IER News Issue 10
March 2023

A Letter from Doug Kelley, President of IER

Hello, everyone. I am writing this message on March 20^th, the last day of winter!  Let’s hope we’re finished with the snow and cold, as I am SO ready for Springtime – daffodils, crocuses, cherry blossoms, and thawed-out metering pumps and feed lines!

During the winter months, IER’s Operations Team has been working hard to make further improvements to our new ALKA-Mag⁺ Magnesium Hydroxide product, so much so that we have put together a short video for this newsletter to show you the enhanced reactivity of our 60% slurry product!  We love to use Vinegar as the “acidic wastewater” in our beaker testing, making it relatively easy to see the difference in reactivity of various alkaline products.  For instance, a Vinegar Test similar to the one shown in our video was used over a decade ago by one of IER’s customers to demonstrate how a dose of 0.6 g of IER’s 60% Mg(OH)₂ provided the same resulting pH as 1.0 g of 50% NaOH.  While this was consistent with the stoichiometric calculation, it was the first time anyone had demonstrated that performance in a beaker.  By the way, that customer is still an IER customer – one of our best!  Nothing better than being able to learn new stuff every day right along with your customers!
 
Regarding learning new stuff, I’ve written a three-part article that summarizes the benefits of Magnesium Hydroxide for use in three general areas of wastewater treatment:  1) pH adjustment in pretreatment, 2) collections system odor and corrosion control, and 3) alkalinity for full treatment at the water resource recovery facility.  I hope you find these useful to provide new insights into the observed benefits of such a strong, but gentle, nonhazardous product.

Finally, this newsletter highlights one of IER’s newest Plant Managers, Ryan Smith of Muscatine, Iowa.  Ryan is developing into a strong leader in our Midwestern Region, taking great pride in the ability of his team to manufacture only the highest quality Magnesium Hydroxide products and to provide the highest quality delivery and technical service.
 
I am so very proud of IER’s growing team of professionals that are dedicated to helping our customers realize the benefits of Magnesium Hydroxide-based products to help solve global wastewater challenges . . . because (yep), Mars is for quitters!
 
I hope you enjoy the newsletter!