Sydney Water adopts Dutch energy-efficient treatment technology

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A new technology from The Netherlands is poised to change the way wastewater is treated in Sydney.

As part of a $450 million upgrade of wastewater treatment plants, Sydney Water will be using Dutch technology Nereda, a biological wastewater system that extracts nutrients and chemicals from water with a significantly lower carbon footprint.

According to Mark Simister, Head of Delivery Management at Sydney Water, the new technology will transform the way Sydney Water manages its wastewater infrastructure, making it more sustainable to meet the growing demands of the population.

Nerada uses a process of aerobic granular biomass to purify water. The biomass created in the process is denser when compared with conventional methods and allows biomass to settle faster.

“We’ve trialled the technology by installing and operating a pilot plant at Quakers Hill over the past 12 months,” Mr. Simister said.

“The results were impressive. Not only will this technology reduce Sydney Water’s carbon footprint, but the trial at Quakers Hill has saved us around $14 million in capital costs, which is a saving for all of Sydney Water’s customers.”

The adoption of Nerada will provide the same quality results as current wastewater technology but with only a quarter of the carbon footprint and without additional chemical dosing to assist the water treatment process. The technology will also meet future and more stringent water quality discharge requirements.

“It’s just one of the ways Sydney Water is using innovative technologies to deliver cost-effective, quality services to our customers,” Mr. Simister said.