(MAYNARD, Mass.) — Ecochlor has filed an application with the U.S. Coast Guard for type approval for its ballast water treatment system (BWTS). Due to a far more stringent set of guidelines, type approval has only been granted to three other BWTS worldwide. Upon approval, the Ecochlor chlorine dioxide BWTS will extend the range of options for shipowners beyond UV and electrochlorination technologies.
Unlike other water treatment technologies, the Ecochlor system is not impaired by variations in water salinity, temperature, turbidity, organics or vibration and does not need neutralization at ballast water discharge. The price and size of a chlorine dioxide generator does not vary greatly based on flow rate. As a result, chlorine dioxide generators are economically viable in the treatment of large volumes of water. Additional advantages are that the Ecochlor system has one of the lowest power consumption technologies on the market today.
Tom Perlich, Ecochlor president and founder, said, “The Ecochlor chemistry works just as effectively now as it did more than 12 years ago with our first installation. The only change was that we reduced the chemical dosage for USCG TA. These fully independent test results clearly indicate that the Ecochlor system will meet and, in most cases, exceed USCG discharge criteria.”
Since the first Ecochlor system was sold in 2004, it has undergone extensive testing for approvals. It received International Maritime Organization (IMO) type approval in 2011, as well as numerous classification society approvals including Lloyd’s Register, American Bureau of Shipping, Class NK, Bureau Veritas and RMRS. DNV GL was selected as Ecochlor’s independent laboratory (IL) in order to secure classification society approval simultaneously with USCG type approval.
