Sassenheim, April 2016- Authored by Heather Leighow

Voltea, the world’s leader in membrane Capacitive Deionization (CapDI^©), is growing into the Latin American market where the technology is being embraced as the region recognizes the need for water purification in a variety of applications.

A horticulture company located in Queretaro, Mexico purchased an IS4 CapDI system to remove and control sodium and bicarbonate concentrations from an underground water source. The focus is to improve water efficiency through greater recycling, and to decrease fertilizer consumption by 30%, in a location impacted by aquifer level depletion.

In the central region of Mexico desalination is very challenging due to the high silica concentration in the water. The elevated silica makes conventional technologies inefficient, with exorbitant water losses and expensive antiscalants required for operation. In contrast, CapDI was able to achieve water recovery of up to 90%, even with a silica concentration of 80 ppm and minimal pre-treatment.

Voltea’s CEO, Dr. Bryan Brister noted, “CapDI’s capital costs have attained parity with traditional desalination technologies, and CapDI’s operating expenses are far lower still, which is rapidly making CapDI the preferred desalination method on difficult to treat waters such as the water in Central Mexico with elevated silica levels. CapDI is delivering significantly greater water usage efficiency for horticulture operators, which is particularly important in drought stricken regions.”