TOP > What is ME-KATEM > Energy Conservation Effects

1. Energy conservation effects of cooling water treatment system

1. What is ME-KATEM?
ME-KATEM is a term coined for a cooling-water treatment system in which 'medaka' (Japanese for killifish or Cyprinodont) can survive. This water treatment system enhances the synergetic effect by using both ME-Bio and an electron-wave water treatment unit. No chemicals are used and significant energy conservation effects are realized.

2. What is ME-Bio?
ME-Bio is a group of aerobic microbes adhering to particles of diatomaceous earth. It is said that the number of microbes in 1 gram of fertile soil is about 1 billion. When earth is made to cover a substance that emits odor, the odor is eliminated because the large number of microbes decompose the odor. ME-Bio also contains the same amount of microbes; it is similar to fertile powder that has been dried. The only difference is that the group of ME-Bio microbes has the power to decompose algae, slime and Legionella bacteria and can be used over a longer period continuously. Although this power is difficult to discern, it can be confirmed from fields where injury by continuous cropping no longer occurs. If the same microbes are used in the same environment and under the same conditions, the anticipated effects may not be realized. ME-Bio has been developed considering this point; and it can be used continuously in the same cooling tower for many years.

The earth is said to have microbes of more than a million different kinds; we make use of only about 10,000 different kinds of microbes. A large number of undiscovered microbes exist in our living environment. Although these microbes that maintain a clean natural environment work in various environments such as air,water, soil and vegetation, they are not visible to the eye, and we do no pay undue attention to them just as in the case of air. The ME-Bio microbe group gives life to and make the killifish active, but at the same time it also decomposes algae, slime and the Legionella bacteria in a stable manner. These two functions are relative, and it is easy to understand if they are treated as good microbes and harmful microbes.

Test reports of ME-Bio include "Fish acute toxicity tests, 1997," "Tests for respiratory inhibition of activated sludge, 1998," and "Acute oral toxicity tests using mice, 2004" issued by the Japan Food Research Laboratories. When adequate amount of ME-Bio is charged in the cooling tower tank, Legionella bacteria are eliminated or significantly reduced after about one week, and the numerical value of COD, general bacteria, nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen start showing improvement. Until now, it has been reported that water on site using Mekatem was extremely clean.

ME-Bio should be placed away from direct sunlight because it is a group of microbes that inhabits locations where sunlight does not strike. For this reason, fitting light-screening covers on the upper part of watering tanks of square-shaped cooling towers is effective. Particularly, if algae breed at this location, it will directly obstruct operation. Algae will not breed if light-screening covers are used; so the workload of ME-Bio reduces. ME-Bio group works to decompose other algae, slime in the entire water system, Legionella bacteria, and scale organic constituents. In this way, ME-Bio continues to decompose a large amount of organic matter, but the inorganic waste is so small even compared to dust that it cannot be seen.

Cooling towers perpetually take in large amounts of air. The slime generated in the water system consists of algae, microbes, dust, and sand that exist at various locations. Scale consists of enriched and precipitated compounds of impurities of circulating water (such as silica, calcium, magnesium and iron). The scale in the cooling water system that becomes an issue here is slime that forms an integral mixture and acts like an adhesive. It also looks like mortar kneaded with water-based rubber. Moreover, since scale is similar to hardened diatomaceous earth that fixes ME-Bio with slime, it becomes a hot-bed of various kinds of bacteria.

3. Voltage generator (electron-wave) water treatment unit
This is a device that propagates electron waves in water for effective rust protection, de-scaling and bio-activating treatment. This generator may of two types depending on the method of transmission from the unit to the metallic piping, equipment and water. The device that transports electron waves to the electromagnetic waves is a large unit (ME-5200-B). The device that transports electrons to the current is a small unit (ME-5050-B). The item to be treated is earthed, so positive electromagnetic waves and electric current flow into the metallic parts, and electron waves are propagated and absorbed in water with particularly high dielectric constant. Simply put, this can be interpreted as "the higher the dielectric constant of the substance, the greater is the absorption and retention of electric and electromagnetic waves (energy). "The dielectric constant of water is 81.7, and that of metal is about 8 to 10; so water may be said to be a special substance with dielectric constant about 10 times that of metal. Generally, it might be considered that significant effects would not be anticipated if electromagnetic waves/ electron waves of a large device are radiated from a distance of 1 to 2 meters from above the surface of a large water reservoir such as a pool, but if these are radiated toward the water surface, electron waves will be propagated efficiently in water.

The large unit transports electron waves by electromagnetic waves, and electron waves are absorbed from all the surfaces of the target object. The small unit outputs electron waves from the wiring connections of the output cord to the target object. It can be observed from the above that the physical quantities of electron waves transmitted from the large and small units are different. The selection of the type and number of large and small units are based on the type and size of the equipment to be treated, the quantity of water retained, the quality of water to be filled, the enrichment factor and the improvement objectives. The technology of performing special work assigning a certain kind of energy in water is still not very clear.

4. Energy conservation effects
Firstly, the service life of piping systems and equipment is extended because of corrosion protection and rust prevention effects of metal. On-site examples with the aim of preventing rusty water in water pipes are given at this website: "Verification of Effects of Physical Water Treatment Unit" Water that flows in one direction such as tap water and industrial water have lesser impurities and is clean; so the effect of electron waves is adequate, but water that contains a large amount of slime such as circulating water differs. Slime may absorb the electron waves like an adhesive cushion, and adequate propagation may not be obtained. In such water systems, the unit was fitted, and water quality was analyzed after six months. Ten days after charging ME-Bio, water quality was analyzed again, and the actual state of slime was investigated. This on-site example is introduced at this website: "Aerobic Good Microbes in Action in the Industrial World"

Secondly, by decomposing scale, the heating efficiency of heat exchanger tubes, cooling tower charging material and the like improves, and these components are protected from scale hindrance. As shown in the "energy conservation graph" , the scale accumulated in the tubes of the refrigerator considerably hinders energy conservation.

Finally, refrigerating tubes wherein scale is likely to adhere and deposit are observed. When ME-Bio only is charged in cooling water, there is no slime, but scale adheres to and deposits in a hard, mortar-like state. When only electron-wave water treatment unit is fitted, scale adheres and deposits in a soft, clay-like state. In Mekatem where both are included, the ME-Bio eats the slime and decomposes; so slime does not adhere or does not form easily, the system is clean. In this way, with ME-Bio only, the energy of scale formation that advances cannot be overcome. In case of electron waves only, the slime on the surface of the tube becomes sticky and tacky due to heat. The inorganic substance that has deposited adheres and deposits sequentially as if captured in a spider's nest. However, the softening of the scale itself, leads to energy conservation considering the cleaning work. Scale that hinders heat transmission is a tube lagging material; whether hard or soft, it functions as insulating material. On-site examples are given at this website : "ME-Bio Catalogue" and "Voltage Generator (electron-wave) Water Treatment Unit Catalogue".

The only measure that can be adopted is removal of scale mixture; if possible, the occurrence and adhesion of the scale mixture should be prevented from the start.

December 19, 2004

Yasuo Sakakura President of ASAHI Inc. Bachelor of Arts, The College of Idaho, USA, 1979 Bachelor of Engineering, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, 1976 Birth/hometown: Koganei City, Tokyo