France, July 24, 2007 -- In some European countries, summer is characterized by a persistent lack of precipitation starting in winter. Monitoring and protection of groundwater, replenishment of groundwater and systematic tracking of leaks in the networks have become essential to proper management of water services, but are not always enough to ensure ongoing availability.
To handle these recurrent periods of drought, and to restrict the amount of water removed from a weakened natural environment, the reuse of wastewater, which was previously reserved for use in dry countries, is now also being developed in Europe. The development of advanced technology, particularly the implementation of processes using ultrafiltration membranes or ultraviolet treatment, produce treated water suitable for reuse for agricultural and industrial purposes.
Through its subsidiary Degrémont, SUEZ Environment has developed the largest recycling plant for wastewater treatment in Europe for the city of Milan. The plant went on line in 2005 with enough capacity to serve the equivalent of over 1 million inhabitants (345,000 cubic meters a day), and can recycle treated, disinfected wastewater to irrigate over 22,000 hectares of fruit and vegetable farms with high added value.
Although France is lucky enough to have large water resources, they are unevenly distributed which means that local authorities have to find innovative solutions to meet their various needs.
Degrémont and Lyonnaise des Eaux, SUEZ Environment subsidiaries, have just set up a test project to reuse wastewater in France at the Grau du Roi wastewater treatment plant in the Camargue (South of France). The water recycled by the station will be used to irrigate green spaces in Port Camargue.
The facility was developed by the Group's Research and Development Center, and will be conducting tests on two types of technologies between now and mid-August:
• a technique called membrane ultrafiltration, which consists of filtering the wastewater through organic membranes. The membranes create a complete physical barrier to bacteria and the various elements suspended in the water. The water circulates inside the fiber (a kind of "spaghetti"), which has a wall composed of pores 10,000 times smaller than those in human skin: the ultrafiltration membranes therefore systematically block all particles.
• the second technology uses ultraviolet disinfection. Water in contact with ultraviolet light is completely purified of all its microorganisms.
The purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate the viability of a recycling system for wastewater in terms of the quantity and quality of the water produced.
Water recycling is a market with high potential. Currently only 2% of wastewater collected is reused, i.e. over 7 billion cubic meters in 2005. In the next ten years, installed global capacity for treating wastewater will triple and increase from 20 million cubic meters per day in 2005 to 55 million cubic meters per day in 2015, an annual increase of between 10 and 12%.
Throughout the world, Degrémont, a worldwide specialist in water treatment plants, has built over 50 wastewater recycling plants, with a total capacity of 2.4 million cubic meters per day.
SUEZ Environment, a SUEZ business line, provides equipment and services that protect the environment and deliver the essentials of life. Its activities include drinking water production and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and waste treatment and recovery. Backed by its experience in the water and waste cycles, SUEZ Environment has a wide-ranging portfolio of know-how in providing a sustainable solution to the requirements of local authorities and businesses. SUEZ Environment employs over 57,500 people worldwide and in 2006, generated turnover of 11.4 billion euros.
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Also see:
-- "First half of 2007: Sustained revenue growth"
-- "India: Degrémont (SUEZ Group) opens one of the largest drinking water production plants in the country, supplying almost four million people
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