Cleantech innovation brings safe drinking water to rural areas

Danish company, HPNow, a leader in Green Oxidation technology solutions, and MatiTech, a South African advanced water treatment solutions provider, have used the GOgen® Green Oxidant generation technology solution to provide clean drinking water to remote mining sites.

Addressing the challenge of polluted water sources

Mining sites often struggle with access to clean potable water, especially those in remote areas, for numerous reasons, including increasing levels of pollutants being found in local water sources.

Mike Bowley, managing director of MatiTech, told media: "Traditional water treatment methods, relying on transport of handling of hazardous chemicals, are becoming inadequate, and GOgen® offers a sustainable and effective solution."

What is GOgen® Green Oxidant generation technology?

The GOgen® system has traditionally been used to prevent biofilm build up and control pathogens in close loop water systems, by introducing low levels of hydrogen peroxide.

The self-contained system produces ultra-high purity hydrogen peroxide directly on-site, and without chemical inputs, at up to one per cent concentration. Using HPNow's patented direct-electrochemical synthesis technology, the GOgen® can generates ultra-high purity hydrogen peroxide with only water and electricity as inputs, eliminating the need for traditional bulk-chemical based oxidation.

The benefits for remote mining sites

With growing concerns about water pollution globally, hydrogen peroxide (Peroxide UltraPure), generated by the GOgen® system, offers a safe, clean, and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods.

Kevin Eggers, AP Ventures, one of the investors behind both HPNow and MatiTech, told media that he believes the GOgen® technology solution is poised to make a significant and lasting impact on South Africa’s water situation. “This innovative technology has the potential to revolutionize water treatment methods in the region for years to come.”

For remote sites, the system has the following benefits:

• On-site hydrogen peroxide (Peroxide UltraPure) generation: this eliminates the need for transporting and storing hazardous high-concentration hydrogen peroxide.
• Reduced reliance on supply chains: requires only water, electricity, and ambient air to operate.
• Autonomous operation and remote monitoring: minimizes the need for skilled personnel on-site.
• Dynamic system adapts to changing water quality: ensures consistent and effective treatment.

Hydrogen peroxide is a common water treatment which breaks back down to pure water and oxygen following use.

Drinking water solution for rural schools

The GOgen® technology solution has many potential applications beyond mining sites. For examples, a majority of rural schools in South African suffer from the lack of drinking-quality water, and solving this challenge is MatiTech's and HPNow's next mission.

Michael Bowley, managing director of MatiTech, told media: “We believe the GOgen® is the ideal solution for rural schools and villages across South Africa.”

He added: "Aging infrastructure across our country often limits the ability to serve remote schools and communities, and decentralized water treatment solutions are the clear way to go. HPNow's technology solutions are at the forefront of a sustainable, decentralized water treatment revolution which does not rely on traditional costly infrastructure-based methods."