Aqua-Pure is the premier recycler of industrial wastewater in North America.

HISTORY

Aqua-Pure Ventures was founded in 1992 in Calgary, Alberta. Since that time, the company has expanded to multiple North American locations, formed alliances with other leading firms and developed the most advanced technologies for treating and disposing of shale gas and other industrial wastewater applications in the industry.

Here are a few highlights from our corporate history --

1992-1996 – Company develops prototype evaporator technology in Kelowna, British Columbia, specifically for treating landfill leachate. Prototype evaporator system tested at the City of Kelowna landfill treating landfill leachate (4-6 months). Patent issued for prototype system in 1994.

May 1996 – Aqua Pure completes IPO and begins trading on the Vancouver Stock Exchange. Harold Lauman named company President and CEO.

July-November 1996 – Colt Engineering hired to evaluate the prototype design. Process is retrofitted per Colt's recommendations.

January 1997 – Aqua-Pure applies for worldwide patent protection. A “process patent” is filed rather than an “apparatus patent;” this type of patent is more difficult to get, however it is much easier to defend.

November 1997 – Anadime orders 60,000 usg/d evaporator for Elk Point Recycling Plant. System is fabricated by Cord Projects in Edmonton, AB.

April 1998 – Colt Engineering formalizes agreement with Aqua-Pure. Colt begins actively marketing Aqua-Pure technology in the oilfield/SAGD markets.

October 1998 – Aqua-Pure commissions its first commercially produced water desalination plant. Rated at 76,000 usg/d, the Aqua-Pure unit was placed in service to provide high-quality feed water to a sand washing plant operating in the heavy oil industry. The feed to the Aqua-Pure unit was oilfield produced water containing 45,000 ppm total dissolved solid. This evaporator system has subsequently been in service treating industrial wastewater.

August 1999 – Jake Halldorson accepts position of CEO. Halldorson founded Colt Engineering and brings over 30 years of experience to the company.

February 2000 -- Aqua-Pure signs joint technology agreement with EnCana (formerly Alberta Energy Company “AEC”). The joint venture technology/patent agreement combines proprietary technology from each company for use in the thermal heavy oil recovery process. Waste heat is used to supply the necessary energy to operate the Aqua-Pure process, allowing low-cost water treatment for producing reserves of heavy oil. Aqua-Pure and EnCana will jointly promote this concept to other major oil producers to complement their thermal oil recovery processes.

March 2000 – BP (Amoco) awards Aqua-Pure a contract to supply a Brine Concentrator for one of its North American NGL Fractionation Terminals (Sarnia, Ontario). BP Sarnia stores salt brine in surface ponds. This surface brine is used to displace NGL from underground storage caverns for market. These surface brine ponds are diluted due to rainfall – injecting this diluted surface brine into the underground cavern can cause excessive cavern growth and possible loss of cavern integrity. As the brine becomes diluted there is also an issue of excessive brine inventory – brine is shipped off-site for disposal. Aqua-Pure has provided a solution to BP’s brine problems by utilizing the Aqua-Pure evaporation process to concentrate the diluted surface brine back to near saturation and by diverting the distilled water to the facility cooling towers.

June 2000 – Aqua-Pure negotiates an exclusive distribution agreement with Salsnes Filter (Norway).

November 2000 – EnCana evaporator at Foster Creek operational. This waste heat driven evaporator system treats oilfield produced water directly from the ‘skim tank’ without pretreatment.

August 2001 – BP evaporator at Sarnia NGL Storage Facility operational. This evaporator system (600 hp) is the largest system Aqua-Pure has built to date. This application is very challenging; diluted salt brine is concentrated to near saturation. This project involves specialized metallurgy, instrumentation and control.

December 2001 – Aqua-Pure receives notice of allowance of its patent for the compact rising film evaporator (CRFE) technology for a number of countries including Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

March 2002 – Newalta evaporator at Calgary industrial waste transfer station operational. This evaporator system is designed to treat industrial wastewater. Since the wastewater feed composition is highly variable, this system was designed to be extremely flexible and easy to service and clean.

March 2003 – Aqua-Pure awarded evaporator upgrade project for Japan Canada Oil Sands (Jacos). The existing evaporator (shell and tube) at the Jacos Hangingstone SAGD facility (NE Alberta) cannot meet capacity. Aqua Pure is hired to add a 2nd stage to the existing evaporator using its patented evaporator technology. Start-up is scheduled for May 2003.

2003 – Aqua-Pure contacted by Delzon Elenburg (Barnett Shale, TX) regarding recycling of shale gas flowback water. Aqua-Pure commences design of NOMAD 2000 Modular Oilfield MVR Evaporator. Began sampling and analysis of Barnett Shale wastewater. Started detailed engineering of NOMAD unit for Barnett Shale.

2004 -- NOMAD 1 is installed near Decatur, TX. Work begins with Devon Energy.

2005 -- NOMADs 2 and 3 installed near Haslet, TX.

2006 -- Named “One of the Top Ten Most Promising Companies” by Rice University at the 4th Annual Energy Technology Venture Forum (Houston). NOMAD 4 & 5 installed near Bono, TX.

2007/2008 -- NOMADs 6,7,8 and 9 installed near Godley and Justin, TX. Granted long-term operating permit from Railroad Commission of Texas. Began processing higher SG water (>60,000ppm). Devon Energy awarded the 2008 IOGCC Chairman’s Stewardship Award for its wastewater recycling operations in conjunction with Fountain Quail.

2010 – Three NOMAD units installed at Eureka Resources’ Williamsport, PA, facility, marking company's entry into the Marcellus Shale

2011 - Expanded operations into the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas through a subcontracting agreement with NAC Services, LLC. Two NOMAD units went on-line in Kenedy, TX, in June.