Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries Could Threaten Li-ion’s Dominance
Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries Could Threaten Li-ion’s Dominance
Ongoing research on rechargeable zinc-air batteries indicates the potential of competing with lithium-ion as the power source of choice for electronic devices.
Current research on zinc-air batteries aims to transform this battery type from non-rechargeable to rechargeable. To describe how rechargeable zinc-air batteries work, we first have to look at their existing non-rechargeable counterparts, which are metal-air batteries activated by oxidizing zinc with oxygen from the air.
Non-rechargeable sizes range from very small button cells for hearing aids, to larger types used in cameras. You can’t use zinc-air batteries in a sealed battery holder because some air must come in. This battery requires oxygen in 1 liter of air for every ampere-hour of capacity.
During the discharge of a non-rechargeable zinc-air battery, a mass of zinc particles forms a porous anode, which is saturated with an electrolyte. Oxygen from the air reacts at the cathode and forms hydroxyl ions that migrate into the zinc paste and form zincate, releasing electrons to travel to the cathode. The zincate decays into zinc oxide and water that returns to the electrolyte. The water and hydroxyl from the anode are recycled at the cathode, so the water is not consumed. These reactions produce a theoretical 1.65 V, but this reduces to 1.35-1.4 V in practical cells.
It’s in the Air
Non-rechargeable zinc-air batteries have higher energy density and specific energy (and weight) ratio than other types of battery because atmospheric air is one of the battery reactants. The air is not packaged with the battery; therefore, a cell can use more zinc in the anode than a cell that must also contain, for example, manganese dioxide. This increases capacity for a given weight or volume. As a specific example, a zinc-air battery from one manufacturer with a 11.6 mm diameter and 5.4 mm height has a capacity of 620 mAh and weighs 1.9 g; various silver oxide and alkaline cells of the same size supply have a 150- to 200-mAh capacity and weigh 2.3-2.4 g.
The operating life of a zinc-air cell is a critical function of its interaction with the environment. The electrolyte loses water more rapidly in conditions of high temperature and low humidity. Because its potassium-hydroxide electrolyte is deliquescent, in very humid conditions excess water accumulates in the cell, flooding the cathode and destroying its active properties. Potassium hydroxide also reacts with atmospheric carbon dioxide; carbonate formation eventually reduces electrolyte conductivity.
Because the cathode does not change properties during discharge, terminal voltage is quite stable until the cell approaches exhaustion. Its power capacity is a function of:
- Cathode area
- Air availability
- Porosity
- Catalytic value of the cathode surface
Oxygen entry into the cell must be balanced against electrolyte water loss. Cathode membranes are coated with (hydrophobic) Teflon material to limit water loss. Low humidity increases water loss; if enough water is lost the cell fails. Button cells have a limited current drain. For example, an IEC PR44 cell has a capacity of 600 mAh, but a maximum current of only 22 mA. Pulse load currents can be much higher since some oxygen remains in the cell between pulses.
Though low temperature reduces primary cell capacity, the effect is small for low drains. A cell may deliver 80{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of its capacity if discharged over 300 hours at 0°C, but only 20{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of capacity if discharged at a 50-hour rate at that temperature. Lower temperature also reduces cell voltage.
Non-rechargeable zinc-air batteries have some properties similar to fuel cells as well as batteries: the zinc is the fuel, the reaction rate can be controlled by varying the air flow, and oxidized zinc/electrolyte paste can be replaced with fresh paste.
News_ Due to the global abundance of zinc metal, these batteries are much cheaper to produce than lithium-ion batteries. On top of that, they can store more energy (theoretically five times more than that of lithium-ion batteries), and are much safer and more environmentally friendly.
Leading the Charge on Recharging Issues
Widespread use of zinc-air batteries has been hindered by the fact that, up until now, recharging them has been difficult. This is due to the lack of electrocatalysts that successfully reduce and generate oxygen during the discharging and charging of a battery.
A new three-stage method to overcome this recharging problem was recently described in Advanced Materials. The article was authored by chemical engineering researchers from the University of Sydney (Australia) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore).
