Swirltex is an Alberta based startup company that has developed a membrane filtration system for treating wastewater. The company’s patent-pending technology was developed by its Founder and President, Peter Christou, who has 15 years of experience in water and environmental engineering.
The Swirltex Lagoon Unit (SLU) has potential to be transformative for municipalities reliant on lagoon wastewater systems as well as for industrial applications. Wastewater has traditionally been difficult to treat via membrane filtration due to membrane surface fouling caused by pollutants. The Swirltex technology overcomes this issue by creating a centrifugal flow pattern, preventing contaminants from contacting the tubular shaped polymer membrane. In comparison to the competition, the Swirltex membrane system can utilize low-cost polymer membranes, provides a significantly higher flux while avoiding fouling.
The Swirltex business model is based on the price/m3 of water treated. It is an affordable option for smaller urban environments that cannot afford large capital outlays and creates marketable reuse water for customers. The initial target market is municipalities at risk of environmental non-compliance. For the future, Swirltex will be working on developing the technology for oil and gas applications. The goal is to supply the market demand for recycled industrial water, which will continue to grow with regulatory pressures limiting fresh water use.