IER News Issue 11
September 2023

A Letter from Doug Kelley, President of IER

Hello, everyone. I hope everybody has enjoyed, and is still enjoying a relaxing, happy, and healthy summer.  Though I have to admit, it’s been a challenge with the extremes of climate change beginning to pop up all around us.  Over the past few years, we’ve learned new terms like bomb-cyclone, heat-dome, and atmospheric-river.  You know things are changing when Northern Alberta’s forest fire season began in May!  These observations are daily reminders of how important it is to minimize the environmental stresses we’re causing to our planet.

To that end, by the time this newsletter goes out our new ALKA-Mag⁺ Hydration Plant will be in operation in Lufkin, TX!  This has been an incredible challenge to build through the midst of the pandemic, but we are finally there!  In our next newsletter we’ll have much more to share, but suffice it to say that we’re extremely excited to be able to offer our products and services to the Gulf Coast region!

Closer to our home in the Pacific Northwest, we are sharing the results from an incredibly interesting multiyear study at King County’s Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant to replace the use of caustic soda with ALKA-Mag⁺.  The original expectations were related to improving employee safety and cost savings from reduced chemical usage.  However, Brightwater’s membrane bioreactor facility observed dramatic process and flow improvements that resulted in significant energy savings and reduced carbon footprint!

Based on the great results from the Brightwater study, we carried out a literature review to see if there was any known science on the effect that the magnesium ion (Mg²⁺) might have on membranes.  What we found regarding the antimicrobial effect of magnesium on biofilm formation was extremely enlightening!  I hope you find time to read this interesting article.

Lastly, we are excited to introduce you to another of our stalwart IER employees.  This fellow has risen rapidly in our organization within a single year to take over the role of Plant Manager at our flagship plant in Pasco, WA.  Despite being new to the job, he has been a steadying force and a refreshing leader!  I hope you enjoy getting to know him a little better.

Enjoy the newsletter, and stay cool out there!