Rechargeable zinc-air batteries show promise as a viable power-source option to lithium-ions.
According to lead author Professor Yuan Chen, from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies, the new method can be used to create bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts for building rechargeable zinc-air batteries from scratch. The figure shows a prototype of one of their rechargeable zinc-air batteries.
“Up until now, rechargeable zinc-air batteries have been made with expensive precious metal catalysts, such as platinum and iridium oxide,” he said. “In contrast, our method produces a family of new high-performance and low-cost catalysts.”
These new catalysts can then be applied to build rechargeable zinc-air batteries. They are produced through the simultaneous control of their:
Paper co-author Dr Li Wei, also from the University’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies, said trials of zinc-air batteries developed with the new catalysts had demonstrated excellent rechargeability—including less than a 10{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} battery efficacy drop over 60 discharging/charging cycles of 120 hours.
“We are solving fundamental technological challenges to realize more sustainable metal-air batteries for our society,” added Professor Chen.
Research on zinc-air batteries is also ongoing at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Their research focus is on the development of novel bifunctional catalysts capable of catalyzing both the oxygen reduction (battery discharge) and oxygen evolution (battery recharge) reactions to create practically viable rechargeable zinc-air batteries. In addition, they focus on the design and performance optimization of both air and zinc electrodes as well as a solid electrolyte membrane. Finally, their aim is to combine the components into various forms of a rechargeable zinc-air battery, such as stationary, flexible, and flow cells.
Like most research projects some questions arise:
1. Do these rechargeable versions have similar energy density and specific energy (and weight) as the existing non-rechargeable types?
2. What is the effect of temperature change on these rechargeable batteries?
3. How many times can these batteries be charged and recharged and still maintain the expected output voltage?
4. They produce a lower output voltage, so how can rechargeable zinc-air batteries compete with lithium-ion?
5. How does humidity affect performance of the rechargeable battery?
6. Are there electronic system packaging problems because these rechargeable batteries require access to air?
7. Does the design prototype produced by research lend itself to mass production of rechargeable batteries?
8. Will these rechargeable batteries be able to power electric vehicles?
- Published in Blog, Blue Moon, Green Technology, Mining, Technology
The Tesla Gigafactory: A Clean Energy Planet
The Tesla Gigafactory: A Clean Energy Planet
Tesla Motors is currently building a gigafactory. Some of you may be confused about what that is exactly, and why Tesla may need such a huge facility. When finished, the gigafactory will be the largest building in the world in terms of footprint, with 5.5 Million square feet. This will be second only to Boeing’s Everett factory (4.3 Million square feet). The endeavour is also very expensive, with an estimated cost of US$5 Billion. In line with Elon Musk’s goal to transition the world to renewable energy, the gigafactory will be entirely self-sufficient and powered by solar panels. The entire roof of the factory will be covered with solar cells, which are expected to produce 70MW of power. To give you an idea, the largest rooftop array in the world right now produces 11.5MW (in India).
A clean planet
Elon Musk recently stated in a Ted Talk that his ultimate goal is to make the world run entirely on renewable energy. To make this happen, he aims to produce 500,000 electric vehicles per year. This cannot be done economically if the parts have to be transported halfway across the world several times before the product is finished. Thus the need for a centralized facility, where the materials come in one end, and the finished vehicle comes out the other.
The gigafactory has already started producing the most innovative and crucial element of these cars: their lithium-ion batteries. And Tesla’s new 2170 battery cell is not only more efficient, but also cheaper than most on the market. The 2170 is around 10 per cent larger than its predecessor (the 18650 cell), but can store up to double the charge. It will also drop battery production cost by 25 per cent.
The essential element
In these super-powerful batteries is a crucial element: cobalt. For example, there is approximately 22.5 kilograms of it in Tesla’s Model S. The metal is currently mostly mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); where labour conditions are generally problematic and child labour is frequent. Consequently, Elon Musk has stated that all cobalt used by Tesla will only come from North America. Some have pointed out that it may be difficult to find enough ethical cobalt at feasible prices. But there is cobalt in North America, and King’s Bay (TSV:KBG, FSE:KGB1) is looking for it at the Lynx Lake Property in Labrador (Canada). The company is confident in the preliminary samples from the asset: “Grab samples from gossanous areas of the eastern rock pit have yielded assays up to 0.94{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} Co”. For the preliminary Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic (VTEM) results, have a look at King’s Bay’s latest news release.
