Event

Gresham Smith’s Randy Booker and Diana Chumak to Speak at WEFTEC 2023

Presentation Will Highlight Water Reuse at Industrial Facilities

Event Date

Gresham Smith is proud to announce that Senior Vice President Randy Booker, Ph.D., P.E., and Project Engineer Diana Chumak, P.E., will speak at The Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) 2023, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois from October 2-4, 2023.

Their presentation will be part of a session, Water Reuse and Resource Recovery: Brines, Trains, and (EV) Automobiles, which will focus on novel strategies and technologies to help industries treat difficult wastewaters, reuse treated effluents, and recover valuable resources. The session will explore the challenges and opportunities to create a more circular water economy at a EV battery production plant, a locomotive engine manufacturing facility; and looking at advanced lithium recovery. Booker and Chumak will present on Monday, October 2 from 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM.

The summary of their presentation is below.

Breaking Even & Beyond: Water Reuse at EV Battery Facilities

Presented by Gresham Smith’s Randy Booker and Diana Chumak

The demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is evident and, to meet the growing demand, car makers are partnering with EV battery technology providers to build and operate new lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery manufacturing facilities. A new Li-ion battery facility can have average water demands in the millions of gallons per day (MGD)—a disproportionate demand compared to the per capita demand of the communities where they may be built.

Gresham Smith has evaluated the financial feasibility and environmental impacts of implementing water recycling opportunities at multiple EV battery production facilities. In this presentation, Booker and Chumak will highlight how to evaluate and select a water reuse solution that will relieve pressure on local water and wastewater utilities and increase operational efficiencies while also advancing the sustainability and resiliency goals set by automakers.