In this episode of the Smells Like Money podcast, host Suzan Chin Taylor sits down with Howie Honeyman, innovator and solutions developer at Forward Water Technologies. They discuss a critical shift in how industrial facilities must manage wastewater. Instead of treating water after it enters the sewer system, Forward Water Technologies focuses on preventing the problem upstream, directly within the industrial process stream.
Howie explains how their low energy membrane technology can squeeze out 75% to 90% of clean, reusable water from difficult waste streams, such as reverse osmosis discharge and high strength brines. By focusing on water reuse at the source, industrial facilities can significantly lower disposal costs, meet strict regulatory requirements, and even boost top line revenue when municipal water restrictions limit production capacity.
Host: Suzan Chin-Taylor | Guest: C. Howie Honeyman
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Key Discussion Points:
● Shifting the Paradigm Upstream
Traditional industrial wastewater management relies heavily on energy intensive or expensive methods often referred to as burn, boil, and bury. This involves incineration, thermal evaporation, or deep well disposal. Forward Water Technologies tacks onto the end of existing process trains, capturing water from highly contaminated waste streams before it ever reaches the municipal sewer system.
● Economic and Operational Benefits
Reusing industrial water does more than reduce disposal costs. In regions facing water scarcity, such as parts of Mexico and Canada, municipalities limit the amount of fresh water industries can extract. By reclaiming over 50% of their waste as clean water, manufacturers can increase production rates using their current capital, directly boosting revenue.
● Overcoming Industry Skepticism
The water treatment industry has historically faced a flood of unfulfilled promises, making engineering communities highly skeptical of emerging technologies. Forward Water Technologies addresses this by making modest promises, over delivering, and offering paid, transportable commercial pilot programs so clients can see their actual waste being treated on site.
● The Three Legged Stool of Adoption
Widespread adoption of water reuse technology is accelerating due to a perfect storm of three factors: increasing water scarcity, rising costs and restrictions on traditional disposal methods, and the economic incentive of extracting valuable minerals, like lithium salts, from concentrated waste streams.
Resources Mentioned
- Forward Water Technologies Website: forwardwater.com
- Creative Raven Website: creativeraven.com
Connect with C. Howie Honeyman
CEO / Forward Water Technologies
Email: howie.honeyman@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-howie-honeyman-7a41b316/
Website: ForwardWater.com
Conclusion:
The conversation between Suzan Chin Taylor and Howie Honeyman highlights a crucial evolution in the wastewater sector, shifting the focus from reactive municipal treatment to proactive, upstream industrial water reuse. By implementing low energy membrane technologies directly at the industrial site, businesses can successfully transition away from costly and environmentally damaging disposal practices.
As water scarcity and regulatory pressures intensify globally, adopting sustainable reuse pathways becomes essential. Ultimately, achieving a dry facility that treats water as infrastructure rather than waste protects a finite resource while simultaneously driving long term operational and financial success.
Until next time—keep growing, and keep it flowing. 💧
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Connect with Suzan Chin-Taylor, host of The DooDoo Diva’s Smells Like Money Podcast:
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