INSIGHTS | Sterling

Tim Coyne

Clean Water Anywhere: Setting Up Small-Scale Water Treatment Systems

Operating a small industrial account, such as a campsite, remote resort, rest stop, or island, requires a small-scale water treatment...

Tim Coyne

A Malodorous Metropolis: London's "Great Stink" and the Birth of Modern Sanitation

“Whoso once inhales the stink, can never forget it, and may count himself lucky if he live to remember it.” Prior to the 19th century,...

Tim Coyne

The Glow-up of Water Treatment: How UV Burst onto the Water Treatment Scene

The story of how UV disinfection was accidentally discovered by C.F. Gordon is a fascinating one that illustrates the power of...

Tim Coyne

How to Advance your Water Treatment System out of the Bronze Age

"Do not disregard the benefit of alum in clearing water. Its action is to settle what is unsettled and to purify what is impure. He who...

Tim Coyne

Purple Reign: How the Desire of the Color of Royalty Launched pH Chemistry

The oldest documented use of purple dye for royalty dates back to ancient Phoenicia, where the dye was extracted from sea snails. The...

Tim Coyne

How the Theft of a Water Pump Handle Sparked the Birth of Modern Water Treatment

1854 London, a cholera outbreak in London was claiming thousands of lives. At the time, there was no known cause for cholera, but there...

Tim Coyne

Rust never sleeps: How liquid phosphate corrosion inhibitors keep metal shining

Corrosion is a natural process that occurs when metal is exposed to oxygen and moisture. Over time, this exposure can lead to rust, which...

Tim Coyne

The Legacy of Lead Plumbing: How Ancient Rome's Ingenuity Still Challenges Us.

The term "plumbing" comes from the Latin word "plumbum," which means "lead." In ancient times, lead was the most commonly used material...