Utilities Business Review: Specials Magazine

Industries such as oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, and dewatering are under growing pressure to comply with increasingly stringent water discharge standards. As environmental standards get stricter, the challenge of managing complex wastewater streams has become increasingly urgent. This is especially true for streams contaminated with dissolved heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and selenium. Traditional chemical and biological treatments often fall short, struggling to meet these stringent removal requirements, which in turn increases operational costs and complexity. Sorbster addresses these gaps while tackling some of the most pressing environmental and industrial challenges, transforming the landscape of wastewater treatment— particularly in Latin America. With a breakthrough approach to filtration, the company specializes in removing heavy metals and other complex contaminants from wastewater, providing industries and municipalities with efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible solutions. Known for its proprietary filtration media co-developed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, the company has positioned itself as a leader in treating wastewater at parts per trillion (PPT) concentrations, particularly in environments where traditional chemical and biological methods fall short. At the core of Sorbster’s innovative solutions lies its proprietary filtration media, designed to target dissolved heavy metals with unparalleled precision. These heavy metals, including mercury, arsenic, cadmium, selenium, and hexavalent chromium, often pose significant challenges for wastewater treatment in industrial and municipal contexts. Sorbster’s media selectively bond to these metals through chemisorption, a process that allows the metals to be permanently bonded to the filtration media via covalent bonds. The technique ensures that once the metals are removed from wastewater, they cannot be released back into the environment. “The level of precision and permanence sets us apart from conventional methods, which often rely on more reactive processes that can lead to leaching or require further treatment,” says Brimman Frazer, president, Sorbster. The company’s heavy metal filtration technology is groundbreaking in terms of efficacy and also offers numerous operational advantages. Its filtration media require minimal intervention once deployed. This reduces the operational burden on clients, particularly in remote areas or facilities with limited staff. Additionally, Sorbster’s filtration systems do not support bacterial growth, a common issue in biological treatment methods, ensuring that the media remains effective over time without requiring periodic system resets. “Our data-driven approach allows us to ensure that the solutions we provide will work efficiently and cost-effectively. We focus on ensuring quality and reliability in every step of the process, from research and development to implementation,” says Frazer.