Turning waste to gold

Membrane separation system has two-year payback

Infinity, with headquarters in Lenexa, designs and operates systems for sanitizing and reclaiming industrial wastewater, incorporating proprietary technologies. Consolidated Industrial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of Infinity Inc. and is devoted primarily to the development and implementation of oil well wastewater treatment services.Based on initial, existing contracts with Union Pacific Resources Co., Continental Oil Co., Wilshire Oil Co. and Kachina Exploration, CIS anticipates that its Silo Field facility will generate between $600,000 and $900,000 in annual revenues. Continued drilling activity in the field is expected to increase water production in coming months.The remaining 10,000 lbs. per hour discharges from the UF system as retentate. This retentate consists of 35% protein on a total solids basis (10% total solids)."SeparaTech did an excellent job for us. Their people helped us throughout the project, and the system is performing very well," says Chavez.CIS is currently evaluating Wyoming and Texas gas fields as potential sites for additional treatment facilities at the request of Union Pacific Resources Co.To solve the problem, California Cooperative Creamery installed a membrane processing system from SeparaTech Inc. to remove WPC (whey protein concentrate) and lactose. The process uses a spiral ultrafiltration (UF) system to produce WPC, followed by a specially designed reverse osmosis (RO) system for the lactose.Seprotech Systems Incorporated is in the business of designing, manufacturing and supporting water, wastewater, and fluid processing systems using a variety of technologies. The company is most notably a leader in the use of membrane-based technology in industrial applications.Seprotech is listed on the Alberta Stock Exchange. (Symbol - SET)"We were hauling the whey to farmers for cattle feed and spreading it on land, but we still had trouble getting rid of it," says Fausto Chavez, v.p.-plant operations.Whey from the cheese vats is collected and pumped through a fines saver to remove curd particles. The resulting liquid, which contains about 6% solids, is then pumped through a separator and pasteurizer at a rate of 110 gal. per minute."There is a tremendous need for Infinity's TFEC(TM) technology throughout the oil and gas industry," said Tim Brittan, president of Colorado America Oil Co., an exploration company based in Denver. "TFEC(TM) produces water that meets or exceeds federal and local discharge standards providing a `win-win' situation for both oil companies and ranchers."

"SeparaTech did an excellent job for us. Their people helped us throughout the project, and the system is performing very well," says Chavez.