About King’s Bay
King’s Bay is a Vancouver based company focused on the exploration of cobalt, and other high-tech metals in North America. The company believes in this emerging fast-growth sector, and will continue to seek out and evaluate properties that show promise for development. King’s Bay Gold Corp is operating as “King’s Bay”.
Juliette Benard
Media Relations Director
- Published in Blog, Energy, King's Bay, Mining, Technology
International Wastewater Systems arranges $2-million private placement
International Wastewater Systems arranges $2-million private placement
Momentum Public Relations
Press Release: May 29, 2017
International Wastewater Systems Inc. is offering, on a non- brokered private placement basis, up to 2,000 debenture units at a price of $1,000 per debenture unit for gross proceeds of up to $2-million.
Each debenture unit will consist of one $1,000 principal amount senior unsecured convertible debenture and 2,500 share purchase warrants, each exercisable into one common share of the company at 30 cents per share for a period of three years from the date of issuance.
The debentures will bear interest at a rate of 12 per cent per annum from the closing date of the placement and will mature on the date that is 36 months from the closing date. The debentures are convertible into shares at 30 cents per share at the option of the holder at any time until the maturity date, subject to adjustment in certain events.
Pursuant to the terms of the warrants, the company may abridge the exercise period of the warrants at any time after the date that is four months after the closing date and before the expiry of the warrants, if the volume weighted average closing price on the company’s shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (or such other stock exchange on which the shares are traded if the company’s shares are no longer traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange) is for a period of 20 consecutive trading days greater than 60 cents by providing written notice to the warrantholders within 30 days of a trigger event. The warrants will, unless exercised, expire on the 30th day after the company provides such written notice to the warrantholders.
The company may pay finders’ fees in connection with the placement. Proceeds of the placement will be used to help facilitate expenditures required for the five contracts awarded to IWS previously announced on May 10, 2017, as well as Prospect Silicon Valley, which focuses on commercialization of the company’s heat exchange technologies in the central California, and for general working capital. All securities distributed pursuant to the placement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and a day from the date of issuance. The placement will not be offered in the United States. Closing of the placement is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.
About International Wastewater Systems Inc.
International Wastewater is a world leader in thermal heat recovery. Its systems recycle thermal energy from waste water, generating the most energy-efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling and hot water for commercial, residential and industrial buildings.
We seek Safe Harbor.
© 2017 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Published in Energy, Green Technology, International Wastewater Systems, News Home, Technology
The Cost of Climate Change
The Cost of Climate Change
Annual costs for natural disasters in Canada pegged at almost $5 billion
Canada has just experienced extensive flooding in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. The complete cost of the disasters won’t be added up for some time; but you can bet that this past spring is going to be one of the most expensive on record. In Canada and throughout the world, we are being battered by increasingly numerous weather events, both extreme and not-so-extreme. The climate is changing.
Trying to get a handle on just exactly how much we are paying for climate change is difficult. The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer has tried. In its Estimate of the Average Annual Cost for Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements due to Weather Events, released on February 25, 2016, it comes to $4.92 billion. This is the total annual cost from hurricanes convective storms, winter storms and flooding. But this, of course, does not take into account the lost productivity resulting from weather events.
The May 9, 2017 edition of Canadian Underwriter noted that in the United States, the bill for severe flooding in April would reach the multi-billion dollar range. Severe weather in America continued to be the largest factor in global insurance losses for 2017. While extreme weather or – as they like to say, weather events – continue to get worse, we in North America have comparatively little to worry about. Consider the plight of those low-lying Pacific Ocean nations that face the prospect of disappearing; if the ice in the Arctic and Antarctic continues to melt, and the oceans continue to rise.
It has been demonstrably and scientifically proven that climate change – the gradual warming of the earth’s surface – is to a very large degree driven by the fossil fuels used to heat our homes and drive our industry and vehicles. The very sad fact behind the spectre of increasing temperatures and increased hurricanes, is that we have the technology to prevent further damage.
