Heartland Selected for U.S. Department of Energy Project to Advance Wastewater Treatment at Coal-Fired Power Plants
Heartland Selected for U.S. Department of Energy Project to Advance Wastewater Treatment at Coal-Fired Power Plants
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – October 29, 2026 – Heartland Water Technology (Heartland) announced its selection by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a project to advance commercial-scale treatment of one of the power industry’s most challenging wastewater streams.
The project will develop engineering plans for a 200,000-gallon-per-day Heartland Concentrator system that uses available waste heat to treat flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater. The proposed system would substantially reduce wastewater volume and provide a pathway to zero liquid discharge (ZLD) at an operating coal-fired power plant.
“Power plants need practical wastewater solutions that fit their operations and make economic sense,” said Mauricio Vargas, CEO of Heartland. “We already have commercial experience treating this wastewater. DOE’s support will help us build on that experience and evaluate how a larger system can use available waste heat to meet plants’ wastewater treatment needs.”
Building on Proven Commercial Technology
Heartland’s Concentrator direct-contact thermal evaporation technology has been deployed commercially since 2009, with more than 25 installations across 10 U.S. states, collectively processing more than 1.8 billion gallons of challenging wastewater.
The Concentrator uses thermal energy to evaporate water and concentrate contaminants into a smaller residual stream, achieving wastewater volume reductions on average of 95%. For coal-fired power plants with suitable waste heat, this approach offers a way to use an existing energy resource to reduce the amount of wastewater requiring further management.
FGD wastewater comes from the systems power plants use to remove sulfur dioxide from their exhaust. Heartland’s approach provides a pathway to zero liquid discharge for coal-fired power plants addressing wastewater requirements under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs).
A Pathway to Broader Commercial Deployment
Phase I of the project will define the engineering, environmental and site requirements needed to move toward a full-scale demonstration. The nine-month study will include preliminary front-end engineering design (pre-FEED), wastewater and residual characterization, and evaluation of waste heat integration and connections to plant infrastructure. It will also assess how the treatment system could integrate with carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) configurations.
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will serve as a key project partner, bringing extensive power-sector technical expertise to the initiative.
The findings will help define system design and deployment requirements, support planning for a subsequent commercial-scale demonstration and inform potential applications at other U.S. coal-fired power plants.
About Heartland
Heartland develops and delivers treatment solutions for challenging industrial wastewaters. The Heartland Concentrator uses direct-contact thermal evaporation to reduce wastewater volume and concentrate contaminants into a manageable residual stream. With more than 25 installations across the United States and more than 1.8 billion gallons of wastewater processed, Heartland serves landfill leachate, power generation and industrial wastewater applications.
For more information, visit www.oneheartland.com
Media Contact:
Catharine Reid
Chief Marketing Officer
Heartland
creid@oneheartland.com
778.230.9810
