Emefcy Group has secured a contract to supply its technology for a new wastewater treatment plant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In collaboration with its local partner TodayTomorrow Ventures (TTV), the company will supply its proprietary technology for a new wastewater treatment plant for a large residential compound in Addis Ababa.
When complete later this year, the plant will replace the existing septic systems with an energy-efficient, reliable, and neighbourhood-friendly treatment and reuse system. The contract will generate revenue of approximately $400,000 to Emefcy.
The plant will utilize Emefcy’s proprietary Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR) wastewater treatment system, an ideal solution for medium-sized applications in developing markets.
The Emefcy MABR solution is anticipated to appreciably improve the quality of life for residents and serve as a strategic reference site for customers in Ethiopia, Africa and throughout the developing world.
Emefcy Sales vice president Ilan Wilf said “This Emefcy plant is a model for the benefits we can deliver for the people of Ethiopia. At a low cost, untreated sewage can be turned into high-quality recycled water.
“Existing septic systems throughout the country are often unreliable, overflowing and not environmentally friendly. In Addis Ababa alone, existing plants treat less than 10% of the estimated wastewater, resulting in the discharge of much untreated sewage.
"The Emefcy MABR solution can improve quality of life by protecting the local living environment while creating a low-cost supply of water for non-consumption uses.”
Emefcy and TTV will build the plant at the EPRI 1 condominium complex in Addis Ababa. The plant will treat half the wastewater from this complex of 32 buildings and 7,000 residents, replacing the current unreliable septic tanks with onsite wastewater recycling to irrigate the neighbourhood’s landscaping.
TTV and Emefcy are also working together on the previously announced wastewater treatment plant at Ayder Hospital, Mekele University in Tigray, Ethiopia, which is now under construction.
TTV lead investor Mark Gelfand said: “We are excited to win this second contract with Emefcy to bring their innovative, reliable and highly efficient wastewater treatment system to Ethiopia’s capital.
“We expect this to showcase how Emefcy’s technology can address the urgent need for modern, cost-effective and energy-efficient wastewater treatment in Addis Ababa and all over the country, thereby improving people’s lives by ensuring high-quality, odourless wastewater treatment and allowing safe reuse of the treated water.”
Based on the current design specification, the MABR-based system will treat 185,000 litres per day; and is scheduled to be commissioned in Q3 this year.
Emefcy executive chairman Richard Irving said: “We expect the EPRI 1 plant to become an excellent reference site for customers in Ethiopia, throughout the continent and indeed the developing world.
“We are pleased that our technological innovation can improve people’s lives at a low cost while driving our growth.”