Dutch research promises new water-purification route

Delft, The Netherlands — Delft University of Technology has developed technology that could change the way we purify domestic and industrial waste water within a few years, the Dutch university announced 26 June.

Delft, in partnership with DHV engineering bureau, has developed a compact purification method, in which aerobic bacteria form granules that sink quickly.

With the new aerobic granular sludge technology, called Nereda, aerobic (oxygen using) bacterial granules are formed in the water. The granules sink quickly and all the required biological purifying processes occur within these granules, explained Delft University.

The technology is claimed to offer advantages when compared to conventional water purification processes as all the processes can occur in one reactor and there is no need to use large re-sinking tanks. Such large tanks are needed for this because the bacteria clusters that are formed take much longer to sink than the aerobic granule sludge.

“A Nereda purification installation needs only a quarter of the space required by conventional installations,and uses 30% less energy than the normal purification process,” said Delft PhD researcher Merle de Kreuk.

The aerobic granular sludge technology is now in the commercialisation phase, with DHV currently negotiating with water purification companies to test this purification method on a larger scale. The first installations are already in use in the industrial sector, added Delft University.