FAQ

When was Modern Water founded?
The Group was formed in December 2006 by Neil McDougall (Executive Chairman), Simon Humphrey (Chief Executive) and IP Group plc. It was established to build and exploit a portfolio of water technologies to address problems of the availability of fresh water and the treatment and disposal of wastewater. Modern Water is committed to bringing new technologies to the water industry.

When did Modern Water list on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange?
Modern Water completed its IPO (Initial Public Offering) in June 2007, raising £30m. Its symbol on LSE is ‘MWG’.

When was the head office established?
Modern Water moved into its head quarters in Guildford during the autumn of 2007 and completed migration of all administrative processes and financial functions from IP Group, a founding shareholder, at this time.

Does Modern Water have offices or operations anywhere else?
Modern Water has an office in South Africa and an office in Oman. The Group has a Manipulated Osmosis (MO) desalination proving plant in Gibraltar, and a larger commercial MO plant and evaporative cooling plant both situated in Oman.

How many staff work for Modern Water?
The Group employs 29 full time staff (as of October 2010) and also hires additional staff on a contract basis.

What technologies does Modern Water own?
The Group has a suite of water technologies. The platform MO technology is currently applied to reverse osmosis and thermal desalination plants, evaporative cooling systems, secondary oil recovery and Hydro Osmotic Power (HOP). The Group also owns Cymtox Limited and Cogent Environmental, under the MW Monitoring division.  Modern Water is a majority owner of AguaCure Limited and Poseidon Water Limited (PWL).

How does the MO process work?
Modern Water’s Manipulated Osmosis Desalination (MOD) uses the natural process of osmosis to extract fresh water from a saline solution using an osmotic agent. This is followed by a second membrane process to recover the fresh water from the osmotic agent. This combined process results in a number of benefits when compared to conventional reverse osmosis, including up to 30% energy saving, reduced operating costs, lower levels of boron and reduced chemical consumption.

What is MW Monitoring?
MW Monitoring is a dedicated division established to consolidate the Group’s activities in the instrumentation and monitoring industry. MW Monitoring provides access to additional manufacturing capability and established routes to market. The division brings together Cymtox, the Group’s market-leading water toxicity monitor, and Cogent Environmental, global provider of environmental and process monitoring products, technologies and services. 
 
What does Cymtox do?
The Cymtox Continuous Toxicity Monitor (CTM^TM) is the only real-time broadband continuous toxicity monitor currently available. It uses bioluminescence to detect the presence of toxins and immediately warns of suspicious changes. It is quicker, more cost effective and more accurate than competitors. Modern Water owned 17% of Cymtox at IPO, increasing its stake to 100% over a period of two and a half years. During this time the Group took the technology from the lab at Cardiff University to commercial sales in China, which were achieved in November 2009.

What does Cogent do?
Cogent’s online and on-site portable products deliver accurate and timely information concerning potentially harmful metals in order for customers to improve process controls and to protect people, assets and the environment. The system has a wide ranging capability including monitoring waste water discharges, river water, drinking water and improving process control through real time feedback in mining and metal processing industries. Modern Water acquired Cogent Environmental in February 2011.

What does AguaCure do?
AguaCure uses electro coagulation (chemical free) technology to treat wastewater. It is 54% owned by Modern Water and is currently conducting trials within the motor and water industries in the UK. Trials to date have achieved challenging phosphate reduction targets and reduced the quantity of sludge produced by up to 70%. The key benefits of the system are its low cost base and avoidance of the use of chemical coagulation treatments, which are the main existing means of removing solids from wastewater.

What does PWL do?
Modern Water owns 51% of PWL, a wastewater treatment system based on seawater substitution which reduces the domestic requirement for water by up to 30%. The technology breakthrough comes with using a combination of biological treatment processes and wastewater treatment expertise. It can process sea-water based domestic wastewater to sufficiently high standards to meet European Wastewater Standards for disposal into water courses or the sea. The technology was developed at Cardiff University and commercial opportunities are currently being considered.

How does Modern Water discover and develop new water-related technologies?
Ongoing research and development plays a major part in the strategy of the Group as a leading provider of world-class water technologies. To that Modern Water has agreements with a number of leading academic institutions within the UK. These include collaborations with the WrC (Water Research Council), Leeds University, the University of Surrey and Cardiff University. The success of these collaborations can be seen in the rapid commercialisation of the Group's MO technology from the University of Surrey, and achieving revenue from Cymtox after less than three years following spin out from Cardiff University.

How does Modern Water go about protecting its technology?
The protection and exploitation of Modern Water’s intellectual property is fundamental to the success of the Group. Patent protection is sought for the Group's own ideas arising from research, development and commercialisation activities. The Group also looks to acquire third party patent and know-how rights and monitors competitor activity in order to achieve technological advantage to fill gaps in the market.

Where does Modern Water stand on corporate and social responsibility?
Sustainability and environmental responsibility are at the heart of the business and underpin the Group's operations. Modern Water continues to work to make a difference at all levels in the community, both in terms of global sustainability and the local communities in which the Group operates.