For decades our water resources department has regularly been asked, “Is there any way to remove Boron from water?”  This is usually questioned by farmers of expensive crops like grapes, avocados, and citrus. The quick answer is, yes.  But… it is a very expensive process. On the face of it Boron seems like a not so harmful element but, in reality, small quantities can have deleterious effects on crop yield.

One of the first steps in determining if a parcel of land could be viable as a farm is conducting a water study. If high levels of Boron are found it can be a deal-killer. Wallace Group water resources engineers Rob Miller, Shannon Jessica, and Bryan Childress will be brought in to solve this unsolvable problem.  The issue is that the cost per acre-foot is well north of $1,000. “We’ve done studies and they all come to the same conclusion,” says Rob Miller, “It is physically possible to remove boron but it is not cost-effective.”

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Why does it cost so much to remove Boron? You can remove it with a very expensive resin which is similar to a home water softener. Miller says he has never seen a large agricultural scale system implemented. Yet, Miller, Jessica and Childress have continued looking for solutions. At every water industry conference, this is the first question they pose to other water experts. For decades this search for the holy grail has been fruitless. 

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Then everything changed. A chance encounter with a Danish technology representative on another project led Miller to his answer. This representative knew someone who could help, a year later Miller receives a call from a Danish technology firm working on this very problem and now are partnering with Wallace Group  to prove this concept.  

Wallace Group began to look at this Danish technology. Now with a Danish EPA grant, MST-117-00691 we are able to move forward.  In essence it optimizes the resin, introduces efficiencies into the liquid byproduct management process, and where cost effective, separates the liquid streams into solid, reusable commodities.  One is gypsum and the other is calcium borate. Commodities that are used in agriculture. Gypsum addition is part of the everyday routine of an agriculturalist to keep soil porous. It’s a soil conditioner. Calcium borate is needed to help many species survive.

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This is a game-changer. The costs start to pencil out in favor of getting rid of Boron. It is possible to deliver water as a finished product at a reasonable cost. So far Wallace Group has executed two letters of intent with growers to prove this theory in real-world conditions. This will enable us to bring fresh data and options to farmers throughout California.