A multi-million euro partnership has been signed that aims to help increase the 30% of domestic wastewater currently treated in Brazil.
Foz, the Brazilian Water Company of Odebrecht Ambiental has commissioned consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV to help build 10 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) over the next five years, at a cost of 11.5 million Euros.
Using Nereda technology, Foz starts the design of three Nereda plants this year, two in São Paulo treating the wastewater of 140,000 people, and one in Rio de Janeiro for 550,000 people.
Invented by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, the technology was developed in a public-private-partnership between the University, the Dutch Foundation for Applied Water Research, the Dutch Water Boards and Royal HaskoningDHV.
The Dutch town of Epe opened the first commercial scale WWTP to use Nereda technology in May 2012.
Nereda treats wastewater using aerobic granular biomass. The purifying bacteria consume the wastewater and produce small balls that sink, which are said to be “simple to separate from clean water”.
Delft University of Technology (read process report) said these natural grain structures can help with the removal of organic contaminants and nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, without the use of chemicals.
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