Posted by Janine Dinatale on Tue, Mar 20, 2012 @ 10:21 AM
Meredith Lanoue, a Project Engineer for VeruTEK Technologies sent us this update from Down-Under where she was a delegate and presenter at Ecoforum 2012, in Sydney Australia. Meredith designs, analyzes and reports on applications of VeruTEK’s patented, forefront technology, Surfactant-enhanced In Situ Chemical Oxidation (S-ISCO), and has led VeruTEK’s planning and design for its application in an upcoming remediation project in Sydney. She joined hundreds of industry experts for three days filled with outstanding keynote speakers, discussion forums with industry leaders, technology updates and even a few tours of sustainable projects going on in Sydney.
"Ecoforum is a great opportunity for us to share the amazing and exciting things that VeruTEK has been up to! VeruTEK has had a strong presence at Ecoforum over the past several years and the company’s name and reputation definitely preceded me. In the poster session, we showcased our Green-synthesized Nanoscale Iron Activator (GnA)—including it’s Green Chemistry synthesis process and its remarkable efficiency for oxidant activation. Our second poster presented our Surfactant Enhanced Product Recovery (SEPR™) technology and its recent success in remediating creosote DNAPL at an EPA Superfund Site. During the Gasworks Remediation session, I presented the New York City brownfield project on which VeruTEK’s S-ISCO chemistry and process was the key technology used to achieve a Certificate of Completion. This case study is hot off the presses! Source destruction, technology fusion – Pressure Pulse and RemMetrik (a patent-pending contamination identification and targeting process), community safety, cost effectiveness, a reduced environmental footprint and a nod from the New York State DEP—what more can you ask for? It was such a privilege to present on behalf of our treatment team—VeruTEK and Fleming Lee-Shue.
Finally, VeruTEK sponsored the ISCO Case Studies session and I not only got to play hostess to the international line-up of experts sharing their experiences and research, but also had another opportunity to talk even more about S-ISCO and our recent successes treating coal tar and chlorinated DNAPL."
Day 2 and 3
Day 2- So apparently Sydney is in the midst of a flood. The rain was deluging as we made our way to Technology Park-- the conference venue which is a repurposed locomotive depot-- so cool. A perfect day to be inside at the conference.
Without the pressure of preparing, presenting and hosting, I enjoyed being a delegate-- attending presentations, checking out the vendors' booths in the exhibition hall, helping out at our Australian partner, ERR's, booth and networking with current and potential business. I particularly enjoyed the series of presentations on LNAPL, as well as the those focusing on waste management and sustainable development. It was very exciting to connect with current and potential partners who will support our work in Australia, including suppliers of monitoring services and equipment, and chemistry. The day concluded with a delightful "Ecoforum Dinner", complete with entertainment from opera-singing waiters.
Day 3-
With the bright autumn sun beaming, I headed about an hour out of Sydney Center to visit Sydney Water Corporation's innovative & state-of-the-art waste-water treatment and cogeneration power plant. On a side note: about Sydney traffic-- it is terrible! While there don't even seem to be that many cars on the road, there must be stop lights every 50 feet- which is miserable for both pedestrians and cars. No matter what time of day, you just don't move! Which is so frustrating to me but no one here seems to be in much of a hurry....I digress....
We had a wonderful introduction to the plant, its history, the magnitude of its catchment area, and then began a tour: we descended 60 m underground to the network of tunnels where the wastewater travels, and saw a one-of-a-kind hydraulically powered turbine. We emerged to tour the sludge settling beds, and the sludge digestors which produce methane that is harvested to power operations at the plant.