| An Adelaide-based company, Hydrosmart, says that its method of treating water to remove chemicals, soul and scale is proving itself locally and overseas in a variety of applications from farms to homes, vineyards, hospitals and universities. Just how the process works has experts baffled but the number of customers willing to try the technology is growing according to the company
What is hydrosmart technology? |
The company says that of particular relevance to the irrigation industry are salinity results from the use of the technology. In December 2002 procure hotel group at Broome installed a Hydrosmart system on the hotels bore, as they had gardens and lawn which were dying because of the 3600 ppm salt levels in that bore. According to Hydrosmart, within eight weeks of treatment the lawns and gardens were flourishing. A grower in Victoria irrigating with a 150 ML pipe faces zero water allocations this coming season but has a bore of 2800 ppm salinity. He decided that buying a computerised water conditioner will enable him to stay commercially viable without the need for expensive and waste producing reverse osmosis plant, which would have previously been his only option. |
Scientific breakthrough or snake oil? The lack of scientific proof for how Hydrosmart works doesn't faze the company. The technology's manufacturers say 'it's only a matter of time', as is often the case with paradigm shift 'interruptive' technologies which challenge established models. They point to their customers as evidence of the success of their product and say that they believe they will soon be adopted as a mainstream solution after years of being perceived as a 'snake oil, peripheral technology'.
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| According to the company, this inhibits electron bonding and stops crystals from building. Without their bonding ability, large mineral crystals become unstable and collapse into particles smaller than 4 microns. The company says the breakdown of large complex crystals such as sodium chloride into tiny particle form is removed chlorides from the root zone of the affected plants and facilitated the uptake of calcium, magnesium and potassium which are essential for healthy plant growth. A major advantage of this is that, potentially, it removes the need to environmentally damaging chemicals and processes and doesn't result in polluting byproducts.
Proof of the pudding
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