(Nomination for 2012 AUREA Award): Sigma - Water disinfection system

Kula-based Sigma opened early February 2011 in Crvenka a plant producing Hlorogen – a device using electrolysis to generate chlorine in the form of sodium hypochlorite solution at the water consumption site. The production of this water disinfectant is simple because it requires only salt, softened water and electric energy. The system is automated, requires minimum maintenance, and it is easy to operate.

Sodium hypochlorite is a liquid chlorine derivative, a chemical substance that releases chlorine when placed in water. The full name of this compound is 1% sodium hypochlorite. When it comes to chemical processes and mechanism of water disinfection, there is no difference between the use of sodium hypochlorite and chlorine gas, which is today the most commonly used water disinfectant, but the new system is completely safe and cuts operating costs.

Namely, although chlorine gas is the most commonly used water disinfectant due to its cost-effectiveness and efficiency, it is also characterized by the European and global community as a dangerous toxic substance, and it is strongly recommended to be replaced with a harmless derivative that can be used to disinfect water and enhance its bacteriological quality.

The vision of the management of Sigma was to start moving in that direction back in 1989. Commercial production of this technology commenced in the mid-1990s, and a factory of sodium hypochlorite generators was put in operation in 2011.

Sodium hypochlorite is a 100% substitute for chlorine gas, but it is completely safe to handle, it is not toxic, and one only needs to have a pallet of salt in stock in order to be able to produce it. On the other hand, chlorine gas production requires large tanks, an adequate amount of chlorine gas in stock, a neutralization equipment, safety and precaution measures, the system maintenance, etc.

Sigma is the first and the only company in Serbia to produce sodium hypochlorite. It is a patented technology (the procedure alone is copyright protected), and the entire project and the product are 100% domestic, Serbian know-how. All components of the product and the technology are produced at Sigma.

This device is installed within a water supply system, swimming pools, or wherever it is necessary to maintain the bacteriological quality of water. Its price ranges between 20 and 30 thousand euros, but it can also be higher, depending on the capacity.

Although the initial investment is bigger than when chlorine gas is used, this system is much more cost-effective in a long run because it requires no maintenance, and all you need to produce sodium hypochlorite are electric energy, water and salt. What is also important is that the price of chlorine gas is rising, mainly because the measures governing its use are getting stricter and stricter.

INNOVATION

Hlorogen is a device generating sodium hypochlorite - a liquid chlorine solution used as water disinfectant – at the water consumption site. The system is fully automated, requires minimum maintenance, and it is easy to operate. The sodium hypochlorite production requires only salt, softened water and electric energy.

The device takes water from the water pipe and sends it to a water softening column (there is a tank with softened water, so that there is always some softened water in stock). The softened, raw, untreated water is then sent to an electrolyzer. A tank with salt, located on the other side, receives water and then sends a real, saturated, salty solution to the heart of the device (electrolyzer). The electrolyzer uses electric energy to generate sodium hypochlorite, a water disinfectant, by electrolysis. An inevitable by-product of the chemical reaction in the electrolyzer is hydrogen, but it is diluted 1,000 times and released into atmosphere through a vent system. Sodium hypochlorite is stored in a tank whose capacity depends on the capacity of the device, and it can be pumped from that tank to the water supply system. There is also a measuring sound, an analyzing cell that controls the concentration of chlorine and gives feedback to dosage pumps to carry out adequate correction. From that point in the water supply system on, water is disinfected.

The original technological solution is protected by patent no. 50648 in the Intellectual Property Institute of the Republic of Serbia. Sigma is the first and the only company in Serbia to produce sodium hypochlorite, and the entire project and the product are 100% domestic, Serbian know-how. All components of the product and the technology are produced at Sigma, which has also developed an optional system software for management and acquisition.

Hlorogen is a modular device, it does not take too much space, and its dimensions depend on the capacity.

SOCIAL UTILITY

Production of sodium hypochlorite makes it possible for end-users to stop using chlorine gas as a water disinfectant. Over the last 100 years or so chlorine gas has been proven to be the cheapest and the most efficient disinfectant. However, it is not safe to use or handle, since it is a toxic matter (it is a basic raw material in the production of explosives that are used nowadays, and it causes sudden death if breathed in). As such, it is strongly recommended to be replaced with an environment-friendly and efficient disinfectant, and the final deadline set by global and European organizations for that substitution process to end is 2015.

Sodium hypochlorite is a liquid chlorine derivative, a chemical substance that releases chlorine when placed in water, and it is a 100% substitute for chlorine gas. When it comes to chemical processes and mechanism of water disinfection, there is no difference between the use of sodium hypochlorite and chlorine gas, but it takes only electric energy, salt and water to produce the former at the water consumption site. On the other hand, chlorine gas production requires large tanks and an adequate amount of chlorine gas in stock. Since this substance is dangerous, it is necessary to have a chlorine gas neutralization equipment at hand in case of an accident. The use of sodium hypochlorite is completely safe, since this substance is not toxic, and it cuts operating costs. One only needs to have a pallet of salt in stock in order to be able to produce it. Unlike chlorine gas, it requires no additional large stock or extra equipment.

The 1% sodium hypochlorite generated by Sigma’s Hlorogen is safe to handle and has no negative influence on the nature and work environment.

This device is installed within a water supply system, swimming pools, or wherever it is necessary to maintain the bacteriological quality of water. It can also fit in a moving container, and its size and capacity depend on the site it is installed on.

The project is designed in compliance with all applicable domestic and global environmental and industrial safety standards. Thanks to that, the harmful influence of the technology on the environment is completely eliminated, and the technology alone meets the criteria of sustainable development.

The Hlorogen factory in Crvenka currently employs 20 people.

FINANCIAL POTENTIAL

Sigma is the first and the only company in Serbia to produce sodium hypochlorite, and this technology also cannot be found in surrounding countries. The device has already been installed within water supply systems in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Smederevo, Sremska Mitrovica, Prokuplje, Vlasotince, and it should also soon be shipped to Romania and Montenegro, while negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Bulgaria are underway. There is also a potential for exporting this technology to the EU market.

The device costs between 20 and 30 thousand euros, but its price can also be higher, depending on the capacity. Although the initial investment is bigger than when chlorine gas is used, this system is much more cost-effective in a long run because it requires no maintenance, and all you need to produce sodium hypochlorite are electric energy, water and salt. What is also important is that the price of chlorine gas is rising, mainly because the measures governing its use are getting stricter and stricter.

The investment in the Hlorogen factory in Crvenka amounted to about RSD 70,000,000. A test laboratory alone cost about EUR 10,000.

If Sigma`s water disinfection system is your favorite for the innovative investment of the year, you can cast your vote on the official website of the 2012 Aurea Award.