Even for an experienced and innovative company like Hydro Industries, the ask in Ecuador was a tough one – writes CEO, Wayne Preece.
We saw the site in September 2023. It was stunning. Cotopaxi, the second highest volcano in the country, cast its shadow over it. Capped in snow, yet very much active, it’s peak stands 19,347 feet tall, visible from virtually every vantage point in the capital.
Equally striking, though not remotely beautiful, was the landfill site overshadowed by Cotopaxi. The waste produced by more 2.5 million people is sent there for both recycling and landfill. That’s the equivalent of the residual waste of the whole of South Wales, or most of Greater Manchester.
The liquid from the landfill waste, which is safely collected at the base of what they call ‘cells, is then pumped to holding ponds – very large ones. The mission was to make sure these ponds were treated to remove the fresh water and therefore reduce the volume. The Mayor of Quito as well as the site operator were determined to protect the El Inga River, which would inevitably be the recipient of the waste should there be an overflow! This river flows through Quito, including a World Heritage site.
There was real urgency therefore, as well as a compelling case, for cleaning it up, which is when I flew 6000 miles to Ecuador with our Chairman, David Pickering. Having played, captained, and managed the Welsh rugby team at different points in his illustrious career, it’s fair to say that David, like me, relishes a challenge. Best not to ask him about the recent performance of the national team, and definitely not the last England game, but he’s otherwise pretty unflappable.
Since teaming up at Hydro, just over 15 years ago, we’ve had more than our share of difficult projects. Remote villages in India, flooded communities in Bangladesh, industrial outposts in Sudan and the UN camps in Somalia… these are just some of the highlights. Seeing our blue version of the Welsh Dragon painted large on the sides of one of our containers as we came into land in that most vulnerable of airstrips made us briefly forget the danger of rebel-launched surface to air missiles. Other work, on the Red Sea in Egypt or the edge of the dessert in Saudi Arabia, has been less perilous, but much larger in scale.
Quito was a demanding environment, working 9,000 feet altitude, an incredibly technical challenge with an installation time of record-breaking proportions. Yet, barely a year after seeing the site, we were there again with the Mayor of Quito as he formally opened it, and – to my delight and the astonishment of the local dignitaries, diplomats and media – drank a large glass of the tested water coming out of our plant. That water now flows freely into the El Inga River, or into the irrigation channels that have allowed our client to plant an unprecedented number of trees, together with a re-landscaping of the entire site. The icing on the cake, perhaps, was introducing fish into the pools that store the Hydro treated water, proving day by day that our technology is doing its job. I don’t know if they have a problem with poachers but if they do it’s a good problem to have, so you’ll hopefully forgive me for saying how immensely proud I am of this, and how grateful to our fantastic team that made it happen.
Now for the hard facts. What we were contracted to treat was 192,000 tons of wastewater, that our tests confirmed was loaded with Heavy Hydrocarbons, Boron, Phosphate, Ammonia and Anaerobic Digestion Byproducts, along with some other challenging toxins. One of Hydro’s most battle-hardened scientists declared that it was potentially the most difficult leachate sample that he and his team had ever designed for. It was dense and dark brown with a ‘special’ odour.
Constructing the plant was going to require physically fit, determined and an acclimatised workforce and Hydro assembled a team that came from 3 continents – a real international group for a very tough challenge. We had and exceptional local team formed in Ecuador to supplement our UK and Egyptian Engineers. Our Chief Designer (an Egyptian), and his commissioning team flew in from Cairo. They could certainly handle the heat but struggled initially with the altitude. However, they learnt Spanish at an astonishing pace.
But the project, as with many of our projects, began at Hydro’s technology park in Llangennech, just outside Swansea in South Wales. This is home for the Hydro Industries scientists and engineers. This is where we maintain our laboratories, our integration capabilities and our system designs. And this is where we rapidly launched the program to design and install the highest altitude treatment facility in the world.
Dominant in the early days of Hydro was a modern, sophisticated version of electro-coagulation. Developed on our doorstep, it basically allowed us to speed up the coagulation process and use less chemicals as a positive further outcome – it was one of the core reasons why Hydro was selected to deliver this project to Quito. The process allows us, in many cases, to isolate and recover valuable products that exist in ‘waste streams’ – Lead, Zinc, Cadmium, Silver, Oil, or even the solids from agricultural or household waste that can then be used as fertiliser of bio-fuel. Over the years, that Hydro ‘magic’ has been complemented by our enhanced system integration capabilities, with new patents being developed, especially in the area of reverse osmosis.
On design completion, bespoke parts were shipped in large containers across the Atlantic. Some, because of lead time issues, were air-freighted and – unnervingly – a few cases ended up not only in the working airport but in the wrong country – the wrong continent! We custom-made a power substation to suit the very specific requirements of the plant, and I’ll never forget the special moment when a crane lowered it into place. It gives me great pleasure to see the full system operating on the ground knowing that each stage plays its part in turning the waste liquid from Quito’s landfill, to crystal clear water that can be reused in the region.
As expected with a project of this complexity and speed, there were very tense moments. The week before our official opening by the Mayor was a tough one, finishing off many of the final commissioning protocols with the inevitable surprise and hiccup thrown in! All the while, struggling for breath, I’d look up at Cotopaxi knowing that it’s erupted more than eighty times, and that the landscape around me had been shaped by its lava. The last major explosion was only a few years ago.
In the end, with the commitment of an incredible international Hydro team, the Mayor’s opening was a total success, and one which I thank him again for. The presence of the HM UK Ambassador fir Ecuador, Chris Campbell, and his great team made it extra special – they were and continue to be a huge help in the region.
Although I never picked up much Spanish, I understood Mayor Pabel when he said:
“Estamos muy contentos por este acontecimiento historico para la ciudad”, words he promptly posted on Twitter. Happy and historic are great words in any language, and two things have followed since that demonstrates just how sincerely he means it. First, he invited me to meet environmental campaigners in his capital and hear them switch from anxiety and concern to relief, appreciation and gratitude. Secondly, he’s recognized the importance of making sure our local training and technology sharing will stand our business in good stead for the future in the region, with a very committed and skilled Quito workforce to realize our future Ecuador ambitions.
Having proved we can build an exceptionally complex treatment plant in 4 months, at 9000 feet altitude and 6000 miles away from our UK base, we are pretty confident we can meet almost any challenge in this field here in the U.K. and look forward to doing so.
