October 30, 2022: Clearwater BioLogic “is fine-tuning a process that could turn a cost-effective fix for one of the Iron Range’s biggest environmental problems into a job-producing enterprise,” said an Oct. 26 article in The Timberjay, covering northern Minnesota news. Earlier this month, company partners Jeff Hanson and Bill Newman announced their improved process to clean up sulfate-laden waters, with relevant patents in hand and pending. Timberjay writer Marshall Helmberger visited Hanson’s lab in Babbitt, MN, to view the bench test that shows a way to boost the system’s efficiency and yield marketable byproducts at the same time. 

Clearwater BioLogic is now planning further field tests in mine-pit lakes on the Iron Range, where the system could meet a long-standing but overlooked need. “The potential is for a win-win-win,” Hanson commented later. “Scaled up in multiple locations, the system could correct the sulfate problem, provide jobs, and protect wild rice, a valuable cultural resource. It’s a triple win for environment, economy, and communities on the Range.” Read the full article online or as a PDF.  Photo by M. Helmberger: In his lab, Jeff Hanson shows the purity of the system’s effluent.