Who was at IDA 2009?

Jean-Michel Herrewyn says that Veolia benefits from technologies developed elsewhere.

Ultimately, that’s what we’re trying to do – the focus of our company has been to improve the membrane chemistry to get it to that next level of economics, which is going to benefit the end-user immeasurably.

What does the relationship offer Veolia?
J-MH: There is a lot of merit for us to be involved as much as we can with the innovation associated with this kind of product. Even if the traditional membranes have become commodities, it doesn’t mean that there is no possible breakthrough in this technology that will change the economics of the whole sector.

We are keen to find partners and promote the technologies, and then of course we can benefit in terms of market share and our own efficiency in the market.

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FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article

It’s often difficult for a sizeable company to ensure that everyone is open-minded about new technologies being developed outside the firm. So looking at new partnerships helps fuel the general idea that we don’t rely on our role and process expertise - we can be flexible and adaptive to co-opt with others and deliver more.
 

Some believe that the size of the company is an asset which should not be shared with others.

I tend to believe the opposite - that the main issue is how reactive and quick you are to promote new ideas. This is especially valid in the water industry, which in my humble opinion has been a little lagging behind in the efficiency with which it promotes new technologies in the marketplace.

How does your technology assist with sustainability?
JG: When you look at water treatment in general, there are three driving factors that affect sustainability. There’s energy consumption, materials consumption of building plants and materials, and the chemicals use in a lot of these processes. For membrane processes, we can help with all three.

If you have a more productive membrane you can build smaller plants and get the same amount of water. And in any membrane or filtration environment, you’re going to have potential fouling on a membrane surface.

A lot of the chemical feeds in the process are to do with fouling - if you can make a more naturally fouling-resistant surface, you can reduce chemical consumption and control that into the effluent and disposal.