Arvia helps life sciences organisations remove persistent organic pollutants to trace levels with a low-maintenance process that requires no chemical dosing and produces no hazardous sludge. We help operators strengthen compliance confidence, improve contamination prevention, and reduce reliance on costly offsite disposal.
Life sciences wastewater can be highly variable, with different processes, products, and cleaning routines creating effluent that changes over time. Even when a site has established treatment in place, trace organic contaminants may still pass through and create compliance or environmental concerns.
Arvia understands these challenges because we support operators dealing with complex wastewater from research, development, production, and specialist manufacturing environments. Our patented Nyex™ technology combines adsorption with electrochemical oxidation to remove persistent organic pollutants to trace levels, without chemical dosing or hazardous sludge generation.
Our advanced water treatment systems are designed to provide the tertiary polishing needed when standard treatment cannot achieve the required final water quality. This gives life sciences organisations greater confidence in contaminant control, safer discharge, reduced reliance on offsite disposal, and a clearer pathway towards water reuse.
Arvia Technology is a global leader in advanced wastewater treatment for life sciences industries. Talk to a specialist today.
03.3.2023
Case study shows how our Nyex Ellenox system achieved over 99% removal rate of Triton X 100 (4-tert-OPnEO) from pharmaceutical wastewater.
We treat and polish complex life sciences effluent for safe removal or reuse. Our systems remove persistent organic compounds that other technologies may leave behind, such as APIs, EDCs, banned organic chemicals and recalcitrant COD.
Blowdown water can retain recalcitrant organic chemicals or COD levels that are too high for reuse. Arvia’s specialist systems complement existing treatment processes, helping life sciences sites improve blowdown quality and recover more water onsite.
Problematic wastewater streams are often sent offsite for specialist disposal or incineration when existing treatment cannot remove persistent contaminants. Arvia provides an onsite treatment route that helps reduce disposal volumes, lower operating costs and give operators greater control over wastewater management.
Nyex™ water treatment systems provide a reliable tertiary step for life sciences operators who need tighter control over final effluent quality. The process targets persistent organic compounds that can remain after biological treatment, membranes or carbon systems, helping technical teams manage discharge limits, manage variable wastewater loads, reduce reliance on costly offsite disposal, and build treatment decisions around site-specific performance data.
Our water treatment processes have been designed to tackle the wastewater issues faced by life sciences sectors, with these key benefits:
A Different Approach
Unlike conventional methods, the Nyex process combines adsorption with in-situ electrochemical destruction. Contaminants are concentrated onto the media surface then destroyed — not transferred to another waste stream. The media regenerates continuously, eliminating the saturate-replace cycle.
The Nyex™ process uses Arvia’s proprietary conductive media to attract and concentrate persistent aquaculture contaminants onto its surface. Once adsorbed, these organics are destroyed in situ through electrochemical oxidation, breaking down recalcitrant compounds rather than transferring them into a secondary waste stream.
Persistent organic contaminants from life sciences wastewater are drawn onto the Nyex™ media surface, concentrating them from the bulk water so they can be treated more effectively. This is valuable where operators need to remove low-level residues that can pass through biological treatment, membranes or carbon systems and still affect discharge compliance.
A low-voltage current is applied to oxidise the adsorbed compounds directly on the media surface. This destroys target organics in situ, helping reduce compounds associated with active ingredients, cleaning residues, surfactants and other persistent process chemicals rather than transferring them into a secondary waste stream.
The oxidation step regenerates the media surface during operation, restoring adsorption capacity as the system runs. This reduces the need for frequent media replacement, off-site regeneration or secondary waste disposal, giving life sciences operators a practical route to tertiary treatment with lower maintenance, reduced waste handling and stronger control over final effluent quality.
The Nyex™ system is typically deployed as a tertiary polishing step after biological treatment, membranes or other established processes, targeting persistent organic contaminants that remain in final effluent.
It can also be applied to concentrated side streams such as process wash waters, helping technical teams improve contaminant control, reduce treatment variability and support reliable operation within tightly managed life sciences environments.
Pre-treatment
Upstream Process
Screening, pH correction, primary separation and flow balancing to stabilise variable wastewater before advanced treatment.
Biological Treatment
Biological Stage
Reduction of biodegradable BOD and COD, while persistent organic contaminants, cleaning residues and trace process compounds may remain.
Nyex™ Treatment
Arvia Solution
Adsorption and electrochemical oxidation to target recalcitrant organics, residual active compounds and low-level contaminants that require tertiary polishing.
Compliant Discharge
Output
High-quality effluent suitable for tighter discharge requirements, further treatment, or reuse objectives depending on site-specific quality targets.
We test a sample of your wastewater to understand the specific chemistry, contamination profile and confirm which Arvia technology is the best match for your specific needs, establish removal performance and provide the data needed to evaluate next steps. We typically need 20–50 litres of effluent for pollutant removal, COD reduction and analysis of contaminants of interest.
Once lab results confirm suitability, we trial the technology on site using a pilot plant. This shows how the system performs with real wastewater conditions, including changes in flow, contaminant load, operating patterns and temperature. The pilot stage helps confirm treatment stability, maintenance expectations, operator requirements and the design assumptions needed for scale-up.
After pilot validation, we supply a modular treatment system designed around your wastewater, treatment target and existing site infrastructure. The system is delivered, installed and commissioned with technical support, operator training and documented operating procedures. Ongoing monitoring and support help maintain performance once the system is integrated into your treatment train.
Jerome Budin
Wastewater consultant
Schedule a trial to find out how we can help you remove API contaminents from your wastewater.
Arvia treats life sciences wastewater containing persistent organic pollutants such as APIs, antibiotics, hormones, EDCs, surfactants, biocides and recalcitrant COD. Explore the contaminants that conventional treatment may leave behind and how Arvia targets them before discharge or reuse.
