454 Water Recycling, Innovation, and Industry Wisdom with Dr. Kelle Zeiher
Release Date: 12/12/2025
475 Inside the Boiler: Inspection, Failure Analysis, and Photography with Cheryl Heiser
Scaling UP! H2O
A boiler failure can create pressure quickly: production is down, emotions are high, and the water treater may be the first person blamed. of . joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to walk through a more disciplined way to evaluate boiler issues by looking beyond chemistry alone. Why Boiler Failures Need a Broader Lens Cheryl brings field experience from the OEM boiler side, conventional water treatment, and purified tannin boiler treatment. Her perspective is rooted in the idea that no two boilers are the same. Design, operating conditions, fuel, history, circulation, steam...
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474 Questions from the Scaling UP! Nation about Trace
Scaling UP! H2O
Every career in industrial water treatment is shaped by decisions, mentors, credentials, systems, and the willingness to keep learning. In this special mailbag-style episode, Trace Blackmore, CWT, answers questions from the Scaling UP! Nation about how he entered water treatment, why he started the podcast, what professional credentials have meant to him, and what he is still working to improve. This conversation gives water professionals a practical look at the habits behind a long career in the industry: getting involved early, documenting customer conversations, building strong...
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473 From Oil to Water: How the Water Midstream Sector Was Born with John Durand
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial water professionals often think about water in terms of treatment, compliance, reuse, and operational risk. John Durand brings a different but closely connected view: water as infrastructure, water as a managed resource, and water as a strategic part of energy development. , one of the early pioneers of the water midstream sector and CEO of Magnificent Desolation, LLC, joins Trace Blackmore to explain how produced water moved from a disposal challenge to a large-scale infrastructure opportunity. From Disposal Model to Managed Resource John describes how...
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472 Finding and Fixing the Invisible: Chris MacDonald on Pressure Pipe Inspection and Rehab
Scaling UP! H2O
"Document everything." Spring startup season exposes more than operational stress. It also reveals what happened months earlier when systems were laid up poorly, maintenance steps were skipped, or warning signs were documented but not acted on. In this episode, Trace Blackmore connects that reality to a broader infrastructure problem: hidden damage inside pressure piping systems that operators often cannot see until a leak, rupture, or budget crisis forces action. Why hidden pressure pipe problems are so expensive , CEO and President of , explains why pressure pipe...
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471 Biofilms, Biocides, and TTPC: A Deep Dive with Dr. Jeff Kramer
Scaling UP! H2O
Biofilm is not a fringe issue in cooling systems. As Dr. Jeff Kramer explains, it is a given. That matters because biofilm affects heat transfer, contributes to corrosion, and can serve as a reservoir for Legionella in treated systems. In this conversation, Trace Blackmore and Dr. Kramer examine what experienced water treaters should be looking for when choosing and evaluating a microbiological control program. Biofilm as an operating problem Dr. Jeff defines biofilm as a community of microorganisms attached to a surface and held together by an external polymeric matrix. From there,...
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470 Wastewater Enthusiast: Training the Next Generation Online
Scaling UP! H2O
has built a following by doing something wastewater operators have needed for a long time: making practical technical education easier to access. In Episode 470, he explains why that matters, how he built , and what the industry still gets wrong about training, certification, and knowledge transfer. From test prep to true understanding A major thread in this conversation is the gap between passing an exam and actually understanding plant operations. Shawn reflects on his own early experience with certification prep, where classes helped him recognize test questions but did not always help him...
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469 ABMA: The Oldest Association Meets Today’s Challenges
Scaling UP! H2O
Boiler performance rarely depends on a single decision. It depends on design, controls, maintenance, workforce capability, and, as this conversation makes clear, the quality of water treatment. and explain how is addressing those realities by connecting manufacturers, representatives, suppliers, and field stakeholders around education and practical guidance. Why ABMA still matters in a changing boiler market ABMA has been in place since 1888, but this discussion is not about preserving old structures for their own sake. Scott and Shaunica describe an association that has expanded beyond...
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468 Born into Water Treatment: Tom Brandvold on AWT’s Origin Story and a Life in the Industry
Scaling UP! H2O
Tom Brandvold, CWT, has lived industrial water treatment from the inside out. In this conversation, he traces that path from sweeping floors and running sample bottles as a kid to leading Premier Water and Energy Technology and serving as a former president of . The result is not just a career story. It is a useful look at how credibility, collaboration, and standards are built over time in this industry. How Association of Water Technologies (AWT) was formed One of the most valuable parts of this discussion is Tom’s explanation of how Association of Water Technologies (AWT) began. The...
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467 From PhD to Pump Rooms: Jake Elliott on Wastewater, Efficiency, and Saying “Yes” Wisely
Scaling UP! H2O
What happens when a water chemist leaves the lab and heads to the pump room? knows firsthand. A former PhD researcher who studied resource recovery from trade‑waste customers, Jake now manages accounts at in Melbourne, working with cooling towers, boilers, chemical dosing rigs and wastewater treatment systems. He joins host Trace Blackmore to discuss how rigorous research, regulatory compliance and process automation translate into practical field work for industrial water treatment professionals. From PhD Research to Industrial Practice Jake’s academic background informs the way he...
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466 Stories, Math, and “Never Again” Moments: Inside AWT Technical Training with Dan Merritt (Part 2)
Scaling UP! H2O
AWT’s in‑person technical training is a keystone for developing competent water treaters. Yet classroom knowledge only matters when it survives the drive home and emerges later in the field. In this second conversation with —National Sales Manager at and head of AWT’s education committee—Trace Blackmore uncovers how stories, math, and memorable mistakes turn theory into intuition. Why training keeps evolving Dan explains that the rewrites courses every year. Instructors refine content, delivery and demonstrations, not for novelty’s sake, but because...
