Question 1

What is CAST?

Accepted Answer

CAST (Capillary Action Separation Technology) is a modular water pretreatment unit that installs ahead of your existing or planned treatment. It removes fine suspended solids, oils, organics, and metals so downstream processes — clarifiers, flotation, reverse osmosis, ion exchange, or membranes — run cleaner and longer. CAST is patent pending. It is delivered as a service and is always proven first on your water in a paid pilot.

Question 2

Does CAST reduce TDS or desalinate water?

Accepted Answer

CAST is not desalination. It does not remove sodium or chloride or lower total salinity — those conservative salts remain for downstream processes. What CAST does is convert a reactive, precipitable fraction of dissolved solids (for example iron, manganese, metals, and carbonate hardness) into removable solids via flow-driven cavitation that raises pH and ORP, then separates those solids along with suspended solids, oils, and organics. How much converts is stream-specific and confirmed in a paid pilot on your water.

Question 3

Is CAST patented?

Accepted Answer

CAST is patent pending. Flotration has filed United States non-provisional and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications (February 19, 2026). Until patents issue, we describe the technology as patent pending rather than patented. Details appear in our non-confidential technology overview and capability summary.

Question 4

Does CAST replace our existing treatment plant?

Accepted Answer

No. CAST pretreats; it does not replace your core treatment or your operators. It tees into your influent, improves what sits behind it, and leaves your plant in place. The commercial and engineering intent is to protect and extend assets you already own or plan to build.

Question 5

Does CAST have additional power requirements or moving parts?

Accepted Answer

CAST is designed as pretreatment with no added power requirements — no motor, no control cabinet, and no moving parts dedicated to CAST. Capillary action, hydrodynamic cavitation, and the media do the work using your existing line pressure. That is part of why the footprint can stay small and installation stays simple.

Question 6

How much space does a CAST unit need?

Accepted Answer

CAST is compact in the field and field-deployable without a new building. For shipping scale, three modules fit a standard 48×40 in pallet — that illustrates size for transport, not how a unit sits once installed. Capacity scales by adding equal modules in parallel rather than redesigning a plant.

Question 7

What does CAST remove?

Accepted Answer

CAST targets fine and colloidal suspended solids, oils and grease (when present), hydrophobic organics (COD fraction), and selected metals and organics via selective media stages. Expected ranges from bench and pilot work include roughly 90–99% TSS removal, turbidity toward about 1–3 NTU, and over 90% oil and grease removal when present. Dissolved salts largely pass through and are addressed downstream (e.g. RO).

Question 8

How does CAST help with PFAS?

Accepted Answer

CAST is typically placed ahead of ion exchange or granular activated carbon. It is pretreatment — not a standalone PFAS-removal technology. By reducing fouling load on downstream media, it can materially extend media life, often the largest recurring cost in PFAS trains. Independent third-party bench testing by ECT2 (now Onterris) used rapid small-scale column testing (RSSCT) comparing ion exchange with and without CAST pretreatment: PFOS breakthrough was delayed from fewer than about 1,619 bed volumes without CAST to about 13,767 bed volumes with CAST pretreatment — more than eightfold longer run length before the 4 ng/L threshold (the USEPA MCL for PFOS used as the test target in that evaluation). Similar delay was observed for PFOA at the same 4 ng/L basis. That result is a CAST-plus-IX train effect on media life and breakthrough — not a claim that CAST alone is a PFAS-removal technology. How your full train performs is site-specific and confirmed in a paid pilot on your matrix.

Question 9

Are the performance numbers guarantees?

Accepted Answer

No. Published figures are expected, bench- and pilot-based ranges. They depend on source water chemistry and the target constituent of concern. We confirm performance on your stream in a paid pilot and do not carry one site’s numbers onto another as a guarantee.

Question 10

What flow rates can CAST handle?

Accepted Answer

Each modular unit is designed for roughly 20–200 gallons per minute — that is the rating per module, not a plant ceiling. Higher plant flows (500, 1,000 GPM, or more) are met by assembling modules in parallel on a manifold. Capacity grows with module count without a full plant redesign. Reference materials may also cite typical design points within that envelope for a given configuration.

Question 11

What about fouling of the CAST unit?

Accepted Answer

Fouling behavior depends on source-water quality and the target constituent of concern. When the media bed needs service, operators lift the inner workings out and pressure-wash as needed. The aluminum construction is essentially non-fouling, so maintenance is a service event rather than a plant rebuild. Frequency is established during pilot and early operation for your water.

Question 12

Can we take CAST offline without stopping the plant?

Accepted Answer

Yes — especially during the pilot phase. CAST tees into the influent so the train can be bypassed with a lever or control valve, returning your plant to its normal flow path when needed. That keeps pilot risk low for operators.

Question 13

What is monitored on a CAST train?

Accepted Answer

We use pressure sensing pre and post, and standard water-quality sensing between CAST modules and into the plant. Many facilities already have similar instruments; where they do, we often access data through existing systems or an API rather than forcing duplicate hardware.

Question 14

Is CAST a disinfectant or a desalination plant?