One rewarding characteristic of humans is that we seldom throw in the towel, and so ideas that may have seemed farfetched or even ridiculous a generation ago, sometimes have their place in the sun. The green roofs of Toronto are a good example of this. In May 2009 Toronto City Council passed a bylaw that requires that new residential, office and industrial buildings have a green roof. While the idea of building roof-top gardens is as old as the hills (think of the hanging gardens of Babylon), doing so for ecological reasons is a relatively new concept.
The simple fact is that by going green you make money by saving money.
The Toronto bylaw applies to buildings that contain 6,000 square meters of floor space or more. The percentage of the roof to be green ranges from 20{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} for buildings with a floor space of 6,000 square meters, to 60{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} for buildings with over 20,000 square meters of floor space. Residential buildings shorter than six storeys or 20 meters in height are exempt. Toronto based its green roof policy on studies conducted by professors at Ryerson University, that showed potential annual cost savings of $37.1 million dollars. The largest cost-saving category was commercial building energy. The category showed a potential cost reduction of $21.56 million annually. The comfort benefit is hard to calculate, because how do you quantify mitigating the heat sink caused by our predilection for creating concrete canyons? As you might imagine, green roofs have also been cited as a partial solution for some of the flooding that has recently occurred. This is because of the green roofs’ ability to absorb rain and reduce water runoff. Oddly enough, building green roofs can also prolong their lifespan.
If we are to avoid the rapidly approaching climate Armageddon, it is vital that climate change deniers and vapid naysayers learn the real truth about green energy and efficiency. Simply put, energy efficiency is going to be one of the leading industries of the future because it makes you money by saving you money. As the Toronto study shows, green roofs save you money by reducing heating and cooling costs. Tesla, the electric car company, is now worth more than Ford. In an April 3, 2017 story CNN Money stated that Tesla was worth US$48 billion while Ford was valued at $45 billion.
Another energy-efficient way to go about saving the environment while saving money can be found in the ingenious technology of Burnaby-based International Wastewater Systems (“IWS”). IWS has developed a way to recover the heat usually lost in wastewater. Hot water from showers, baths, dishwashers and laundry goes down the drain. But IWS builds, installs and monitors closed systems that are used to heat the hot water supply in buildings. On May 10, 2017 the company announced that it had won funding and a contract to install five systems in Scotland through its wholly owned UK subsidiary SHARC Energy Systems. The contract is worth 9.8 million pounds. The five sites are the first of 750 locations targeted for conversion in Scotland.
In some ways the system is as simple as your own furnace. In the typical household furnace, natural gas or fuel oil is used to power a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger, in turn, warms the water in a radiator system, or the air in a forced air system. The genius in the IWS system was to develop a filtering system fine enough to prevent waste from clogging the heat exchanger. The system is completely sealed to ensure that there is no risk of water contamination, and continuously monitored to prevent any problems.
The return on investment (“ROI”) varies. A hospital in Boston, for example, that used electric boilers to heat its water had an IWS system installed. It cost $800,000, but the new system will save the hospital approximately $2 million per year and pay for itself within six months. IWS heat recovery systems can be installed in institutional, multi-residential, and industrial buildings. As described in a September 2016 interview with James West of the Midas Letter in the Financial Post, the payback period for residential buildings with 200 or so units is usually two to three years. If you are now telling yourselves this seems too good to be true, the real kicker is that the recovery systems have an anticipated lifespan of 40 years.
By Noel Meyer
- Published in Blog, Energy, Green Technology, International Wastewater Systems, Technology
IWS Announces Management Change
IWS Announces Management Change
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwired – May 8, 2017) – International Wastewater Systems Inc. (“IWS” or the “Company”) (CSE:IWS)(CSE:IWS.CN)(CNSX:IWS)(FRANKFURT:IWI)(OTC PINK:INTWF) announces that Yaron Conforti will be leaving his role as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and a member of its Board of Directors, to pursue new opportunities.
