The wastewater treatment pilot plant project is supported by grant funding of about EUR90,000 to Aqualia Infraestructuras, an engineering subsidiary, from the Spanish Environment Ministry (Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Medio Rural y Marino).
The pilot plant, now commissioning at a municipal site in Ávila, about 100 km north-west of Madrid, Spain is expected to serve as a reference for the subsequent implementation of this system in other aqualia facilities. The HYBACS technology utilizes the naturally occurring bacteria bacillus to remove nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter from various wastewater streams to produce a quality, odourless water resource that can be reused in many applications like agriculture and industry.
HYBACS treats municipal and commercial effluents and complies with the legislation: the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, 1991/1998 and the Water Framework Directive, 2000.
The HYBACS system:
– Reduces Capex by up to 30% and Opex by up to 45%
– Produces a high-quality treated effluent for reuse
– Reduces power consumption by up to 50%
– Is ideal for retro-fit and upgrade scenarios
– Removes offensive odour
– Offers footprint savings of up to 40%
– Leverages 80% of existing activated sludge infrastructure
– Offers a reduction of e-coli bacteria
Daniel Ishag, chief executive officer of Bluewater Bio, comments: “The Spanish wastewater treatment market has immense potential for expansion and represents a key market for Bluewater Bio. Aqualia is one of the world’s largest wastewater companies and we are delighted to have achieved this latest milestone for HYBACS as aqualia’s first unit is installed in the Ávila plant. We are looking forward to working with aqualia to roll out the technology throughout Spain, a country with a severe requirement to conserve and reuse water. Further afield, aqualia is working with us on consortium bids in the Middle East and beyond, leveraging its position within global infrastructure giant Grupo FCC which manages water and wastewater related projects in over 850 municipalities on five continents.”
Fernando Moreno, director general of aqualia, said: “We are pleased that the first HYBACS pilot plant in Spain has now been installed at Ávila and that commissioning is progressing well. Aqualia operates wastewater treatment plants across the globe and, therefore, the ability of Bluewater Bio’s HYBACS process to significantly reduce both our capital and operational expenditure is extremely attractive to us. In addition, the technology can potentially be retro-fitted into many of our current plants, enabling aqualia to comply more cost-effectively with the increased nutrient removal requirements in Europe. We see tremendous potential for the use of HYBACS both in Spain and further afield, and are excited to work with Bluewater Bio to bring this leading technology to our plants.”
Effective nutrient removal from wastewaters prevents the overgrowth of algae in seas, estuaries, lakes and slow-flowing rivers, thereby avoiding the consequent eutrophication (or smothering) of aquatic life. Spanish municipalities are needed by law to eliminate pollutants and organic matter from wastewaters, but legal action from the European Commission alleges that treatment practices in more than 400 cities and towns across the country are presently below the EU standard for nutrient removal. Under a current EU directive treatment plants must now be equipped with proper removal technologies that meet the quality and nutrient standards in sensitive zones at risk of eutrophication.
The Spanish Environment Minister, Elena Espinosa, has pledged to promote the reuse of treated wastewater in sectors like agriculture, and has launched a National Plan for Water Reuse to triple the level of wastewater reuse between 2010 and 2015.
aqualia is a Spain-based water company.
