Materials recovery

Sludge is extremely rich in organic matter and other fertilizers, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and has long been used as a soil conditioner in agriculture. Veolia has developed a traceability tool that can monitor the quality of sludge produced as well as its agronomic value as a natural fertilizer, from initial production to spreading.

In addition to this direct use, Veolia has developed solutions to extract compounds from wastewater sludge that offer significant added value and can be used to produce high-quality fertilizers, such as struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate), which is highly sought after for lawns and potted plants.

In October 2011 in Brussels, Veolia achieved a world first by transforming wastewater treatment sludge into bioplastics useable by the plastics industry. The technology uses bacteria to break down the carbon content. Veolia creates the conditions to enable these bacteria to store a maximum amount of biopolymers that are then harvested and recovered as usable plastic material. The process, which was developed by Veolia Water in Sweden, can be implemented at the majority of wastewater treatment plants without any major alterations to treatment systems.

Veolia has created links between its experts in water treatment and waste treatment to open up new outlets for wastewater by-products. This has led to initiatives such as a system for the recovery of grit from pipe cleaning: the grit is washed and dried, then used as a base layer in road works or as backfill, enabling significant savings. These new outlets are included in the new types of contract between Veolia and local authorities, and are designed to enable significant savings

The solutions that Veolia develops for industry target increased production while reducing water consumption. The company has devised a unique process based on evaporation and crystallization technology that enables industry to produce new value-added products from its effluent.