Nitrate problems

We provide technology to remove nitrates, phosphates, E.Coli and other biological and chemical contaminants from waterways.

There are multiple applications and settings where the eClean technology can be utilized to improve water quality.

• Dairy farms
• Orchards and wineries
• Waste water
• Municipal
• Aquaculture

Nitrogen mitigation

Nitrogen mitigation must start at its source if downstream water environments such as mahinga kai sites are to be restored. Currently farmers need access to some key tools and technology to aid in reducing nitrogen losses and nitrate leaching, whilst maintaining productivity.

• A way to monitor waterways and wastewater supplies in real-time – providing accurate assessment of contaminants to enable effective management of nutrients and effluent on the farm and data for compliance targets.
• A way to actively remove nitrates and other contaminant nutrients from wastewater and on-farm waterways.

Regulation and government initiatives

This has largely been driven by the implementation of new regulations and laws by local and national authorities, with increasing pressure put on industry to maintain high water quality standards.

Water testing and monitoring – river quality standards are being putting in place and being strictly enforced by councils/government. Levels must be adhered to or offenders will face financial penalties and potentially conviction. This is creating greater demand for monitoring and testing tools, for which the market is expected to grow by >US$1.2 billion in the next three years – mainly in-water nutrient sensors, particularly for nitrates and phosphorus12.

Water clean-up projects – funding – governments now see water quality as a huge issue and are setting aside significant amounts of the annual budget to put towards river/water clean-up projects. In the new budget announced in 2019, the New Zealand Government pledged NZ $229 million towards waterways and wetland clean-up13.

Monitoring tools, no clean-up solutions

Nutrient sensors allow industry to capture data for monitoring and reporting purposes but do not have the ability to alter the nutrient levels in the water and alter the composition of contaminated water supplies. With such large demand for monitoring technologies but limited management solutions, there is a gap in the market for a technology that can alter the water quality and reduce nutrient levels in response to captured data. The timing of this research and field trials is critical. The proposed eClean bioremediation device can, offer a solution which can monitor and manage water contamination.

In addition, there is a huge demand for in-water testing solutions with the following features:

• Cost-effective
• Remotely monitored
• Reliable and robust
• Accurate

Currently no such solutions are available, so now is the perfect opportunity to provide a solution which is the first to meet the needs for nitrogen mitigation for both the Agricultural sector and the environmental sector.