Mr. Conforti will remain a consultant to IWS to assist with the transition to the newly appointed CFO, Mr. David Alexander, CA, CPA. Mr. Alexander has extensive experience as a CFO and his past achievements include CFO of Arakis Energy Corporation (subsequently sold to Talisman Energy TSX:TLM), and Nortran Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (later Cardiome Pharma NASDAQ:CRME).
Lynn Mueller, Chairman and CEO of IWS commented: “Yaron Conforti provided valuable leadership as our CFO and a member of our Board of Directors since 2015. I would like to thank him for his contributions and wish him every success in the future. We welcome David Alexander, an experienced CFO who further strengthens our management team during a period of significant growth for IWS.”
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Lynn Mueller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
About International Wastewater Systems Inc.
International Wastewater Systems Inc. is a world leader in thermal heat recovery. IWS systems recycle thermal energy from wastewater, generating the most energy efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling & hot water for commercial, residential and industrial buildings. IWS is publicly traded in Canada (CSE:IWS)(CSE:IWS.CN)(CNSX:IWS), the United States (OTC PINK:INTWF) and Germany (FRANKFURT:IWI).
CONTACT INFORMATION
-
International Wastewater Systems Inc.
Lynn Mueller
CEO
(604) 475-7710
- Published in Bio technology, Energy, Green Technology, International Wastewater Systems, News Home, Technology
IWS Announces DC Water Installation
IWS Announces DC Water Installation
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwired – May 2, 2017) – International Wastewater Systems Inc. (“IWS” or the “Company”) (CSE:IWS)(CSE:IWS.CN)(FRANKFURT:IWI)(OTC PINK:INTWF) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a US$330,000 (CAN$478,000) contract to supply its innovative SHARC thermal energy exchange system to the new headquarters of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (“DC Water”) in Washington, DC.
The new $60 million headquarters (“DC Water HQ”) is being constructed on the waterfront of the Anacostia River in Southeast Washington, DC and will serve as the new public face for the agency. DC Water’s green initiatives will be showcased in a deeply innovative facility featuring a bold and distinctive design developed by SmithGroupJJR in collaboration with Skanska. The building is designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and will also employ many advanced strategies that will surpass LEED Platinum certification.
The SHARC system will allow DC Water HQ to use its own wastewater as a source of thermal energy to condition the building. This project represents a historic HVAC first. The DC Water HQ building will be the first ever deployment of this technology used to both heat and cool a building in the USA.
With two-thirds of all the outflow from DC’s sewers flowing through the underground infrastructure on the site, the system will have a virtually uninterruptible supply of thermal energy. Utilizing this technology, the design team has calculated that the DC Water HQ will take its place as one of the lowest energy-consuming office buildings in the region.
“The idea of building a 150,000-square-foot headquarters building directly over a pumping station would normally be viewed as implausible,” said SmithGroupJJR’s Corporate Director of Engineering Don Posson. “But by doing so, DC Water will be able to leverage the station’s wastewater to provide enough power to heat and cool this large building. It’s a breakthrough solution and a perfect complement to DC Water’s objective of a greener, healthier District of Columbia.”
IWS will install the SHARC 440 model with a flow rate of 250 gallons per minute, providing the primary energy source for building heat, and the primary energy rejection source for building cooling. IWS’s SHARC technology is a major contributor to the project’s LEED® Platinum 96 credit threshold, delivering one of the lowest energy consumption rates per unit of floor area possible, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 40{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce}, and water consumption by hundreds of thousands of gallons annually.
Lynn Mueller, CEO of IWS commented: “DC Water’s new state-of-the-art building is a world class design-build project. The integration of SHARC technology demonstrates the world-class caliber of IWS’s projects and partners, and represents the increased adoption of IWS systems in the United States.”
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Lynn Mueller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
About International Wastewater Systems Inc.
International Wastewater Systems Inc. is a world leader in thermal heat recovery. IWS systems recycle thermal energy from wastewater, generating the most energy efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling & hot water for commercial, residential and industrial buildings. IWS is publicly traded in Canada (CSE:IWS)(CSE:IWS.CN), the United States (OTC PINK:INTWF) and Germany (FRANKFURT:IWI).
