B.C. firm develops products to control algae and bacteria in water, crops and food

Clean water is a precious commodity

August 05, 2010 — Richmond, British Columbia

Clean water is a precious commodity around the world, especially in the communities where it is increasingly threatened by contamination and pollution. Thanks to EnvirEau Technologies’ mineral-based products, those communities now have a solution to their water woes.

The Richmond, B.C. firm has developed and is now marketing environmentally responsible and metallic mineral-based biocides, fungicides and algaecides that use minute quantities of mineral ions, including copper, zinc or silver, or combination of these minerals, to protect water, wastewater, food and disease control in crops. The company’s self-mixing compounds can control algae and bacteria in potable water reservoirs, odour and bacteria in waste treatment facilities, and disease in plants and foods. One of EnvirEau Technologies’ products also helps protect greenhouse and field crops and extends their shelf-life.

EnvirEau was born after Frank Varseveld, the president and chief executive officer, arranged the purchase of the intellectual property of another company and went to work on research and development in 2005.

“We wanted to come up with a means of reducing the synthetic chemical pesticides in use today for controlling micro-organisms in water, soil and food,” says Varseveld, an engineer. “This is a global need, and we felt it was important to improve the sustainability of our planet.”

Varseveld turned to the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) for help with the R&D phase of the company’s development. Thanks to the NRC-IRAP contribution EnvirEau received, the firm was able to conduct laboratory and field testing to improve the ionization of the minerals in its products.

“IRAP’s contribution was really important to optimize the performance of the product, and to make it more valuable to the end user,” Varseveld says.

“The NRC-IRAP industrial technology advisor that the company worked with also helped EnvirEau organize its projects.”

The company’s products can replace synthetic chemical pesticides, fungicides, biocides and disinfectants, including chlorine. They don’t harm the people handling them, and have minimal side effects for the environment, says Varseveld.

The private company, whose directors include former B.C. premier Bill Vander Zalm, management consultant Stan Stanley, and entrepreneur Tremain Tanner, is now marketing its products through distributors in nine countries in Europe and Asia.

“Our goal is to be a global leader in this field,” Varseveld says.

In addition to the large-scale municipal uses that EnvirEau’s products are designed for, the company is also working on a simple application to add one of its products to water, designed for household use in developing nations. By controlling E. coli, cholera, and other water-based pathogens, the company hopes to save lives in under-developed countries and even in rural Canada, where poor water quality is an issue.

“If you put a drop of Polydex concentrate into three litres of water and leave it to sit overnight, it will be safe to drink the following day,” Varseveld says. “It won’t be safe from all organisms, but the most common ones, including E. coli.”

EnvirEau is currently testing that application in Africa.

In every country where EnvirEau sells its products, they are tested by users and regulators. “We are pleased to report that our customers are really pleased with our track record of success,” says Varseveld.