lot of greenhouse gases as a bi-product of the chemical interactions. 

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Scalability:

If your lagoon reaches capacity, you have to build another whole lagoon. 

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Our system is scalable, as your population (or customer base) grows, our system can be scaled to meet the demand. Simply add a couple more pre-manufactured sea containers to your system as needed.

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Control of Water Reuse:

Lagoons return their semi-clean water to creeks or natural bodies of water. 

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Our system collects the clean water, allowing the user to decide if the water should be used for commercial purposes, stored, or sent to natural bodies of water. 

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Economic Opportunities:

Because our system is advanced for Canada and is scalable, it can be used to treat sewage for other communities. Not only can you charge for the treatment of their sewage, you can also sell them the clean water back.

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Construction vs Manufacturing:

Unlike a lagoon, our system is not constructed, but rather pre-manufactured by our international supply chain. Construction risks do not apply and therefore we get the system up and running faster. Our system, is shipped to the site housed in the same sea containers that it operates in. From there it can be assembled and commissioned within a week.

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Reliability:

Lagoons are extremely prone to leaking as they wear down. In fact this has gotten so bad that the insurance problems facing lagoons are avoided. Towns in Saskatchewan are being sued by first nations for their lagoons that have been leaking for more than 10 years, causing immense environmental damage and health risks.

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Our system is reliable, in fact it comes with a warranty. Moreover, its mechanical operations are precise, it is protected from the outside world and it has automated remote monitoring. If there ever was a problem it would be contained within the sea containers and Proteus, as well as the person in charge of the system will be immediately notified on their smartphones, enabling fast and informed action.

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Turn Around Time:

Lagoons will take 1-2 years to be operational after ordered.

 

Our system will be delivered and operational between 10-13 months. 

 

Long-Term Value:

Lagoons are widely considered to be obsolete by the end of their useful life (approximately 20 years), and additionally will need to be decommissioned. This results in a negative residual value at the end of 20 years.

 

Conversely, our system will still hold value after 20 years.

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Price:

Lagoons on average can cost 5 to 7 million dollars. Our system is pre-engineered, designed and manufactured and thus costs much less and is on average 4-5 million dollars for an equivalent size. Our cost advantage is also designed to provide a size for the upcoming 15 years, then scale up and take advantage of new technologies (verses having to predict the future population and build a system for 30
years that limits you to technology available today and also wastes much money for capacity that will not get used for decades).

 

Upkeep Costs:

Lagoons require certified operators and are increasing in complexity (difficult to manage bacterial treatment and meet quality standards). Operations and maintenance expenses for lagoons can range from $25,000 to $30,000 per year and are difficult to manage wildlife and vegetation.


For our system, a level 3 operator is provided to monitor the plant for life at no cost (free), however as regulations change our plant is increasing in simplicity (easy to manage mechanical treatment due to automation). Operations and maintenance expenses for membranes can range from $50,000 to $60,000 per year to easily meet regulatory standards (today and well into the future) and can take part in a Cooperative cost sharing model.

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For clarification or questions please contact us at: info@proteuswaters.com

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