The warm and clean city 2

Purpose and goal

The purpose of ´The warm and clean city´ is to test new solutions for future efficient wastewater treatment. The goal is that treatment plants will be able to treat more water in less space and with lower energy consumption. Meanwhile, the wastewater can be used as a resource for the production of algae, biogas and pure nutrients. The project has shown that the goal can be reached, and under the right conditions, it is both cheaper in operation and in investment compared to conventional treatment systems. In addition, treatment plants become producers of marketable products.

Expected results and effects

In the short term, ´The warm and clean city´ leads to wastewater treatment plants that takes up less space, that the safety distances can be reduced and that they become energy positive. In addition, it will be easier to recycle finite nutrients to farmlands. The participating companies also develop new exportable products. In the longer term, the project leads to that more of the world´s fast-growing cities can afford to build adequate wastewater treatment since the methods cuts costs. In the long term the view of sewage can change from merely being a waste to also being a commodity.

Planned approach and implementation

The project was implemented in two stages. First two new concepts were developed for how wastewater can be treated, based on an analysis of technical possibilities and the current and future needs. In step two the concepts have been tested on lab and at pilot scale at two treatment plants in southern Sweden. The results have been compared to conventional systems and multiple parts are competitive today. The technology works but unfortunately there is no incentive for the Swedish treatment plants to develop marketable products due to strict regulations. Also see www.varmarenastaden.se

External links

Den varma och rena stadens hemsida finns hos Sweden Water Research. Där kommer en publik slutrapport läggas upp.