HydroMentia, Inc
1701 NE 42nd Ave., Suite 302,, Ocala,, Florida, United States

HydroMentia, Inc. is a water pollution control company specializing in natural, cost-effective, and sustainable water treatment technologies. Aquatic pollutants are recovered within managed aquatic plant systems, which utilize high-rate biological nutrient uptake capabilities of aquatic vegetation. The HydroMentia team, with over 75 years of combined experience, has dedicated its efforts to the protection and restoration of our most vital natural resources.

A Florida corporation, HydroMentia, Inc. was formed in 1996 by combining the expertise of two leading groups specializing in the implementation of managed aquatic plant systems for nutrient removal. HydroMentia, Inc. holds exclusive licenses to the managed aquatic plant treatment systems––the Algal Turf Scrubber® (ATS™) and Water Hyacinth Scrubber (WHS™).

Our staff includes several of the nation’s leading experts in the design and operation of commercial scale managed aquatic plant systems. These treatment systems have been successfully implemented throughout the United States, from California to Florida, in settings as diverse as aquaculture and municipal wastewater treatment facilities.

Services

HydroMentia offers a full range of services to support its cost-effective water treatment solutions. From field investigations to full-scale system design, construction and operations, HydroMentia’s team is motivated to provide its governmental, municipal, and corporate clients with cost savings and efficient programs to address their nutrient pollution control needs.

HydroMentia’s team of experts includes professional engineers, designers, biologists, and system operators. Professionals with decades of experience in the design, development, and operation of commercial scale systems handle every aspect of system implementation.

HydroMentia’s approach to nutrient pollution control combines innovative, creative and value-based solutions with unparalleled service and expertise.

Applications

Managed aquatic plant systems, featuring the Algal Turf Scrubber®, offer a cost-effective solution for nitrogen and phosphorus control. Additional benefits include recovery of trace metals and hydrocarbon compounds often found in stormwater and wastewater.

Applications include large regional nutrient recovery systems. Nonpoint and point source projects associated with agricultural or expansive urban basins, nutrient control in domestic and agricultural wastewater, and restoration of degraded freshwater resources can also benefit from the use of HydroMentia’s managed aquatic plant systems. 

Governments, racing to meet stringent new regulatory standards including Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL), must seek alternative treatment methods that offer maximum nutrient removal and superior cost efficiency. Algal Turf Scrubber® based systems can achieve these objectives.

For the private-industrial sector, Algal Turf Scrubber® and Water Hyacinth Scrubber technologies offer treatment for the removal of a variety of toxic chemicals and heavy metals as well as nutrient pollutants from many types of wastewaters. These hazardous materials can be readily isolated in the first of a series of treatment cells where contaminated biomass is easily harvested and safely processed for ultimate disposal through digestion or composting.

End Products

Features and Benefits

Advances in managed aquatic plant technology have lead to its acceptance as a leading nutrient control method for regional stormwater treatment. The Algal Turf Scrubber® and Water Hyacinth Scrubber have been proven in municipal wastewater and regional stormwater treatment applications. The process of harvesting plant biomass leads to high productivity, allowing these systems to produce low nutrient effluent concentrations and high areal removal rates, resulting in sustainability and reduced treatment costs. Flexibility in design allows each application of these technologies to be engineered for specific treatment goals.

Biomass Recovery and Products

HydroMentia’s crop management techniques assure effective, low-cost water treatment. Contaminants are removed from the water column, and are then processed and removed from the site through harvesting, assuring long-term sustainability. 

At the Algal Turf Scrubber®, biomass is efficiently harvested using patented methods. Mechanical harvesters sever the algal biomass from the growing matrix, and the material is conveyed to a transport flume where the algal turf is collected by an automatic rake at a centralized harvesting station. The recovered biomass is deposited in a storage bunker where it is available for further processing. A similar process exists for the Water Hyacinth Scrubber, where the plants are removed from the lined ponds, and transported to a conveyance flume using a patented harvest system.

When biomass is cultured within managed aquatic plant systems, such as the Algal Turf Scrubber®  and Water Hyacinth Scrubber, significant opportunities exist to market the processed material. The most commonly produced product is a high-quality compost material. Harvested biomass can also be used as livestock feed and as a feedstock for biofuel production. Research is being conducted into potential uses of extracts and fiber to identify additional, value-added products.    

Technologies

HydroMentia offers managed aquatic plant systems for cost-effective and sustainable water treatment. Whether the treatment goal is pollutant load or concentration reduction, these systems meet stringent new regulatory standards with minimal land requirements.

The Algal Turf Scrubber® provides the industry’s highest nitrogen and phosphorus removal rates. Capable of operating within a broad range of temperatures, the Algal Turf Scrubber® offers superior nitrogen and phosphorus recovery when applied to stormwater runoff, impaired surface waters, and agricultural and domestic wastewater.

For tropical and subtropical applications with high nutrient and organic loads, the Water Hyacinth Scrubber provides a cost-effective alternative to the Algal Turf Scrubber®.

HydroMentia’s water pollution control team includes professional engineers, designers, biologists, and system operators. We lead the industry with over 75 years of combined experience in the design and operation of managed aquatic plant systems.

From site selection, engineering design, permitting, and construction management through long-term operation and monitoring, HydroMentia offers a full range of services for its Algal Turf Scrubber® and Water Hyacinth Scrubber systems.