The innovative and sustainable biological wastewater treatment technology Nereda(r) has
proven to even exceed its high expectations. The first full-scale
municipal treatment plant in the Netherlands (Epe) - which was officially
opened by His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands -
has been in operation for 16 month now. Based on extensive plant
performance monitoring throughout these years it now is confirmed that
stringent targets for effluent quality, sludge treatment, use of chemicals
and energy consumption are easily met.
Nereda treatswaste water with the unique features of 'aerobic granular
biomass'. Invented by the Delft University of Technology and developed
within a unique public-private-partnership between the University, the
Dutch Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA), the Dutch Water
Boards and Royal HaskoningDHV, the technology revolutionizes wastewater
treatment. It was already clear Nereda has a very small footprint (up to
only 25% compared to conventional technologies) and is more cost-effective
than conventional systems (savings more than 25% in investment and
operational costs). With 16 months of successful operation the Epe WWTP
also proves now Nereda's sustainable character.
Great performance
Extensive monitoring of the Epe plant - designed for flows up to 1,500
m3/h - shows that the performance of Nereda(r) even exceeds expectations.
The energy consumption of the WWTP including sand filtration and sludge
treatment is significant less than any type of similar-sized conventional
treatment plant in the Netherlands. Furthermore the effluent quality meets
the highest standards in The Netherlands, i.e. total Nitrogen and
Phosphorous concentrations lower than 5 and 0.3 mg/l.
Remarkably is the observed robustness and stability of the treatment
process under strong varying influent load conditions and extreme influent
pH fluctuations. Another interesting observation is that even at wintry
conditions extensive nitrogen removal could be established at surprising
high biological sludge loads.
Nereda(r) roll-out
After the Epe commissioning mid-2011, the interest for Nereda(r) has grown
tremendously. At least five new Nereda installations have their startup
this year. For 2013 a further expansion is expected as the international
interest for the technology is growing. Almost every week, international
visits to the Epe plant are organized. With installations in Portugal and
South Africa already been realized, there is concrete interest in
Nereda(r) installations from, among others, Australia, Poland, the
Middle-East, Brazil, India, Belgium, the UK, Ireland and the USA.