Rapid Radicals
Treating wastewater in a fraction of the time—and at reduced cost
Paige Peters was working for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District when enormous storms hit the area in 2010.
The record-setting rains created flash flood damage, and even tornadoes created damage. At the time, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) reported sewer overflow of around 2 billion gallons.
The weather impacted both local infrastructure and Wisconsin residents. At the time, Marquette University Water Quality Center director Daniel Zitomer, Ph.D. , experienced a basement backup in his home.
Wanting to create a solution to wastewater infrastructure failures, he teamed up with Peters, who at the time was finishing her Ph.D. at Marquette University. She had also been involved in Engineers Without Borders, serving as a project mentor for students who were working to construct water resource projects.
“Water was something that was always of interest to me,” she said. In 2015, Zitomer invited Peters (who was a graduate student at the time) to join his research project designing an engineering solution to the overflow problem, and the two eventually became co-inventors on the patent.
Now, Peters is founder and chief technology officer of Rapid Radicals , a wastewater treatment company founded in 2016 and based in Milwaukee. The company’s technology combines rapid solids removal with an ozone-based advanced oxidation process that increases the efficiency of wastewater treatment.
“Here in the Great Lakes, to be able to do something in my own backyard, has been really rewarding,” says Peters, who grew up in Wisconsin.
The company—one of many contributors to Wisconsin’s strength in water technology—is offering a crucial solution to a pressing global issue. Wisconsin has The Water Council, a membership organization uniting an industry hub of 230-plus companies—and with six international partnerships and 30 global collaborations. Wisconsin is well positioned to be a leader in water technology: It borders two of the five Great Lakes, which together hold 21% of the world’s liquid surface fresh water , and more than two-thirds of the state’s borders are water. All this means the state is uniquely suited to lead in innovative water technologies, from research to scaling and commercialization.
“As a Wisconsin-based company, we take pride in leading the charge from a state known for its strong freshwater economy and environmental innovation,” Peters said in a column she wrote for the Wisconsin Ambassadors program.
Offering a solution to a pressing global issue
Typically it takes eight hours to treat wastewater; using Rapid Radicals’ technology , innovative wastewater treatment systems can accomplish this in about 25 minutes—and at a lower cost, says Peters.
Rapid Radicals containers can be integrated into existing systems; this kind of technology could be vital for municipal and industrial needs—while also helping ensure cleaner waterways. The company has been featured in the media, raised more than $1 million, and received the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Award.
“We’re really grateful for the community sense that we get, how important what we’re doing is,” says Peters. “The thing that really brings us together is our desire to come to a solution.”
All five full-time employees of Rapid Radicals attended college in Wisconsin and share a passion for what they do. “I find there’s so much value to always show my employees and my team: This is what we’re doing and this is why it matters,” says Peters.
Dreaming big to solve future challenges
As aging infrastructure increases the urgency of solving the already pressing challenges of climate change and a reliable water supply for businesses and residents, developing sustainable solutions is becoming ever more vital. Many towns have centralized systems, but decentralized systems can create more agile solutions, says Peters, noting that Rapid Radicals containers can also be deployed as a temporary solution for smaller communities or unexpected events.
To help fulfill its vision, Rapid Radicals has used called on resources including the Marquette University Enterprise Seed Fund, which is supported by WEDC’s Capital Catalyst Program. Those funds helped Peters hire a contractor to help with strategy and build the business. They also have utilized programs through the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Business & Entrepreneurship’s Center for Technology Commercialization; small grants have been a springboard to larger ones, says Peters.
Looking toward the future, Peters is collaborating with utilities around the state to understand and address concerns and how smaller utilities can weather the impacts of climate change and fluctuations in weather patterns. They’ve also been talking to communities on the West Coast, as well. Adds Peters: “There’s this consistent and innate appreciation for water that’s in everything that we do.”
Can we give even a few words about what the technology is (assuming they disclose anything about the nature of it)?
