Insight into the Water Technology Industry

Mike Lodge is CEO at Arvia Technology, a provider of advanced tertiary water and wastewater treatment systems. Here, he discusses the dangers of micropollutants in our water and how fighting the issue must be a combined effort by governments, businesses and consumers alike.

Naturally, farming activities of all types have some impact on the environment. However, certain forward-thinking companies are looking into innovative methods to further protect the natural ecology of our waterways.

World Water Week is organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), one of the world’s leading water institutes, and aims to highlight global water issues in need of a collaborative effort for improvement.

Water is vital for drinking, crop irrigation, industrial manufacturing and energy production, as well as cleaning and several other daily human activities.

Natural resources are depleting at an alarming rate and with populations on the rise, creating a more sustainable future could not be more pressing.

Due to the development of advanced methods, water can now be analysed more effectively and the scale of low-level contamination has been revealed.

An alarming number of rivers and lakes around the world are being polluted due to farms dumping excess waste into rivers which contains agrochemicals, organic matter and drug residues.

Tackling herbicide and pesticide contamination is vital for a healthy environment and secure food and water supplies, says Mike Lodge, chief executive at Arvia Technology.

Atrazine is listed as a Red List pollutant in the UK, meaning that its presence in the environment is of particular concern. The herbicide has not had approval for EU use since 2004 over groundwater contamination fears.

There are three main stages of the wastewater treatment process, aptly known as primary, secondary and tertiary water treatment.

Mikael Khan, Director of Technology at Arvia Technology lifts the lid on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in our water supplies.

Reports show that Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals are entering the environment at unsafe levels for both humans and wildlife.

In a bid to tackle the global challenge of water pollution in a sustainable manner, the Nyex™ treatment process was developed by Arvia in 2007.

As the academic year draws to a close, now is a perfect opportunity to take a look back Arvia’s achievements and learnings so far in 2018.

A pioneering water and wastewater treatment specialist has secured its first treatment deal in China.

Arvia Technology will be presenting at this year’s European Waste Water Management conference where it will be showcasing its environmentally friendly tertiary water and wastewater treatment solutions.

This week at Arvia we are Celebrating winning the Halton Business Young Achiever/Apprentice of The Year award for the third consecutive year.

Traditional treatment of wastewater can partially remove chemicals, but some traces are still detectable in effluents.

The awards, which were launched to help solve real-life chemistry-related challenges and uncover sustainable business opportunities, saw more than 150 entries from startups, scale-ups and scientists.

Rapid technical advances, particularly in the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, agriculture, chemical and food and beverage sectors, mean an increasing number of new, complex compounds are present in industrial effluent.

Tackling herbicide and pesticide contamination is vital for a healthy environment and secure food and water supplies, says Mike Lodge, chief executive at Arvia Technology.

Pharmaceutical waste in European rivers is an endemic problem which is finally reaching the political agenda.

Scottish Water is set to undertake the world’s first long-term trial of Arvia’s Nyex treatment system on drinking water at a specially established pilot plant in West Lothian.

Industry leaders must act now to play their part warns Mike Lodge, CEO at water and wastewater treatment specialist Arvia Technology.

Mike Lodge, Arvia CEO, sits down with Insider to discuss what the Northern Powerhouse means to him.

In the second of two blogs on the impact of pharmaceutical residues and micropollutants on the environment, Arvia’s chief executive Mike Lodge, explains the risks of antimicrobial resistance and how it can be tackled.

Arvia chief executive Mike Lodge, considers ways to tackle the threat to the environment and human health posed by pharmaceutical micropollutants.

There are currently 100,000 commercially registered compounds in Europe and there is little in place to stop the residue from the majority of these eventually entering the water cycle.

The media spotlight on water pollution and demand for action at unprecedented levels serve as warnings to industry leaders to act now.

World Water Day 2018 is focusing on ‘Nature for Water’, looking at the various ways nature can be used to support the mitigation and prevention of water pollution now and in the future.

Arvia’s chief executive Mike Lodge, discusses how tackling micropollutants can improve water availability globally at a water technology event in London.

“Recruiting apprentices is a great way to bring a fresh set of eyes and new ideas to the company.” Lucile Francois, Operations Manager, Arvia Technology

“I am enjoying working with and learning from the team at Arvia as I can learn in all areas of engineering.” Callum Campbell, Apprentice Process Technician, Arvia Technology

“My favourite part about working at Arvia is knowing I have the potential to make a real difference. Every day is different, and it feels great when you have a ‘Eureka’ moment, no matter how small.” Dena Baehr, Analytical Chemist, Arvia Technology

“I have also worked alongside a number of fantastic young people and apprentices who are clearly benefiting from the balance of learning that can be gained from developing through a work based apprenticeship.” Mark Rushforth, Lead Service Engineer, Arvia Technology

“My proudest achievement has to be making it to the Halton Business Awards as a finalist for Apprentice of the Year” Liam Harris, Apprentice Process Technician, Arvia Technology

Arvia’s treatment process has proven capable of removing various problematic compounds, including those specified in EU and UK regulations – some of the strictest in the world.

Cost effective removal of trace level organic pollutants from wastewater is proving difficult using traditional treatment technologies.

Arvia Apprentice Engineer, Stacey Hammond, wins the Apprentice/Young Achiever of the Year Award at the Halton Business Awards 2017 – closely followed by runner up finalist, Apprentice Process Technician, Liam Harris, also from Arvia.

Providing quality drinking water to remote communities can be a challenge. It has been another exciting week at Arvia as we deploy a demonstration plant in Scotland.

Access to clean, safe drinking water is a struggle for 1 in 10 people worldwide. As well as raising awareness and donations to contribute to the development of drinking water access in third world countries, this day also highlights the importance of sustainable water management and prompts people to think twice about how they use the supplies available.