Optimising the world’s most precious resource Ovivo

OPTIMISING THE WORLD’S MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE

Ovivo is the new global force in providing dedicated water and waste-water management solutions around the world. Philip Yorke looks at the company’s remarkable vision and its bold strategy for preserving and treating the world’s ultimate finite resource: water.

Ovivo is part of the giant Canadian water businesses group GLV that is involved in providing technological solutions in water treatment as well as technologies for paper and pulp production. The worldwide group operates in more than 30 countries and has around 2500 employees. The company’s shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and in 2011 the group recorded sales approaching $1 billion.

Ovivo’s priority is to create value in water technology for both industrial and municipal business sectors alike. The company works closely with its clients to ensure that it not only meets but exceeds their individual, specific requirements. Ovivo is dedicated to bringing the latest technologies and the most advanced knowledge to the municipal and industrial water market sectors around the world. Today it can call on more than 200 years of experience and, at its global centre of excellence in Canada, field the best-known brands and best brains in the business. Ovivo is driven by a single goal: “To create value in water through innovation, creativity and expertise.”

A new strategy for water management

Just over one year ago in Montreal, Canada, an event took place which was to change the perspectives and the future of the world’s

water industries. It was then that GLV announced that it was merging all its many diverse water businesses into one global brand name: Ovivo. GLV’s new brand name is built around the Latin word for life, of which water is a fundamental element. This bold step and the consolidation of it businesses followed the acquisition of ‘Christ Water Technology’ of Canada and a nine month review of its core business activities. As a result, Ovivo is able to cut a swathe through the international water market by being the first and only global pureplay water company in the world.

Furthermore, it is recognised that as society and the global economy demand more and more from water, there is an urgent and growing need to develop even more specialised applications to manage the world’s clean water resources. This is in addition to creating efficient water process systems to treat wastewater, to extract energy from waste-water and to champion the re-use of water. “Today water is in the spotlight,” said GLV’s president and Chief Operating Officer, Richard Verreault. “Water is now fundamental to good governance as the true cost of managing water is being recognised around the world. Scarcity, rigorous legislation and corporate social responsibility combined with the increasing recognition that water is a key business issue, provide very interesting growth opportunities.”

Ovivo, unlike many of its competitors, specialises only in water technologies and focuses its attention upon the specific industrial and municipal applications for water. The company’s role is to manage the cost of using water and to help its clients to achieve the maximum value of the water they depend upon for their core manufacturing processes. Wherever Ovivo touches water, it seeks to add value and to create an appreciation for the value of water. The company plans to double its business turnover from 2011 to 2015 through acquisitions and projected innovative strategies for its future growth.

Optimising value in water treatment

Ovivo can demonstrate how it can create value in every aspect of its waste-water and de-watering solutions. Among many of the countless examples of the company’s ability to deliver and create added value for its customers, is its new MBR system installed at the Mangalore petrochemical refinery in India. As part of a major expansion to the existing plant, a new waste-water treatment plant was required and Ovivo’s MBR (Membrane Bioreactor) system was chosen for its operational flexibility, low energy consumption and lowest constructed cost. This advanced MBR effluent treatment plant is probably the largest to date installed in India and thanks to the company’s strong process and engineering support, project contractor ‘Paramount Ltd’ has been able to secure ‘Code 1’ approval from consultants ‘Engineering India Ltd’ (EIL) for its membrane Bioreactor package.

In another part of the world altogether, Ovivo was selected to develop and install a high-capacity water treatment plant in Nigeria to dramatically reduce turbidity in surface water at the Heineken breweries plant at Ibadan. The main purpose of this 126m3/h capacity plant is to remove particles, suspended solids and colloidal

InterApp

InterApp has for many years provided quality solutions and services to Ovivo (CWT), mainly into the Semiconductor (UPW), Power and Municipal Waste Water industries, with a world-class technical knowledge base and product line. The integration of InterApp into the AVK Group of companies will solidify the relationship, level of service and support on a global basis to Ovivo’s water management solutions. Our continuous technological development and innovation will strengthen InterApp’s solutions provision to Ovivo’s current and future strategy in our traditional industry sectors as well as other applications, i.e. Desalination, Food & Beverage, Chemical, Petrochemical, Photovoltaic and Metal treatment.

matter. Due to the high raw material turbidity found in Nigeria in the rainy season, water treatment there requires a two-stage process. This means that lamella separators are required to remove the bulk of the dirt followed by continuously operating sand filters with a special polishing function. Waste backwash water from the sand filters is returned to the inlet of the lamella separators to minimise water loss thus providing a perfect recycling process.

Aftermarket monitoring

Olivo’s aftermarket consultancy, based in Shanghai, China, has saved one of its industrial clients several million Renmimbi (RMB) in operating costs and dramatically reduced energy consumption, whist ensuring smoother, trouble-free operation. Ovivo’s Shanghai team was commissioned to monitor performance and recommend the case for changing its client’s 55kW filtered water pump from soft starter, to variable speed drive (VSD) control. By doing so, Ovivo demonstrated that a 55kW motor pump could save 668.16kW of electricity each day, which translates to a saving of about12.15kWh per day per kW consumed. In addition, the new VSD-controlled ultra-pure water plant prevents water hammer and pressure fluctuation. Olivo’s consultancy has not only saved its clients significant costs, but also greatly reduced their energy consumption in the process. n