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Medical Marijuana Farm Recovering 97% of Its Wastewater Through Reverse Osmosis

Kind Love, a state-licensed medical marijuana grower in Denver, Colorado, is improving the operational efficiency and environmental sustainability of its grow operations by installing a closed-circuit desalination (CCD) reverse osmosis (RO) system. The system, which will produce up to 22,000 gallons of purified water per day, is being supplied by Desalitech, a provider of high-efficiency water production and wastewater treatment solutions.

By Jennifer Elks | Published 10 years ago | About a 1 minute read

Desalitech’s system will remove any impurities or residuals in the municipal water source to create a pure water base before the addition of nutrients to the hydroponic operation’s irrigation water supply. The system will also be fed with “tile” or drainage water from the operation, enabling the facility to recover 97 percent of its wastewater, reducing new water demand and saving disposal fees.

“Desalitech’s CCD system will produce high quality purified water for our production facility while reducing our water footprint and energy consumption,” said Kind Love COO Michael Williamson. “Beyond being a smart business decision with an ROI in just 15 months, it is a huge step towards one of our ultimate company goals, which is to reduce our carbon footprint. Kind Love is committed to growing safe medical grade cannabis based products for our patients through sustainable business practices.”

Desalitech’s system also increases water-use efficiency, with water recovery rates of 93 percent or higher, compared to the typical 75 percent recovery rates of conventional reverse osmosis systems. CCD systems also consume 20 percent less energy, providing an additional cost savings.

Reverse osmosis technology has also proved a valuable water-saving tool for the UK brewing industry, which last month reported that it met its 2020 carbon emissions target eight years early, is on track to achieve its 2020 target for improved water efficiency and is making significant progress in reducing excess packaging and waste.