MONTREAL, PQ, Canada, Jan. 22, 2009 -- Management of GLV Inc. announced the creation of a North American joint venture with Hong Kong-based Global Water Engineering Limited to market some of this company's technologies, notably its anaerobic digestion processes for the treatment of industrial wastewater and its energy production technology using the biogas generated by the digestion of industrial organic waste.
The new joint venture, named Global Water & Energy, LLC, is 70%-owned by GLV and 30% by Global Water Engineering. GLV will invest in the start-up and development of GW&E over the next years. In exchange, Global Water Engineering has granted GW&E an exclusive and perpetual license to market, notably its selection of processes for the anaerobic treatment of industrial wastewater and organic waste, and for the conversion and handling of biogas to produce energy. GW&E will be based in Austin (Texas) and will therefore benefit from synergies with GLV's Water Treatment Group (Eimco Water Technologies). It will primarily target the North American food and beverage processing industry, as well as certain other key sectors. Further agreements could be subsequently reached to serve various other geographic and segmented markets.
Global Water Engineering, whose owners and key staff have over 30 years of experience in the development and marketing of biological processes for the treatment of industrial organic wastewater, has operations in Asia and Europe. In fact, Global Water Engineering is one of the world's top players in this growing niche of the global market for green and renewable energy. It has hundreds of installed customer facilities worldwide, including more than 50 biogas-fuelled steam and power facilities.
GLV's President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Verreault says he is very pleased with this strategic initiative as it meets one of the primary objectives of GLV's Water Treatment Group, which is to increase its presence and revenue streams in the industrial water and wastewater treatment segment, and more particularly in the food and beverage processing segment. In addition, the new joint venture provides GLV with economical and low-risk access to the renewable biomass power generation niche. "This market niche holds significant growth potential for several reasons, including the will expressed by the new U.S. government to facilitate the development of alternative sources of green energy, the growing economic and ecological challenges associated with the disposal of industrial waste, and the carbon credit markets emerging worldwide."
Furthermore, GLV's Water Treatment Group announces it has been granted the exclusive license for the U.S. and Canadian municipal sludge treatment market to sell and distribute the advanced digester sludge mixing technology developed by the company Enersave Fluid Mixers Inc.
This technology is employed in the process tanks used to mix and stabilize the solids generated by wastewater treatment systems prior to their safe storage or disposal. Its innovative vertical linear motion mixing technology not only provides homogeneous mixing -- making it one of the most environmentally-friendly sludge mixing solutions on the market -- but also requires up to 80% less power than conventional processes. Adding this economical, ecological and user-friendly technology to GLV's product offering will help its Water Treatment Group grow its market share of the North American municipal market.
"The business agreements we have just signed with Global Water Engineering and Enersave both enable us to integrate cutting-edge technologies that are complementary to those of our Water Treatment Group. Combined with our other products, especially submerged membrane (MBR) bioreactors, the access to these innovative technologies will reinforce our strategy of providing our industrial and municipal customers with comprehensive and high-performance solutions for effluent treatment, recycling and reuse," concluded Richard Verreault.
GLV Inc. is a leading global provider of technological solutions used in water treatment and pulp and paper production.
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