Forward-Looking Information
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “projects”, “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will”, “would”, “may”, “could” or “should” occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include regulatory actions, market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company’s management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
CONTACT INFORMATION
-
International Wastewater Systems Inc.
Yaron Conforti
CFO and Director
(416) 716 8181
yaron.conforti@iws-sharc.com
- Published in Energy, Green Technology, International Wastewater Systems, News Home, Technology
International Wastewater installs SHARC system at False Creek
International Wastewater installs SHARC system at False Creek
Momentum Public Relations
Press Release: April 12, 2017
International Wastewater Systems Inc (C:IWS)
Shares Issued 95,623,894
Last Close 4/11/2017 $0.22
Wednesday April 12 2017 – News Release
Mr. Lynn Mueller reports
IWS COMPLETES METRO VANCOUVER INSTALLATION
International Wastewater Systems Inc. has completed the installation of a SHARC thermal energy exchange system at the False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility in Vancouver.
The False Creek SHARC was announced in August, 2016, following the successful collaboration between International Wastewater and Metro Vancouver. Metro Vancouver is a partnership of 21 municipalities, one electoral area and one treaty first nation that collaboratively plans for and delivers regional-scale services across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
The False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility is a large-scale district heating network that began operations in 2010 and currently provides space heating and hot water for 4.3 million square feet (395,000 square metres) of residential, commercial and institutional space.
International Wastewater installed its newest and largest capacity system at False Creek, the model 880. The SHARC 880 offers the highest capacity of any SHARC system to date, with flow rates of up to 1,500 gallons per minute, a capacity increase of three times when compared with existing SHARC models. The False Creek SHARC installation will include two SHARC 880 systems working in tandem and will initially operate over 12-month period to demonstrate the economic and energy efficiencies of the system.
This is the second time that a SHARC system has been integrated into a district heating network following International Wastewater’s installation at Borders College (Scotland) in 2015. Large-scale energy networks are a growing trend as municipalities look to increase energy efficiency and reliability, decarbonize energy grids and reduce life-cycle costs.
Lynn Mueller, chief executive officer of International Wastewater, commented: “We are pleased to be working with Metro Vancouver on their district heating network. This SHARC installation showcases the capability of [International Wastewater] technology when applied to large-scale, low-carbon thermal networks.”
About International Wastewater Systems Inc.
International Wastewater Systems is a world leader in thermal heat recovery. International Wastewater’s systems recycle thermal energy from wastewater, generating the most energy-efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling and hot water for commercial, residential and industrial buildings.
© 2017 Canjex Publishing Ltd.
From Stockwatch News
- Published in Energy, Green Technology, International Wastewater Systems, Life Sciences, News Home, Technology
International Wastewater Systems closes $725,100 last financing tranche
International Wastewater Systems closes $725,100 last financing tranche
Momentum Public Relations
Press Release: April 07, 2017
International Wastewater Systems Inc., further to its news release dated Feb. 27, 2017, has closed the final tranche of the company’s brokered private placement, led by Haywood Securities Inc. as agent.
Under the final tranche of the brokered placement, the company has issued 2,417,000 units at a price of 30 cents per unit for gross proceeds of $725,100. Each unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant of the company. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share until Feb. 27, 2019, at an exercise price of 40 cents per share.
The company has paid cash commissions in the amount of $31,282.50 from the sale of units under the final tranche of the brokered placement. The company has also issued to the agent and members of the selling group an aggregate of 104,275 non-transferable warrants. Each agent’s warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share at a price of 30 cents until Feb. 27, 2019.
As previously announced on Jan. 19, 2017, the company amended the terms of the company’s non-brokered private placement completed on Dec. 23, 2016, to offer each participant in the non-brokered placement one warrant for each share purchased in the non-brokered placement on the same terms as the brokered placement. Accordingly, the company has issued a total of 2,275,333 warrants to purchasers from the non-brokered placement.
In total, the company raised aggregate gross proceeds of $2,205,655 pursuant to the non-brokered placement and the brokered placement.
All securities distributed pursuant to the brokered placement and non-brokered placement are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and a day from the date of issuance.
