“Filtrate’s performance allows to reduce the size and thus the cost of new water treatment plants”

In Brazil, Filtrate’s benefits include enhanced filtration efficiency, reduced energy consumption, and better water quality. Its porous structure allows for higher water flow rates and longer filtration cycles while reducing the need for backwashing, which saves up to 75% in energy costs and cuts water loss by 60%. Additionally, Filtralite has a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional methods and can last twice as long as sand, up to 20 years in some cases.

Filtralite is well adapted to the Brazilian market, due to the rapid urbanization which entails a need for more production capacity without building new facilities. Furthermore, when new facilities need to be built, Filtralite allows the size of the plant to be reduced to deliver the same amount of water. Filtralite is well adapted to reduce operation costs and improve production capacity and the efficiency of water treatment plants, all over the globe.

We had the opportunity to interview Rodrigo Mello, an engineer at Saint-Gobain Canalização, whose commitment has been crucial to advancing Filtrate’s development in Brazil and across South America.

Can you describe your career, your current role, and your level of involvement within Saint-Gobain?

I started in Saint-Gobain 12 years ago within the Pont-à-Mousson business as an intern. After more than 8 years as an international buyer, I am currently working as a technical service engineer. In Barra-Mansa, Brazil, we have a blast furnace, that enables local production of our pipes. Saint-Gobain is an amazing company, present on all continents around the world with great opportunities to develop skills and knowledge in a great work environment.

I like to work with my colleagues and the common energy we are deploying to reach our goal, year after year. The new challenge with Filtralite is an opportunity for me to deepen my knowledge in the water area, especially in the filtration sector.

How long have you been involved in the development of Filtralite in Brazil and South America?

Filtralite is well adapted to reduce operation costs and improve production capacity and the efficiency of water treatment plants

My team and I have been working for three years now to develop the market for Filtralite, the expanded clay solution, used in filtration. More and more different actors are starting to be aware of this innovative solution to reduce operating costs in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants.

I love challenges and it is great to be part of the journey of such a great product, which meets the needs of the Brazilian market. Year after year, we have grown the number of happy customers in Brazil.

To continue this progress, we are now distributing Filtralite throughout South America, with the precious support of PAM LATAM Norte and PAM LATAM South.

How would you describe the water market in Brazil? What is the most common filter media?

The Brazilian water market is growing very fast. Compared to other areas in the world, we do not lack raw water resources, but the need for sanitation and drinking water is rising alongside the country’s increasing urbanization. More people are going to live in cities, and this puts additional pressure on water resources in these areas. This is why we need to rethink and enhance our approach to filtration in urban regions.

As cities expand quickly, the size of water treatment plants becomes small for the growing demand. This is where Filtralite can play a great role, by increasing the water production capacity and thus reducing the need to build new facilities. In addition, with its superior performance, Filtralite allows to reduce the size and thus the cost of new water treatment plants.

The most common filter media in Brazil are sand, and sand combined with anthracite. In the past, the priority in Brazil was to have enough water treatment plants, both for drinking water and wastewater, but more and more the performance of those plants is also being considered. Again, Filtralite can have a major impact here: compared to sand, we can increase the production capacity and decrease the operation costs, keeping the same output qualities. The same happens with the combination of sand and anthracite; we are outperforming this dual-layer solution, with better production capacity, and fewer backwashes needed; this means a significant decrease in operating costs, but with the same water quality as the output of the filters. The lifetime of our products is double that of sand, and it is 4 to 6 times longer than anthracite.

How did the Brazilian and South American markets react to the introduction of Filtralite filter media?

A common point with the rest of the world is that the water market is conservative. Sand has been used for thousands of years to filter water, dating back to ancient Egypt, so it is a well-known solution, and it can be difficult to change this established mindset. Also, in engineering schools specializing in water treatment, Filtralite is not mentioned, traditional solutions like sand and anthracite are most frequently discussed. We have an outsider position for now. So it is very important for us to educate and reassure customers and to clearly convey how easy it is to implement Filtralite.

Filtralite outperforms the combination of sand and anthracite solution, with better production capacity, and fewer backwashes needed

Filtralite has been used for more than 25 years now, and we have a strong reference list of more than 500 references in drinking water and wastewater, and many case studies around the world. For sure, every water plant is different with different characteristics and needs, but the market is reacting very positively to Filtrate’s deployment. Of course, we need time to be well known in a big country such as Brazil and even more in the whole of South America, but the economy is stable in the country and the market has an appetite for innovation and high-performance products. It is a very good moment for Filtralite to be implemented in the whole of South America.

We started to have several references in Brazil with very positive results, which has increased market interest in Filtralite. Also, we have presented Filtralite at several exhibitions in South America, and we can feel the public’s interest in the product, which motivates us even more.

What synergies can you find between PAM and the Filtralite area?

PAM and Filtralite are the two entities working within Saint-Gobain dedicated to the water sector. PAM is specialized in water distribution and Filtralite focuses on the production side. The great synergy we have is that often we can share our contacts. It was the starting point for combining our strengths to be even better, together. Also, we share the same processes, the same values, and the same goals, aligned with Saint-Gobain policies. This helps us to focus on the most important questions, and to respond to the needs of our customers.

Filtralite has been used for more than 25 years, with a strong reference list of more than 500 references in drinking water and wastewater

As you may know, Saint-Gobain Group is one of the leading companies in building materials. This way, we focus on high-performance materials to offer our customers comfort and security.

With PAM, which specializes in ductile iron pipes of all diameters, we are following the same preference for high-performance products to bring the best solution to our customers. I am proud to work for a company that delivers good solutions to meet our customers' needs.

Filtralite fits perfectly with our goals. It is a high-performance filter media designed to reduce operating costs during the filtration stage and is made to last.

What are the main challenges you are facing when presenting Filtrate’s advantages?

As I mentioned earlier the water market around the world is conservative, especially concerning drinking water, but Brazil is keen to experiment with new solutions in water treatment. The high number of case studies we have around the world, and now in Brazil, have provided us with extensive results and performance tests.

When plant managers, plant designers, and even consultants look at our case studies around the world, they want to conduct a trial – either in a column or directly in one of their filters – to see if this new generation solution can apply to their plant.

When the set-up is correctly established in the pilot, they can replicate in local settings the same results as in our case studies, and want to proceed with a deployment. The stock we have in Brazil helps us to answer quickly to customer needs.

How do you see the future with Filtralite and what are the next steps in its development?

I see a bright future with Filtralite. Sand and anthracite are still the most commonly used products, but Filtralite has significant growth potential in Brazil. We still have work ahead to make Filtralite as well-known as our two competitors, but given the performance results we’re achieving, we’re confident in Filtrate’s expansion.

In the next steps of our development, we want all actors in the water market to be aware of Filtralite and mainly about its advantages – the benefits they can gain with Filtralite, and what they miss out on by not using it. We hope our example can support our colleagues at PAM in South America and all around the world.