6.1. ERMUSR 06-14-2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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m QWhy has this plant become a center of excellence? APrimarily because of the master's and Ph.D. chemical engineers out of the University of Minnesota. Most of the R&D on membrane development is done here in Minnetonka. That's hard for me to say, being a Purdue Boilermaker. The employees on the factory floor are dedicated, loyal people willing to go the extra mile and recognize what's right for our business and themselves. They come from local high schools and technical schools. QWhat's a great futuretechnology? AWe own a company call Jenbacher in Germany. [It has] a big engine [that] can use any kind of fuel. Water treatment plants produce a lot of methane gas. We will run that gas through a bioreactor, then through the [Jenbacher J624 GS] natural gas reciprocating engine, which provides the electricity that runs the reverse-osmosis system for the municipal wastewater treatment plant. You end up being very efficient and carbon-neutral. We're working on it now. The process starts with the membrane reactor that speeds up production of methane out the waste stream and which provides the gas for the engine. It will use technology that comes out [of Minnetonka] and Canada. We're going to marry these systems and offer complete wastewater treatment systems to our customers. QYou and your counterparts at nearby GE Fleet do some interesting community work. What's an example? AWe partner with Minneapolis Roosevelt High. We have about 250 mentor-student pairs between us and GE Fleet. We try to get them excited about science, math, engineering and technology. We bring them in here and do experiments. They ask tough questions. They start out with, "What is osmosis and how do you reverse it?" They are ecocentric and want us to take care of the environment. These kids are brilliant. Neal St. Anthony • 612-673-7144