What we do
We design bespoke water systems, using best in-class technology tailored to our clients requirements. Efficiency, quality and minimal environmental impact is at the heart of our solution.
Part of the mix is our own electro-chemistry guided by proprietary software which allows us to minimise the use of chemicals, save energy and avoid wasting valuable water on diluting polluted effluent.
What is poisonous in wastewater can be valuable when recovered; oil, iron, steel, ink, fertiliser, boron, ammonia and many others. Without them waste becomes water safely recycled into soil, river or sea. We embrace the ‘circular economy’ culture.
Oil & Gas
Extracting energy from the seabed will be necessary for many years yet, but Hydro helps minimise the environmental damage by ensuring the waste produced is as clean as possible. We also recover what we remove – which is valuable. Our pilot plant at Ras Shukeir successfully removed crude oil, boron and other contaminants from the wastewater previously at risk of seeping back into the Red Sea. Egypt’s Environmental Agency was impressed, and we were thrilled to help the government with its bold ambitions on climate change and deliver on the ambition articulated at the COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh. With an ability to process more than 40 million litres a day, the client can aim to operate at full capacity and meet stricter environmental standards.
Domestic Wastewater
Raw sewage isn’t attractive, but domestic waste is potentially valuable. In many parts of the world, water is so scarce that pouring sludge into the sand is missing a trick. Hydro have managed to recover more than a billion litres of useable water from a sewage plant in Saudi Arabia that used to drain it into the dessert. The solids recovered are sold as fertiliser and 93% of the liquid recovered can be used by industry and agriculture. The potential across the Kingdom is vast taking Saudi Arabia closer to fulfilling their ambitious climate change goals.
Drinking Water
Hydro has a proud history of humanitarian work, helping deliver the United Nations‘ goal of safe drinking water for all. Our systems can operate in remote and challenging conditions, using boreholes, rivers and surface water as sources, removing the contaminants present and delivering European Standard drinking water to the local population. In Bangladesh we partnered with a global NGO to remove arsenic from the only source of water to a remote village. In Egypt we took toxic water from the Nile, channelled it through irrigation canals to a bespoke system that removed a range of contaminants so that 500 workers at an agricultural camp could safely quench their thirst. More than 300 million litres of drinking water has been delivered at Al Dhara since 2018.
Emergency Response
Speed is sometimes of the essence, and Hydro has proved capable of providing swift solutions with great agility. Contaminated water seeping from a shipwreck can cause immense damage and the threat to the coast around Marseille was potentially catastrophic when this incredibly valuable ocean liner hit ground. A high flow unit was deployed without delay, oil successfully separated and contained so that only treated water was discharged to the sea. The system needed to process more than 40,000 litres per hour enabling the ship to be repaired from the inside.
Microbial Development
Algae are rootless plants that can spread like weeds in rivers and lakes, often creating significant problems. Yet, these microbes are superfoods, high in protein vitamins and essential fats and they feed off ammonia, nitrate and phosphates which pollute our waterways. Hydro can deploy them to clean up rivers and lakes then remove them to create fuel and fertiliser or useful material for pharmaceuticals and industrial precursors. Because of the nature of such microbes – this bio-solution to contaminated water also has the advantage of using minimal energy.
Industrial Clean Up
Few industrial plants operate without any potentially harmful by-products and Hydro is delighted to help remove them. The wastewater from an engine manufacturing plant in South Wales inevitably contained various oils, greases and surfactants. Hydro developed a bespoke and holistic system to remove the contaminants and generate water that was sufficiently clean to be reused on site.