About International Wastewater Systems Inc.
International Wastewater Systems is a world leader in thermal heat recovery. International Wastewater’s systems recycle thermal energy from waste water, generating the most energy-efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling and hot water for commercial, residential and industrial buildings.
© 2017 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Published in Bio technology, Energy, Green Technology, International Wastewater Systems, News Home, Technology
Stakeholder Alignment – A Predictor of Success in Green Technologies
Stakeholder Alignment – A Predictor of Success in Green Technologies
Pundits and prognosticators should take notice. The evidence points to an emerging reality that is leading the so-called green technology revolution. Futurists and visionaries may be looking for some incredible and revolutionary breakthrough, but a variety of compelling new technologies are already being commercialized.
Green energy technologies are those that either harness power from renewable, sustainable sources or aim to reduce adverse human impact on the environment. For new sources of energy to be widely implemented, investors, technologists, and policymakers must understand their potential impact and the path to market that will ensure their commercial viability. Many new technologies can be successful if they are deployed according to sound business principles.
While some allegedly green technologies are struggling to gain traction with businesses and consumers, others are quietly changing the world and addressing the need for responsible and functional solutions to complex environmental challenges.
So, where are these technologies, who is behind them and why are they quietly seizing momentum in the marketplace? The answers are remarkably simple. Like most advances over the course of history, they are conceptually simple, relatively inexpensive and only modestly disruptive.
The automobile is an example of change that occurred at the onset of the 20th century. It harnessed an older technology of propulsion but applied it in a different format. With the advent of mass production, overall costs per unit were reduced and the technology became widely affordable. Additionally, it did not usher in an entirely new mode of transport. It only eliminated the need for an animal to provide propulsion and made travel a modest amount more rapid and marginally more reliable.
As we head towards the conclusion of the first 20 years of the 21st century, the keen observer will be able to identify technologies that have moved from ideas to commercial reality and are quickly going mainstream. Several may be below the radar at the moment, but they won’t stay there for long.
Green technologies are not immune from the ordinary laws that govern business success. The idea that some “better mouse trap” will sell itself is as false as it is comedic. The business success comes from being well capitalized, having a superior value proposition and ensuring that business leadership is equipped and motivated to execute against objectives in a disciplined and systematic manner. If the product or service is ground breaking, wonderful. Who doesn’t love something that is groundbreaking? But does it deliver what I want?
This raises the important principle of stakeholder alignment. If a new technology can align the interests of several disparate interested parties in an industry sector, it has a particularly good chance for success. Stakeholder alignment creates unstoppable momentum for green technologies. In most instances, being more eco-friendly, while desirable, isn’t the primary motivator of change. However, when a number of constituencies all experience a simultaneous benefit that is both measurable and meaningful, change proceeds and the adoption of the new technology is perceived as essential rather than optional.
An example of stakeholder alignment is a fast-growing Hawaiian enterprise called Elevate Structure. It was launched in 2012 by a team of residential engineers in with a dream to develop profitable spaces for living by building eco-friendly structures. The portable spaces are elevated above ground and, therefore, utilize 6-20 times more usable space while minimizing the overall footprint on the ground. This uses less than desirable land, gives consumers the flexibility to expand or relocate their green homes and provides municipalities with new incremental tax revenues without adding infrastructure.
Another good example of stakeholder alignment is International Wastewater Systems of Vancouver, Canada, http://www.sewageheatrecovery.com. Employing a simple idea and proprietary technology, IWS has pioneered the concept of turning the energy contained in warm waste water into heat that is processed, reclaimed and reused. With an ingenious idea and a scalable solution, the company is poised for success internationally as its solutions are increasingly in demand. The success of the endeavour isn’t exclusively due to the green technology. It is because the technology has been able to address diverse needs among a broad group that includes energy providers, builders and building owners. The company’s solutions, green technology and ease of implementation presents and unassailable value proposition to anyone who wants to reduce the heating and cooling costs of buildings. The eco-story is largely secondary. The “green argument” involves saving large amounts of money!
