Captive Systems

Captive Systems is an innovative start-up and spin-off of Politecnico di Milano. It has developed MagnetoSponges, an innovative technology for the treatment of polluted wastewater streams based on the use of magnetic micro-sponges suited for the removal of hydrocarbons, organic compounds, metals and pollutants of anionic nature.

 

Current global water needs are estimated at 10,000 B m3/yr, and UNESCO WWAP has estimated an increase in those needs of about 50% by 2050.

The industrial sector contributes 35% of this consumption, and approximately 10% of these volumes are processed externally to the industrial site through outside providers due to lack of adequate space or systems. This means that there is no possibility to reuse the treated water within its own process and generates high water consumption given the need for continuous use of clean running water. Moreover, this operating method generates serious environmental problems linked to the transport of these large volumes to the treatment site due to the use of tanker trucks. There are also numerous cases in which processed water is discharged into the sewer system due to the inability of the companies themselves to install treatment plants that fit the space available and the economic availability of the company.

 

Introducing MagnetoSponges

Captive aims to make the wastewater management process competitive, sustainable and environmentally scalable in order to promote the reuse of treated water within the industrial site to reduce water consumption and reduce the environmental impact generated by the transportation of wastewater to external treatment sites. The introduction of MagnetoSponges for wastewater and processed water management in industry promotes simple treatment to eliminate the environmental impact of water processes, encouraging their reuse to achieve a true closed loop in a plant, but also to produce water that can be used in other operations.

Captive’s technology treatment has a single step process. Therefore, the treatment plant is very compact and easy to integrate even in companies that have little space available. Captive has also developed a mobile treatment plant to carry out treatments directly on site without occupying permanent space in the company and returning treated water to the customer that can be reused.

 

The technology developed by Captive can also be used for the treatment of gaseous streams for the reduction of odoriferous emissions and the presence of volatile hydrocarbons.