Europe's first nutrient recovery from wastewater plant opens in UK
Utility Thames Water in collaboration with Canadian firm Ostara has opened a £2 million nutrient-recovery reactor at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Slough, Berkshire.
It is expected to produce 150 tonnes a year of Crystal Green fertilizer from effluent entering the works rich in struvite, a nutrient compound containing ammonia and phosphorus.
If left unchecked struvite settles as a rock-like scale on pipes at the sewage works until it clogs them completely. The reactor forces phosphorus to settle in the form of struvite, turning it into crystalline fertilizer pellets.
Thames Water is expected to save up to £200,000 a year, which it has until now spent on chemical dosing to clear pipes of struvite at Slough. The utility claimed the operation could help reduce the UK's reliance on international imports.
All 138,000 tonnes a year of the phosphate fertiliser used in the UK is currently imported from abroad, Thames Water said.
Mineable reserves of phosphorus, in countries like Morocco, the US and China, are predicted to be completely depleted in 100 years, according to some experts. Others say 'peak phosphorus' will occur as early as the mid-2030s, after which it is expected to become increasingly scarce and expensive. Struvite is know to have scaled pipes as far back as 300BC.
Wave powered SWRO pilot moves forward in Australia
Wave energy developer, Carnegie Wave Energy has completed the Detailed Design of its wave powered desalination pilot plant.
The desalination pilot plant will be integrated into Carnegie's Perth Wave Energy Project on Garden Island, Western Australia.
One of the aims of the pilot is to demonstrate the production of both power and freshwater from the ocean.
The detailed design of the desalination plant has been carried out by global engineering firm GHD, local Perth-based desalination manufacturer Mak Water Industrial and Carnegie's technical team.
The design integrates operation of Carnegie's CETO technology offshore with standard reverse osmosis desalination technology onshore.
The high pressure pump of a standard containerised reverse osmosis (RO) circuit is driven by a variable displacement hydraulic motor installed within the hydraulic system of the wave energy facility. When in operation, the mechanical energy provided from the hydraulic circuit of the wave energy plant is hoped to reduce or eliminate the electrical power required for the high pressure pump in the RO circuit.
The desalination pilot project is supported by AUS$1.27 million in Federal Government grant funding from AusIndustry's Clean Technology Innovation Program of which $320,000 of this grant funding has now been received.
IN BRIEF
Modern Water partners with Beijing Green
Beijing Green Science and Technology will distribute Modern Water's water trace/heavy metal and toxicity monitoring products across mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
Biosensors developed to detect endocrine disruptors
A spin-off of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, WatchFrog, has developed a tool to identify the presence of endocrine disrupters (such as thyroid, estrogen and adrenocorticotropic hormones) in wastewater.
Gates invests into FCC
Spanish water treatment company Aqualia's parent firm, FCC, has had 6% of its shares bought by a fund linked to Bill Gates. FCC is currently undergoing a corporate revamp and divestment of 2 billion euros worth of assets under its new CEO Juan Bejar.
Desalitech goes to the wire
Desalitech will supply its RO system to Mid American Steel and Wire's Madill, Oklahoma facility, to recycle 227 m3/day of wastewater for reuse.
Dr Al-Alshaikh takes over as new IDA president
Dr. Abdullah Al-Alshaikh, Deputy Governor for Planning and Development of Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) in Saudi Arabia, has been named President of the International Desalination Association (IDA) for the 2013-2015 term. He has taken over from Dr Corrado Sommariva from ILF Consulting Engineers.
