Circular Economy Technologies Highlighted at Virtual Event
Nov 27, 2020
Three innovations bringing circular economy thinking closer to water utilities’ daily operations were the focus of the latest Water Action Platform webinar.
The event, which took place on 12 November 2020 and was hosted by Isle chairman Piers Clark, featured technologies from Europe and North America which facilitate recovery of cellulose from toilet paper, phosphorous removal and energy storage. They were used to demonstrate how resource reuse brings combined environmental, regulatory and financial benefits.
Technology 1: Cellulose recovery
Coos Wessels, technical director of CirTec, explained how the Netherlands is quite literally paving the way in creating infrastructure from recycled toilet paper. The recycled toilet paper pellets have already been used successfully as road-building material in the province of Friesland, to reinforce a dyke and pave the parking lot of a children’s petting zoo.
Dealing with sludge is expensive for water companies and those costs could be reduced by initiatives like the Cellvation project, which extracts cellulose from wastewater. The recovered cellulose fibres are sterilised, dried and made into pelleted products known as Recell – which can be used in industries such as construction, pulp and paper, coatings and sustainable chemicals.
Technology 2: Phorphorous removal
“If you ask a water manager or regulator about phosphorous, they will describe it as pollution and as a result spend a significant amount of money every year preventing its discharge into water,” said Matt Kuzma, the vice president Ostara, a nutrient recovery solutions company based in Vancouver, Canada.
The company has created a sustainable closed-loop solution for phosphorus management using Pearl, a process technology which recovers valuable nutrients from wastewater, transforming them into high-performing, slow-release fertilisers that increase yields and reduce pollution runoff.
Technology 3: Biogas enrichment
Based in the US and Germany, Electrochaea has a solution for one of the most pressing challenges facing energy systems - the integration of fluctuating renewables into the electricity grid. The company’s proprietary BioCat power-to-gas energy storage concept converts renewable electrical energy into chemical energy, in form of methane. By converting water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis they can enrich raw biogas.
The company’s managing director Dr Doris Hafenbradl said, “What’s unique is our biocatalyst is a patented strain which is optimised to generate a lot more methane and do it more efficiently.”
In addition, the oxygen generated during the first electrolysis step can be used to enhance the secondary wastewater treatment stage and the bio-methanation process is exothermic, meaning that it generates heat – which can be used to heat the sludge before digestion.
What goes around
Water management is fundamentally a circular business. Every drop is endlessly used and reused, and this circularity is already evident in the sector in initiatives such a recycling wastewater for reuse and capturing biosolids for agriculture.
During the webinar, Rich Walwyn, head of asset intelligence and innovation at Severn Trent, made an impassioned call to other utilities to collaborate on further circular economy opportunities.
“We believe it is an essential ingredient in meeting the supply and demand challenges that we’re going to face over the next 20 to 30 years and maximising value for our customers through the recovery of some of the by-products of our processes,” he told attendees. “Forming effective collaborative partnerships is key to maximising the opportunities that a transition to a circular economy brings.
“We’re really keen to explore opportunities to work with like-minded organisations on identifying cross-sector solutions and accelerating our plans,” he said.
With the UK water sector launching a world-first Net Zero Routemap in November, there is clearly a drive for utilities to play a key role in protecting and enhancing the environment. The newly published Routemap sets out a broad range of opportunities, initiatives and projects that will help the sector cut millions of tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030 – many of which focus on resource reuse, including:
- Making even more use of renewable energy by generating enough solar and wind power to meet 80% of the water sector’s electricity demands
- Producing more biogas from sewerage waste, which can be injected into the grid to heat homes or used as an alternative fuel for transport
- Using advanced anaerobic digestion for sewage treatment to reduce process emissions.
Find out more about any of the topics listed, view the Water Action Platform webinar online.
The next monthly webinar takes place on 10 December 2020 at 7.30 am and 4.30 pm BST. Sign up and Join the Discussion.
More News and Articles
Jul 24, 2024
News
UK utilities place multiple orders for settlement tank technology
Northumbrian Water, Southern Water, and Dŵr Cymru upgrading wastewater sites
Three UK water utilities have agreed orders for the installation of a total of six conical settlement …
Jul 22, 2024
Article
Reusing wastewater, rethinking water: Maharashtra's roadmap
How Maharashtra turns wastewater into a resource
Water resource management is a critical issue globally, and in India, the state of Maharashtra is pioneering efforts to regulate and …
Jul 19, 2024
News
Kansas City advances fire hydrant leak detection technology
An acoustic fixed-base pipe monitoring technology that uses fire hydrants to host multi-sensor devices, has already found more than 30 leaks for Kansas City Water, says Lou Rossetti …
Jul 17, 2024
News
When two bores right a wrong
The Edge Underground team is adamant: there is always a risk of things going wrong on a trenchless project, even for the most prepared contractor.
Experience and having the right equipment can be the difference between …
Jul 15, 2024
News
Adapting to a region’s growing water and wastewater needs
Gippsland Water has completed two major projects to provide local communities with water security. Trenchless Australasia takes a look at the two projects helping increase water supply …
Jul 12, 2024
News
Connections made in Glastonbury
Difficult ground conditions called for a specialist solution when new PE pipes for potable water services had to be installed underneath two, 10-metre road crossings in the grounds of the UK’s ultimate music festival …
Jul 10, 2024
Article
The Water-Energy Nexus: Interdependence and Challenges
Niclas Andersson, CEO of AirWater2All, explains the connection between water and energy. The importance of this connection and the areas in which it needs to be considered are explained …
Jul 08, 2024
News
Minimising cultural impacts with trenchless technology
Yarra Valley Water is leveraging the benefits of trenchless technology to lessen impacts on the Upper Darebin Creek branch sewer project.
The project consists of building a 2.7km sewer pipe …
Jul 05, 2024
News
SprayWall: Reinforcing Underground Infrastructure with Unmatched Strength
In the trenchless technology industry, finding a rehabilitation solution that offers ease of installation and exceptional structural integrity is paramount.
For three decades, …
Jul 01, 2024
News
“Don’t let stereotypes hold you back”
Trenchless Australasia sat down with Rob Carr project manager Marie Piette to discuss her career and work at the microtunnelling contracting company.
From Norway to Cambodia and now Perth, Western Australia, …
Jun 28, 2024
News
Transforming Wastewater: Towards Climate-Neutral Sewage Treatment
Baden-Württemberg’s Minister President Winfried Kretschmann recently toured the Büsnau Training and Research Sewage Treatment Plant, where a pioneering project led by researchers …
Jun 26, 2024
News
Bothar advances with significant new contracts
Having commenced work on the Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline earlier this year, Bothar Boring and Tunnelling has announced the award of further contracts as part of its ongoing collaboration with …
Contact
Isle Utilities
Louise Elliott
Camelford House | 87-90 Albert Embankment
SE1 7TW London
United Kingdom
Phone:
+44 7714 489 232