EPSE as a guest star in the Finnish Business Council Beijing Newsletter

The history of EPSE goes back to the early 2000s. Vesa Rissanen, inventor of the EPSE method, was then a small entrepreneur who had problems with hazardous waste containing soluble heavy metals. Rissanen wanted to save money to keep his business running and decided to find a solution. After numerous tests he managed to find a method which resulted in clean water and a multimetal precipitate. But then his main customer, an airplane factory, closed and Rissanen’s business came to an end. And his formula stayed in a desk drawer.

After some ten years two other entrepreneurs heard about the invention and in cooperation with Rissanen started to plan its commercialization. Initially they focused only on wastewater generated in pickling and the scale of the operations was small. But at the same time problems created by mining wastewaters became a hot topic in Finland. The trio began to investigate if the method could also be used in mining industry and founded Global EcoProcess Services, or EPSE, in 2012. The company also patented this innovative method. Method’s commercialization accelerated once it had been successfully tested on the wastewaters of the Talvivaara mine in northern Finland. Since then EPSE has tested its method in a wide range of applications and achieved excellent results.Entering the Chinese market

EPSE’s founders have always dreamt big. They want to make this great invention not only successful business but also a significant environmental achievement. And they took an interest in China. China is a big country with many environmental challenges and, consequently, possibilities. In spring 2019 EPSE applied and was granted 1,9 M€ Horizon 2020 project funding from the European Union. With the funds from H2020 EPSE was able to hire new employees and one of them was Yi Fang. Yi Fang or Tapio, as he prefers his Finnish friends call him, has been a crucial part of EPSE’s plans to establish operations in China. After Tapio was hired, he and EPSE’s CEO Jouni Jääskeläinen began to work on contacts in the Chinese market. By now they have made several visits to different destinations and met many parties interested in the EPSE Method.

From laboratory to piloting

The process from hazardous waste containing soluble heavy metals to metal free overflow and insoluble multimetal precipitate is rather simple. The first step is laboratory scale analyses and tests, which determine whether the EPSE Method is suitable for this specific waste stream. After successful lab tests it is recommended to prove the technology in a bigger scale. EPSE already has one Mobile pilot container which can 1 m3/h waste stream. With the H2020 funding EPSE will build three more Mobile EPSE units. Planning, development and construction of these units, new customer pilots, active search for new partners and customers keeps EPSE busy. In 2019 EPSE has expanded with six new employees and more new talents are needed.