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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
JULY
2016
The contract awarded to WEC
Projects, with Royal HaskoningDHV
the technology supplier, is at the
Hartebeesfontein Wastewater
Treatment plant. The project aims to
improve the capacity of the plant by 5 Mℓ/
day using existing infrastructure. Nereda®
technology is ideally suited to areas where
there are budget constraints, space is at a
premium, energy saving is critical and there
are strict effluent and environmental sustain-
ability requirements.
In a paper presented at the Water
Institute of South Africa (WISA) Confer-
ence held at the ICC in Durban during May,
Struan Robertson from Royal HaskoningDHV
stated that a shift away from ‘activated
sludge approach’ towards ‘aerobic granular
approach’ would assist in addressing the
challenges facing the wastewater treatment
industry in South Africa. The South African
wastewater treatment industry is facing
numerous challenges ranging from energy
WATER ENGINEERING
>
constraints, to stricter effluent requirements
and these challenges are exacerbated by
budgetary constraints.
Robertson argued that sustainability
requirements are driving technological
advancement and innovation and that the
advantage of Nereda® in comparison to acti-
vated sludge systems ultimately translates
into more sustainable and cost effective
wastewater treatment.
There are a number of fully operational
Nereda® wastewater treatment plants across
the world with two fully operational sites in
the Western Cape – Gansbaai, operational
since 2009 and Wemmershoek, operational
since 2015 Both plants operate in a footprint
much smaller than conventional activated
sludge systems.
Nereda® plants typically achieve a foot-
print reduction of 50 to 75% when compared
to similarly loaded activated sludge plants. In
addition to this Nereda plants are much more
energy efficient and can save up to 50% on
SUSTAINABLE WASTEWATER
treatment in Gauteng
Following on the continued success of Royal
HaskoningDHV’s ground-breaking Nereda® Waste Water
Treatment technology, in operation in the Western Cape as
well as a number of countries worldwide, East Rand Water
Care Company (ERWAT) has awarded a contract for the
design and build of a Nereda® plant in Gauteng.
energy consumption. Bert Bakker, Water Advi-
sory Director at Royal HaskoningDHV states,
“Not only is the capital outlay for Nereda®
plants much cheaper but one has to take into
account life cycle costs which for a waste-
water treatment plant is typically 30 years.
These savings are substantial if one
considers the energy saving, operational cost
savings and reduced maintenance costs while
providing better effluent quality.”
Royal HaskoningDHV provides technical
support with experts on hand who can log in
remotely to support the on-site maintenance
team. Nereda® is run via Royal Haskoning-
DHV’s Aquasuite® Control Software range
based on real time data and predictive algo-
rithms that can predict 48 hours in advance
and adjust systems accordingly to maximise
system efficiency.
Aquasuite® brings intelligent solutions
for the entire water chain, solid model-
based forecasting and controlling software
to enhance the operational performance of
water systems and maximise the potential
of assets.
“A key feature of the Nereda® Controller
software is its predictive ability. This soft-
ware is constantly gathering data from the
operations in order to be able to think ahead
and tell the operator when to adjust the
system for various changes in flow etc. What
this means is that your plant will always be
running at its most efficient because you
always know what to expect so you can
prepare well in advance,” explains Bakker.
About Nereda®
Nereda is the biological wastewater
treatment technology that purifies water
based on bacteria growing into compact
granules. The technology was invented
by the Delft University of Technology
in the Netherlands and developed in
a unique public-private partnership
between the University, the Dutch
Foundation for Applied Water Research
(STOWA), the Dutch Water Authorities
and Royal HaskoningDHV. Currently
there are 15 plants in operation and
another 15 under construction or design
worldwide.