Engineering agency Royal HaskoningDHV is to implement the UK’s first-ever Kaumera pilot plant to extract biopolymers from sewage sludge, in Blackburn, Lancashire.
It’s a part of a seemingly groundbreaking round economy-inspired mission funded by Ofwat’s Innovation Fund. Underneath the management of United Utilities, UK water corporations, companions and potential prospects will be part of forces to evaluate the expertise to recuperate biopolymers and their viability to be used in a number of economic purposes from fertilisers to curing concrete. If profitable, the pilot mission might “radically change the economics of wastewater treatment and enable water companies to generate revenue streams from the extraction of natural bio-chemicals”, mentioned a press release from the group.
A pure supply of biopolymers
“Biogas is already extracted from sewage sludge but adding the recovery of useful biopolymers moves the industry higher up the value chain – it’s potentially game-changing,” mentioned Paul Lavender, UK Water Utilities Director at Royal HaskoningDHV. “The global liquid polymer market is worth $1.27 trillion annually and is highly fossil fuel dependent, yet the nation’s water treatment plants offer us a natural source of biopolymers. This new pilot project won’t just demonstrate the extraction technology but will develop use cases by involving the whole supply chain including academia, commercial product developers, and blue-chip end-users.”
Lisa Mansell, Chief Engineer, Innovation, at United Utilities explains: “The water industry strives to minimise its environmental impact and increase efficiency. This project will explore the recovery of biopolymers such as those from cellulose in toilet paper to naturally derived biopolymers and will be a great example of a circular economy. It will also test the viability of generating new revenue streams which could help us drive down our operating costs and ultimately benefit customers. We are very excited about exploring the possibilities of circular wastewater treatment technologies and applications for a more sustainable future.”
Companions within the mission embody United Utilities, Severn Trent Water, South West Water, Royal HaskoningDHV, CirTec Cellvation, AquaMinerals, Yara, Glasgow Caledonian College, and Cranfield College.
Blackburn Wastewater Therapy Works already makes use of Royal HaskoningDHV’s Nereda® cardio granular sludge expertise which makes use of 50% much less electrical energy than typical cardio remedy processes to purify wastewater. The extraction expertise, developed with analysis accomplice Delft College of Know-how (TU Delft), has yielded spectacular leads to vegetation within the Netherlands and Portugal. Set up of the extraction plant will happen later this yr. The mission will run till March 2027.
By including the Kaumera extraction expertise, the remaining sludge, in addition to sludges from different vegetation, can be harvested for biopolymers leading to a base product of Kaumera gel. This base product can be assessed in direct water firm makes use of (i.e. flocculants for wastewater remedy) and for additional processing to develop future market alternatives.
Future alternatives
Kaumera can retain water but additionally repel it. This opens up a number of business, agricultural, and water-related purposes. For instance, its water-retaining properties might see it used as a bio-stimulant in sizzling climates the place water must be launched slowly, whereas its water-repellent properties make Kaumera a wonderful coating for concrete flooring. It is also used as a composite constructing materials and has flame-retardant properties which could possibly be added to many merchandise together with paint.
The mission will draw on the expertise of academia, product builders, and potential prospects to discover industrial purposes, provide chains, economies of scale, and regulatory points regarding recovered supplies. If profitable, it might change the wastewater remedy trade ceaselessly, making it an income-generating enterprise.
