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Category: Stories

Emerging Cleantech Company Successes in Peterborough & the Kawarthas

By Kelly Jessup

Peterborough & the Kawarthas is often referred to as a living lab for cleantech and water technology research and innovation. Home to a number of growing companies in the cleantech space, the region is ideally positioned to welcome emerging startups and cleantech companies seeking access to world-class research facilities and talent.

Aclarus Ozone Water Systems

  • Aclarus Ozone Canadian built systems are NSF-61 Certified and provide practical and effective solutions for even the worst water issues. Disinfection, oxidation, aesthetic and even ECC removal in one system. Automated, chemical free treatment with low operating costs backed with over 800 systems across Canada, the US and elsewhere. Industrial, small municipal WTP, municipal WWTP, First Nation WTP, homes, condo groundwater/rainwater reuse, agriculture, bottled water, industrial process, CIP, remote camps and more.
  • Aclarus provides sustainable, practical solutions for water and waste water treatments of all types. They pride themselves on solutions to problem water that benefits the environment and the business. They improve product quality and safety (all natural disinfection, food cleaning, surface cleaning), agricultural production (dairy, crops, medical marijuana), water reuse and safer discharge, chemical free solutions, complete treatment in an easy system. They have drinking water systems in place for several First Nation communities, public and private parks, municipal water/waste water, remote camps, industrial waste water treatment/reuse, rainwater systems to reuse water in multiple buildings in the GTA. Aclarus Ozone also enhances other treatment process when required. All runs without chemicals
  • Ozone has a long history of use, mainly in Europe. Aclarus designs are advanced and practical for ozone, eclipsing old ozone designs. Aclarus systems have proven multiple new markets for ozone with energy efficient, fully automated designs that run for significantly less than traditional systems. Ozone is all natural, made on site and easily retrofitted without large infrastructure changes and it treats everything from bacteria to metals and ECC’s (contaminants of concern e.g. pesticides, drugs)
  • Aclarus provides solutions to water and wastewater by offering multiple solutions in one system that is automated and self-run with various options available for monitoring and control, on-demand in an affordable way. For example:
    • For homeowners they offer a system to treat water to make it safe and bottled quality from lakes and wells;
    • building development companies for reuse systems on rainwater to save costs and improve the environment;
    • food production and safety by offering a treatment system as well as product washing that is classified organic to improve shelf life and remove dangerous bacteria;
    • First Nation and remote communities require a self-run system that does not need constant work or consumables, but handle varying water quality. Treating waste or recycle water can help prevent issues with effluent;
    • Medical marijuana and greenhouse users can have one system to treat the water with oxygen to improve growth as well as include a safe cleaning option for equipment, plants and even to reuse water.
    • The City of Peterborough’s municipal waste treatment plant is saving over 5000kg of chemicals from entering Lake Ontario and is now providing oxygenated water with chemicals, drugs and many other contaminants now safely remove.
    • As a start-up company in 2012 in the region, Aclarus was allowed access to top notch facilities such as Fleming College’s Centre for Advancement of Water & Wastewater Treatment Technologies as well asl Trent University for high end research and collaboration opportunities.

Rainmaker Worldwide

  • Rainmaker’s purpose is to produce safe drinking water for communities in need so they can thrive and never go thirsty. They offer a suite of Air-to-Water and Water-to-Water technologies. These products deliver a better, more economical way to provide safe drinking water.

Air-to-Water technology includes governments and communities, NGOs, military, and commercial or industrial companies. The leading applications for their Air-to-Water technologies are locations that do not have access to any sources of water. They include:

  • Humanitarian applications in traditional areas of water scarcity
    Island and rural communities with limited fresh water supplies
  • Temporary humanitarian applications in disaster or war zones
    Growing industrial and commercial applications
  • Corporate CSR programs, commercial and industrial

Air-to-Water harvests fresh water from humidity in the atmosphere. Rainmaker Air-to-Water features summary:

  • Produce drinking water from air – no other water source required
  • Up to 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 liters of drinking water per day per machine. Multiple units can be combined for larger projects. Small footprint for flexible location options – create water where it’s needed
  • Choice of power sources: wind, solar, grid, generator or hybrid combinations.
  • Deployment as fast as 90 days after purchase order
  • Minimum air temperature: >15°C / 59°FFor wind-powered, wind speed of 3 – 18 meters per second (6.7 – 40 miles per hour)
  • Using innovation in heating and cooling, our Air-to-Water unit produces clean water from the air. This product can be driven efficiently by wind, solar, grid, generator, or combinations. Water is produced at the point of use eliminating transportation and distribution cost.

The Water-to-Water unit uses renewable energy to produce clean water from seawater, brackish water, or contaminated water sources

Water-to-Water features summary:

  • Produce drinking water from seawater, brackish or contaminated water sources
  • Up to 37,500, 75,000 or 150,000 liters of drinking water per day per machine. Multiple units can be combined for larger projects
  • Choice of power sources: wind, solar, grid, generator or hybrid combinations
  • For wind-powered, wind speed of 3 – 18 meters per second (6.7 – 40 miles per hour)
  • Small footprint for flexible location options close to source water – create water where it’s needed. Deployment as fast as 90 days after purchase order
  • while Water-to-Water transforms non-potable (waste, salty, polluted, grey, or brackish) water into safe drinking water. All solutions can be wind or solar powered, so they leave no carbon traces. There are also options for grid and generator-powered models at the lowest cost per liter of fresh drinking water on the market.

Phase Materials

Phase Materials Inc. was formed as a commercialization vehicle for the research conducted within the Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research (TCBR) which is related to Phase Change Materials and their applications. The company is owned by Trent University researchers, including graduate students, technical staff and Professors, and Trent Alumni investors. The company utilizes Intellectual Property created at and owned by Trent University.

The TCBR is focused on remaking the world’s materials sustainably. Unique in North America, the TCBR is at the cutting edge of research and technology development that will transform our world. Working to create a more sustainable future is at the heart of the work being conducted by the TCBR. Our focus on development, agricultural utilization, and geographical, environmental and commercial impacts, sets Trent University’s biomaterials approach apart. This is a research program where science meets social science and humanities, and where the creation and use of biomaterials is being examined within an ethical framework. One of only a handful of programs of its kind in the world, the TCBR is a leader in this life-changing realm of research.

Noblegen Inc.

Noblegen is an advanced ingredients company that produces unique proteins, oils, and flours. Using our proprietary approach, we grow high-quality ingredients from an ancient, natural superfood. With a purpose to positively impact people and the planet, Noblegen is redefining the future of nutrition.

When it comes to food, Noblehen believes in simplicity and transparency.; that less really is more and that ingredients are only as clean and nutritious as their source. They believe that when food products are carefully crafted using ingredients from their natural, sustainable source, they redefine transparency in nutrition.

Their portfolio of ingredients offers nutraceutical, food and beverage, and ingredient companies the opportunity to prepare delicious products using ingredients from a clean, non-GMO source.

Cambium Consulting & Engineering

  • Cambium is a consulting and engineering company that offers environmental, geotechnical, and materials testing. The company’s Water and Wastewater Team has extensive expertise in hydrogeology, water supply, drinking water system compliance programs, onsite wastewater treatment, and water treatment programs. Its projects focus on investigating, assessing, and obtaining agency approvals for residential, industrial, and commercial applications. These include small and large wastewater facilities for subsurface disposal, and providing compliance for small drinking water treatment systems.
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