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Siemens Water Technologies magnetite ballasted CoMag System, which is already helping municipalities to increase water and wastewater treatment plant clarification performance in confined footprints, is now available for industrial water and wastewater treatment applications.

Disney Cruise Line is the most environmentally responsible line, earning an A for sewage treatment and an overall A grade, according to Friends of the Earth's 2013 Cruise Ship Report Card.

Evoqua Water Technologies' water treatment system will save Washington County, Maryland, $16 million in upgrade costs, according to the county.

London's Heathrow Airport has saved more than 130 million liters of water annually using General Electric's water treatment technologies, GE says, adding that its technologies also saved the UK's largest airport $310,000 in a year.

Effluent from water treatment plants continues to pollute waters with nutrients, but water utilities can shift to more sustainable model that goes beyond basic treatment and includes nutrient recovery and removal, according to a report released by The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread.

Dialysis provider DaVita, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners, says it has reduced its water usage by 14 percent per treatment against a 2010 baseline, saving 400 million gallons of water per year due to operational changes and beating its target to reduce water consumption 10 percent per treatment by 2015.

Polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs, are chemicals used in nonstick cooking products and firefighting material and are known to cause health risks. Researchers found that 194 out of 4,864 water supplies in about 36 states had detectable levels of the chemicals, but most water treatment plants don't have the technology to remove it, putting millions of people at risk.

The latest in water contaminates in this trend is a group of chemicals known as Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances, or PFASs (also known as Perfluoro Compounds or PFCs). Originally developed to help repel stains and improve the effectiveness of firefighting chemicals, these substances have leached into groundwater near factories, military bases and other sites where they have been used heavily. Several Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) solutions are available for treatment of PFCs in groundwater. One of the most cost-effective of these options for PFAS removal comes from coconuts: AquaCarb CX enhanced coconut shell GAC. It combines the benefits of an activated carbon with the high micropore structure of coconut shell, with faster kinetics comparable to bituminous coal.

Chipotle has released a short film that touts the company's ethical-sourcing policies. The video features a scarecrow who wanders through a "Crow Foods Incorporated" factory, is horrified by the treatment of animals inside and decides to open his own ethically sourced eatery -- one that bears a marked resemblance to Chipotle

South Africa, where gas and oil company, Sasol, has partnered with GE Power & Water to develop a new system for providing a high level of treatment for industrial wastewater that also recovers biogas for power generation. The new system, called Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Technology (AnMBR), is transferrable to other industries

Disney Cruise Line earned an A grade from the group, which examined sewage treatment, air pollution reduction and water quality compliance.

A second Texas city has begun using treated wastewater to boost drinking water supplies as the state struggles with drought. Wichita Falls is now recycling millions of gallons of wastewater, CBS News reports. The toilet-to-tap program ensures the water is purified to meet government drinking standards; the water is then sent to a treatment plan for additional purification.

Arizona State University Professor Peter Lammers and researchers at New Mexico State University are developing an energy-positive wastewater treatment method using a special kind of algae. The researchers believe that the algal systems ultimately could eliminate sewage farms' electricity bills, which can account for anything up to 60 percent of operating costs today, or even generate a surplus. 

Carigali-PTTEPI Operating Company Sdn. Bhd. is saving $52 million annually at its natural gas development platform in the Gulf of Thailand, while reducing water consumption and chemical use through General Electric's advanced cooling and chemical treatment technology.

For Dow, this natural treatment decision in Seadrift led to some $39 million in initial capital savings and ultimately translated into some $282 million of Net Present Value benefits and counting.

Chevron Energy Solutions will design and build a waste-to-energy plant at Broward County, Fla.'s wastewater treatment facility

A sewage recycling system pioneered by Applied CleanTech (ACT) is reducing a Dutch water board's operational costs by around $1 million a year while reducing sludge by up to 30%. ACT's technology is designed to help industrial and agricultural wastewater treatment plants transform wastewater into raw materials for plastics, insulation, pulp and paper, construction, bio-fuels production, nano-cellulose, and other industries.

H&M, Eddie Bauer, The North Face, Marmot, Mammut, Helly Hansen, Outdoor Research, DownLinens, Down & Feather Co. and other leading international fashion, bedding and outdoor brands have adopted the Textile Exchange's Responsible Down Standard, a third-party certification standard that can be applied to any waterfowl-based supply chain to help ensure humane treatment of animals from gosling to end product.

Wastewater treatment and renewable energy production can be costly endeavors. However, if valuable chemicals could be extracted from wastewater, or if algae could more easily be used to turn carbon dioxide from the air into biofuel, companies could profitably pursue such projects. Researchers from Arizona State University (ASU) and the Chinese Academy of Science & Technology are working to make this possible.