Investors that are considering taking a position in new green technologies are advised to look beyond the excitement of a product or process. A company’s financial state is always a consideration. What have they sold and what projects are well underway? As important as these fundamentals are, it is also critical to examine the “alignment factor” of the product or service to properly evaluate the scope of its potential.
- Published in Blog, Energy, Green Technology, International Wastewater Systems
From Grey Water to Green Energy
From Grey Water to Green Energy
On average, 10,000 people in the developed world will generate 1,000,000 gallons of warm waste water per day. That is a lot of warm water. It is typically sent to water treatment plants or discharged into lakes, rivers and oceans. Does this seem reasonable? Or does it sound like an opportunity for improvement?
International Wastewater Systems Ltd. (CNSX:IWS) CEO Lynn Mueller likes to suggest jokingly that people are hesitant to shake his hand when they learn that he is in the sewage business. Nonetheless, when they discover that he can help them save money by recovering energy from waste water that is headed down the drain and transform it into green energy they often change their minds and shake hands with enthusiasm.
The underlying principle is so simple that anyone can grasp it. It takes a lot less energy to heat warm water than it does to heat cold water. When waste water from sinks, showers, toilets or laundry leaves a building, it is usually slightly below the ambient room temperature. In a large production plant, the temperature of the water can be even higher. Ultimately, if the energy from effluent can be captured and reused, then the cost of supplying energy to homes, hospitals, sports complexes, university campuses or large scale plants can be significantly reduced.
A great deal of the green energy movement has focused on reducing consumption. This a noble endeavour that will likely continue. Reduced usage and more efficient usage of energy are always desirable, but conservation alone isn’t a complete answer because, as an economy grows, there will continue to be a need for additional quantities of energy.
That’s why most of the emphasis in the search for a different approach to energy has been directed towards finding clean, alternate sources of energy generation. Up to this point in time, the search for better and greener energy sources has been fraught with problems. Either the cost was prohibitive or the technology suboptimal. In some cases, alternative energy generation like windmills and solar power generation have encountered ancillary environmental issues. Sure, they may not pollute in the classic sense, but not many people want large wind-farms or thousands of solar panels in their backyards.
Mr. Mueller, the founder of IWS, took an entirely different approach to the problem. In essence, assessed the typical assumptions related to the costs and benefits of “greener” energy by framing the challenge in a different way and applying an atypical thought process. Rather than trying to find a unique solution at the input phase, why not consider how to make use of existing heat that might be available, but was being overlooked? An evaluation of the entire cycle of energy usage led directly to considering energy recapture alternatives for the warm water in most sewage discharge. Conventional wisdom was that it would be too costly and too messy to process effluent in an efficient way.
Lynn Mueller’s ingenious solution was to use existing technology, coupled with a proprietary filtration process, to separate waste from grey water and extract the heat from it so that the energy could be recycled. The company, International Wastewater Systems http://www.sewageheatrecovery.com, has successfully developed, commercialized and installed the technology. The products called “Sharc” and “Piranha” are being recognized all over the world.
The company has become a success rather rapidly. Mr. Mueller commented; “We quickly went from being a local, small company to a worldwide operation. We’ve seen markets around the world demanding the product”. Mueller has also disclosed that the firm has over $80 million worth of projects in the works.
Recently, the company was recognized with the AHR Expo 2016 award for innovation. Even CNN deemed the company newsworthy and published coverage of IWS on the network’s financial channel at CNNMoney.com on May 24.
The technology has been proven to be cost-effective and easy to install and maintain. The upfront investment varies depending on the size of the installation. Frequently, grants are available in local jurisdictions to cover capital costs. For example, the $1.1 million system installed at Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority in New Jersey benefited from a clean energy grant that covered more than 90{92d3d6fd85a76c012ea375328005e518e768e12ace6b1722b71965c2a02ea7ce} of the cost.
More importantly, the return on investment is easy to calculate. Andy Kricun, the executive director of the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, said they’ll recoup their investment in two years. The IWS Sharc technology has a lifespan of approximately 40 years, which means the savings to this utility could ultimately be as much as $2 million.
- Published in Blog, Energy, Green Technology, International Wastewater Systems
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