Accepted Answer

No. CAST is not disinfection — it can reduce load on chlorination or UV but does not replace a public-health barrier. It is not standalone desalination; it reduces a share of dissolved solids depending on chemistry, while salt removal to potable levels is done by a downstream membrane stage.

Question 15

Do we buy the equipment or pay as a service?

Accepted Answer

CAST is delivered as a service on a lease-plus-usage basis. Spending sits on the operating budget rather than a large capital purchase, which supports rapid pilots and phased scale-up. You are testing a unit on one stream, not committing to a full plant on day one.

Question 16

What is WaaS — Water as a Service?

Accepted Answer

WaaS (Water as a Service) is how Flotration delivers CAST after the technology is proven on your stream. Instead of selling you a capital asset to own and maintain, we tee CAST into your influent, operate it as pretreatment, and align ongoing compensation to the value it creates. Practically: you start with a paid pilot so both sides see real performance on your water. Once proven, the ongoing model is water-as-a-service — Flotration is compensated from 50% of the documented annual savings CAST generates (media life, fouling-related downtime, chemicals, disposal, haul-off, or other OpEx we quantify with you), and you keep the other 50%. You keep your plant; CAST stays modular and scalable; no large CapEx purchase of the unit itself is the point. Deloitte serves as an independent advisor for CAST — evaluating pilot data, verifying results, and helping shape water-as-a-service. Engaged since 2024; not an investor in Flotration or CAST.

Question 17

How much does CAST cost?

Accepted Answer

There are two stages. First is a paid pilot: we prove CAST on your actual stream — documenting removal, breakthrough, and recovery — so both sides see real performance on your water before any long-term commitment. Once the technology is proven up in that pilot, ongoing deployment is compensated under our water-as-a-service model: we keep 50% of the documented annual savings we generate (for example media replacement, fouling-related downtime, chemicals, disposal, or other OpEx we quantify with you), and you keep the other 50%. That is not a large capital purchase of the unit itself; after the pilot, your ongoing cost is half of what CAST saves you. Exact pilot scope, savings baseline, and service fees are set from your numbers in the one-page ROI and the pilot agreement — not a generic list price.

Question 18

What is the ROI estimator on the website?

Accepted Answer

It is an illustrative planning tool. You enter annual costs CAST may influence (media, chemicals, downtime, disposal, and other OpEx) and an expected reduction percent. The tool estimates gross savings and shows a 50/50 split after pilot: you keep half, Flotration is compensated from the other half. It is not a quote or guarantee — real economics are confirmed with your numbers in the one-page ROI and paid pilot.

Question 19

What is the path from first conversation to pilot?

Accepted Answer

Typical path: (1) short intake with contact info, site, industry, and problem statement; (2) 60-minute scoping call — share water data if ready; (3) one-page ROI built from your costs; (4) paid on-site pilot documenting removal, breakthrough, and recovery. We respond manually today; longer-term we may automate more of the intake path.

Question 20

What water data should we prepare?

Accepted Answer

A few weeks of characterization on a candidate stream is ideal: flow, total suspended solids, turbidity, COD, oil and grease, and metals — plus any known constituents of concern (e.g. PFAS suite). If data is incomplete, we still use the scoping call to define a sampling plan.

Question 21

What happens to the data collected during a pilot?

Accepted Answer

We collect performance data on your stream under the pilot plan — influent and effluent quality, pressure where monitored, and the operating record needed to document removal, breakthrough, and recovery. You receive that results package for internal use (operations, engineering, finance, leadership). Deloitte may evaluate and help verify pilot data as an independent advisor; they are not an investor in Flotration or CAST. Flotration retains operational learning from pilots so we apply CAST better on similar matrices; site-specific handling is governed by the pilot agreement. The public commitment is straightforward: you get the proof, and independent review is available so decisions are not based on a vendor claim alone.

Question 22

What is Deloitte’s role?

Accepted Answer

Deloitte serves as an independent advisor for CAST — evaluating pilot data, verifying results, and helping shape water-as-a-service. Engaged since 2024; not an investor in Flotration or CAST. They are not a substitute for your own engineering team. Their involvement is advisory: independent professional support on methods, evaluation, and confidence in results as programs grow.

Question 23

Who verifies and analyzes the results?

Accepted Answer

Pilot and performance data are collected on your stream with agreed sampling and monitoring. Flotration operates the CAST train and documents removal, breakthrough, and recovery. Deloitte serves as an independent advisor for CAST — evaluating pilot data, verifying results, and helping shape water-as-a-service. Engaged since 2024; not an investor in Flotration or CAST. Third-party laboratory or field monitoring may also be used where the pilot design calls for it. Their role is to help create confidence in the evidence, not a marketing claim.

Question 24

Where can I get a leave-behind for my team?

Accepted Answer

Use the Documents section for non-confidential materials: CAST Technology Overview, Water Treatment Capability Summary, and the CAST Introduction Deck (view online, PDF, and PowerPoint where provided). Those are cleared for general distribution; client-specific decks remain examples only and are not posted publicly.

Common questions about CAST

What CAST is

Performance & water quality

Operations, fouling & pilot risk

Commercial model & next steps

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