Presentation about challenges connected to water and innovative solutions at Waternet, a water cycle company. Focus is on resource recovery, energy reduction and reduction of CO2.

1. Water in the circular economy
Alice Fermont, 30 June, 2017
Innovations for urban water treatment

2. Water in the circular economy
Content
• Introduction Waternet
• Challenges, global and local
• Solution: Changing to circular economy
• Case: WWTP Amsterdam West
• Case: Bloodbank, Cooling water
• Case: The Calcite factory
• Case new sanitation
• Lessons learned
• Questions

3. Water in the circular economy
Waternet: Water
cycle company
• Drinking Water production and distribution
• Sewerage and wastewatertreatment
• Surface water control (dykes, waterlevel)
• Groundwatercontrol
• Shipping

4. Waternet: some key factors
Customers 1,2 million
Municipalities 20
Employees 1850
Annual budget € 400 million = $ 450 million
Drinking water 90 million m³/y 23,775 million gallons
Leakage 2-3%
Waste water 125 million m³/y , 33,000 million gallons
Sewage connection 100%, almost no sewage overflow, separate
system
Waste water treatment plants 12
Sewage 4000 km, 2500 miles
Dikes 800 km, 500 miles
Nature (resources) 4200 hectares = 10,400 acres

5. Water in the
circular economy

6. Challenges- Local and Global

8. Global Challenge: CO2 emission increases
temperature and sealevels

9. Regional challenge: Extraction of fossil gas
causes earthquakes in Groningen

10. 60-70 mm in 2 hours
Local challenge: Cloudburst in Amsterdam

11. Local challenge for 2040: Energy for
Metropole Region Amsterdam
Source: Marco Broekman, Generation Energy
Energy Demand Max. saving 2040: 176 PJ
Houses: + 0,24 M
Services: + 2,4 M m2
Industry: + 45%
Transport: +19%
Renewable Energy Prod. 2014: 8 PJ
Renewable Energy Prod. 2040: 142 PJ
Energy from the
Water Cycle ?
Energy from the
Water Cycle ?

12. Solution: Changing towards a circular economy

13. Climate neutral in 2020:
Reduction of 50 kTon CO2
Energy from the Water
Cycle
required
compensation

14. Solution: Energy and water
Energy and Water
robust
combinations
surface waterwastewater
drinking water
Ground water: (ATES)
Sewage: Circulair Household Concepts

15. Combination with Waste Incineration
Plant
WasteWater
TreatmentPlant
Waste
Incineration
Plant
sludge
biogas
electricity
heat
wastewater
treatment plant
Waternet
waste
incineration
plant AEB
Sludge [90.000 ton/y]
Biogas [10 M Nm3/y]
Electricity [20.000 MWh/y]
Heat [50.000 GJ/y]
district heating
[80.000 GJ/year]
Avoided natural gas usage: 1,8 M m3/year
Avoided greenhouse gas emissions: 3.200 ton CO2-eq/year
Case: Waste Water treatment Plant
as a recourse plant

16. WWTP : Biogas as transport fuel
171 company cars of Waternet

17. WWTP : Recovery of phosphate

18. WWTP Recovery of phosphate
Solving operation problems leads to a new resource (struvite/fertilizer)
• Higher energy production Waste to Energy Plant
• Lower costs for maintenance
• Production 1000 ton P for fertilizer (3 ton/day)
(NH4)MgPO4.6(H2O)

19. CAS Number: 7785-21-9
WWTP Recovery of
phosphate

20. Water in the circular economy
Case: Cooling with drinking water

21. Water in the circular economywww.avecom.be
Polishing
membrane
Case: Waste water -> Protein
ProMic
http://www.powertoprotein.eu/
21

22. Biocomposite
Case: Biomass -> Aquatic Plants,
Grass, Reeds-> Products

23. Case: The Calcite Factory

24. Calcite: Softening drinking water and
production of carpets

25. Pilot plant to reuse calcite and to
improve products

26. Case: New sanitation

27. Water in the circular economy
Waternet:
New Sanitation
• New sanitation contributes to
• energy reduction and production
• reuse of raw materials (phosphate)
• Delay in planning is a financial risk
• Laws and regulation is not ready for new
sanitation
• Awareness is growing on need for energy
transition (no gas, energy labels)
• Show stand for new sanitation (acceptation)
• Pilot for new concepts on sanitation

28. Water in the circular economy
New Sanitation & Resource Recovery
Grey water
Black water + vacuum
sewerage
Optio grinder (vegetables /
fruits)
thermophilic fermentation (no
pathogens)
Living Lab Buiksloterham
500 – 1000 houses
Development by housing
corporation with New
Sanitation

29. Water in the circular economy
Lessons learned
• Take risks, not every innovation is a
success
• Trust your partners, share the critical
aspects
• Joint business cases can overcome
financial Barriers
• Share the lessons you’ve learned
• Start small
• Solving problems is a strong engine to
innovate

30. 30 OCT – 3 NOV 2017
More information Waternet/ innovation:
https://www.waternet.nl/innovatie/over-
innovatie/innovation-english/

31. Thank You