SIMPELVELD, The Netherlands – Two projects have been opened in the Netherlands that hope to pave the way for the future of wastewater treatment.
Utility Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg has installed two wastewater treatment plants in Simpelveld and Roermond, at an investment of €10.7 million.
The concept has been brought to the market by Verdygo, a private parent company of Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg, together with international construction firm Strukton, engineering consultancy Royal HakoningDHV and wastewater construction firm Aan de Stegge.
As part of the installation at Simpelveld, modules are constructed above ground with the ability to dissemble and move components.
The idea is that operators can easily adjust to changing circumstances, such as increasing or decreasing influent loads, changing temperatures and changing water management policies such as stricter discharge regulations.
The site is also being used as a working ‘lab’ to test out new materials, with four large tanks constructed from different materials: stainless steel, wood, coated steel and concrete.
For the latter, a self-healing concrete is being used in collaboration with TU Delft (Delft Technical University).
The concrete has been mixed with calcite-precipitating bacteria, which can survive in the cement for over 200 years. When a crack appears, they start the production of limestone to fill it.
Above you can see a timelapse of the project construction.
Earlier this year, Verdygo BV and Strukton signed a letter of intent for cooperation in the Middle East, and are said to be working together on a variety of projects.
"When we talk about innovation in Limburg we tend to think of our Brightlands campuses, high-tech systems, the bio-based economy, and so on.” said Theo Bovens, Governor of the Province of Limburg. “Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg is showing how innovation in primary systems such as sewers and treating water not only pays off, but can capture the imagination."
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