Surfcleaner lands first South America deal with Aeration Argentina

Global wastewater treatment specialist Surfcleaner has landed its first South American deal after securing a high-profile contract with industrial plant operator Aeration Argentina SA.

The Swedish firm, which has developed the world’s first skimmer separator technology, helps recover contaminants from water sources – including oil, diesel, petrol, plastics, sludge and other pollutants. While its core role involves water treatment, collecting and separating contaminants, it also boosts green credentials by reducing VOC emissions and carbon footprints, while supporting the circular economy.

Its latest deal with Aeration Argentina SA not only catapults Surfcleaner into the Americas, but also marks its first major contract supporting the steel manufacturing sector, potentially opening the doors to Aeration’s broader steel plant network across Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador and the USA.

Two SCO 8000 machines will be supplied under the initial agreement, which could later see Surfcleaner’s devices included in Aeration Argentina’s standard plant operations protocol, becoming its ‘go-to’ solution for water treatment services.

“This landmark deal with Aeration helps crack open the American market. Our devices have huge potential across industrial sectors, not least steel manufacturing plants where our machines are placed in vast wastewater lagoons, helping remove and separate oil for resale to other industries. Alternative approaches include the use of weir skimmers which collect the oil but crucially do not perform an effective job separating the water content. This means the residue is classified as hazardous waste and requires careful disposal. Surfcleaner devices reduce that oily-water waste by around 80pc, not only creating a re-sellable product but also reinforcing safety measures by limiting VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions. The systems are entirely automatic which further reduces man hours, along with comprehensive reporting for remote monitoring.”

Mikael Andersson, Sales Director MEA & Americas, Surfcleaner

Aeration Argentina S.A. has been delivering plant operation and maintenance services, as well as water and wastewater turnkey solutions, since the 1990s – working across the sewage, industrial, water, air and gas processing, oil and gas, and mining sectors.

“Aeration Argentina S.A. stands out for representing the most prestigious companies with the best technologies available in the world market. That is why we are pleased to announce this new alliance with Surfcleaner AB – a global leader in water treatment services. This unique technology is ultra-efficient, simple and robust. We are aiming to use Surfcleaner technology to deliver a fully-automated collection processes, operating 24 hours a day, with minimal energy consumption.”

Roberto M. Derosa, General Manager, Aeration Argentina S.A.

Aside from offering a unique oil separation technology, Surfcleaner delivers a broad range of environmental benefits. Its smaller-scale SCO 1000 device require just 20W of electricity, on average, equivalent to a small household lightbulb. Other comparable devices require circa 7.5kW of electricity, close to 13 times the energy demand. This low power profile means devices can be operated using mobile batteries for up to four days.

In addition, the streamlined, lightweight machines contain just two moving parts, including the motor and mechanical bellows, removing the need for pneumatics, hydraulics, pumps or hoses. This dramatically reduces maintenance costs, while the simplicity of the design makes it versatile, easily transportable and deployable in restricted locations.