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Industrial cooling is one of the biggest levers industrial facilities can pull on water use—and it’s getting harder to ignore as data centers and other high-heat operations grow. Returning guest Dr. Kelle Zeiher (Project Manager at Garratt Callahan) breaks down what water reuse looks like when you move past slogans and into the realities of pretreatment, concentrate management, footprint, and cost.
Cooling water reuse: the scale of the opportunity
Dr. Zeiher reframes “drought” beyond rainfall, emphasizing aquifer recharge and the limits of focusing only on household restrictions. She contrasts domestic use (~12%) with the much larger share tied to cooling (~50%), then connects that to why optimizing industrial cooling matters—especially when operations sit in arid, desert-like regions with limited water availability. She also shares a data-center statistic that puts “the cloud” into physical terms: ~53 gallons of purified water per gigabyte of data stored to keep environments cool enough for microchips.
Higher cycles, RO blending, and the concentrate question
The conversation moves into practical tower strategy: driving cycles up as far as the water and metallurgy allow. Dr. Zeiher describes a case moving from three cycles to six with RO blending and pretreatment, resulting in millions of gallons saved annually. From there, the engineering problem becomes unavoidable: higher cycles create a concentrated cooling-water stream, and RO adds its own waste stream. The key operational question is how to manage both streams without trading water savings for disposal and reliability issues.
Minimal liquid discharge, and the AEROS approach
“Zero liquid discharge” (ZLD) remains a theoretical target, but Dr. Zeiher is clear about the realities: ZLD can require large equipment and high energy demand. She shares a cost example where a 20 gpm ZLD concept came in at nearly $8 million in capital. Her team’s approach focuses on minimal liquid discharge (MLD)—recovering roughly 80–90% of water rather than 98–99%, while reducing energy intensity and footprint. She introduces AEROS (Aqueous Recovery Optimization System): rapid precipitation/conditioning, followed by sequential mechanical and membrane filtration, then an RO polishing step to return purified water.
Industry wisdom: proof-first projects, relationships, and AI
You’ll also hear Dr. Zeiher’s “proof-first” pathway—bench-style testing, then a 5–10 gpm flow-through evaluation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (with BioLargo)—plus a process guarantee framework and how credits can apply toward a final system. She closes with leadership lessons on documentation, continuity of customer care, and practical guidance for working with AI: feed it strong technical inputs, then apply human critical thinking before recommendations reach customers.
Listen to the full conversation above. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
02:40 — End-of-year reflection becomes a professional challenge: keep learning fast enough to keep systems stable and clients confident.
05:50 — “Dry December” as a discipline story—used to tee up Trace’s broader point: habits beat calendar-based resolutions.
12:00 — Water You Know
13:10 — The events page pitch: planning early protects training time and reduces last-minute operational fire drills.
17:00 — Dr. Kelle Zeiher returns after Episode 351; AWT Louisville hallway energy turns into a deep dive on reuse.
18:40 — Mystery novels as technical storytelling: The Cupcake Caper, real lab practices, and a pen name built for a non-scientific audience.
20:50 — Data centers and water: 53 gallons per GB stored reframes “the cloud” as heat management with real resource costs.
23:40 — Macro water math: 50% of U.S. water use tied to cooling vs. 12% domestic—why industrial optimization moves the needle.
27:50 — “Pretreatment is everything”: RO’s tiny flow channels make debris control and scale prevention non-negotiable.
30:10 — Cycles example: 3 to 6 cycles with RO blending/pretreatment, plus the caution that RO-softened blends can increase corrosion risk.
31:30 — ZLD vs. MLD: energy-heavy evaporation/distillation compared to a lower-energy recovery target that still returns most water.
33:50 — AEROS explained: rapid precipitation + filtration + RO polish, with solids handling designed to keep water moving back to the front end.
37:00 — Customer pathway: bench demos → Oak Ridge pilot (5–10 gpm) → engineered system; upfront testing credits toward purchase.
43:20 — Performance accountability: process guarantee includes refund/take-back if promised performance can’t be met.
47:40 — Trust and continuity: plant presence, documentation, and relationship handoffs prevent “solution drift” when people change roles.
54:40 — Working with AI: feed it strong data, then apply human critical thinking so recommendations don’t outpace experience.
Quotes
“Water is not a limitless resource. It’s a finite resource, and we simply purify it and reuse it over and over again.”
“We have to learn to work with AI when it’s still a toddler before it grows up into the 6th grade bully and beats you up for your lunch money.”
“Persistence overcomes almost anything.”
“An AI will give you a great outline for a presentation, but it won’t give you a full presentation.”
Connect with Dr. Kelle Zeiher 
Phone: (630) 660-3457
Email: kzeiher@g-c.com
Website: Water Treatment Expertise Since 1904 I Garratt-Callahan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelle-zeiher-6bab221/
Guest Resources Mentioned
The Cupcake Caper (Undercover Cat Mysteries) by Kelle Z Riley
Process Heating and Cooling Show Paper (Cooling Tower Cycles & MLD)
Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI Paperback by Ethan Mollick
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
351 Maximizing Water’s Potential: Tech and Water Treaters in Perfect Harmony
Water You Know with James McDonald
Question: How much heat energy does it take to heat 1 pound of liquid water by 1 degree Fahrenheit?
Events for Water Professionals
Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
