Danish Companies Bring Efficient And Sustainable Solutions To WEFTEC 2022

Nine Danish companies will exhibit at the Danish Export Association’s Pavilion of Denmark at WEFTEC 2022, where they will showcase efficient and resilient sustainable water solutions for the US market.

When you ask Danish water technology companies, WEFTEC is the place to be if you want to make connections in the US wastewater industry. This is why nine Danish companies are making their way to New Orleans to present their leading sustainable solutions at this year’s conference.

APX10, BioGasclean, cBrain, DHI Water & Environment, Grundfos, MUTAG, NISSEN Energy, SulfiLogger and WaterWebTools are joining the Pavilion of Denmark, organized by the Danish Export Association. The exhibitors are all well-established companies in Denmark, and they are excited to attend the largest water conference in North America. For some of them WEFTEC is a joyous reunion, while others are joining for the first time. Together they bring solutions and experiences that are high quality, reliable and have low total life cycle costs.

Denmark has pioneered the development of the water sector with solutions that are proven to be efficient, resilient and reliable in a future of uncertainty. This was also evident from the annual IWA conference that was hosted in Copenhagen last month.

Head of WaterTech in the Danish Export Association, Jesper Kjelds, believes that Danish companies meet growing demands from American wastewater utilities:

“Many US water utilities are ready for innovative and sustainable technologies. The demand for smart and energy efficient technologies and solutions is growing, and Danish companies can provide these solutions. Denmark is a leader in efficient and sustainable water solutions, and WEFTEC is a great opportunity to show our strongholds to the US.”

Optimizing energy consumption towards net zero
NISSEN Energy is one of the Danish companies going to WEFTEC and also a member of The Trade Council of Denmark in North America’s Water Technology Alliance. The company entered the American market in 2015 and is a great example of the sustainable water solutions developed in Denmark. They already have gas engines installed in treatment plants around the US Midwest.

NISSEN Energy provides wastewater treatment plants with green energy made from the methane gas produced when the utility decomposes or digests sludge. NISSEN’s gas engine converts the produced methane gas to heat and electricity with extremely high efficiency. Furthermore, the process will minimize the amount and improve the quality of the sludge that the utilities will have to dispose.

For many municipal governments, drinking water and wastewater plants typically are the largest energy consumers, often accounting for 30 to 40 percent of total energy consumed, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA also states that by incorporating energy efficiency practices into their water and wastewater plants, municipalities and utilities can save 15 to 30 percent, saving thousands of dollars with payback periods of only a few months to a few years.

“We have shown that it is possible to have net zero wastewater treatment plants. The Marselisborg WWTP in Aarhus Denmark is a stellar example of this. The sewage treatment plants can produce their own energy and lower their costs significantly, so they become more sustainable. What we have accomplished in Marselisborg has now also been achieved with our clients in the US,” says Thorvald Pedersen, Sales Manager at NISSEN Energy.

Danish-US collaboration for a sustainable water sector
Through decades of optimization, digitalization, and work with sectionized networks, Denmark has achieved sustainable groundwater management, low water loss, energy neutral wastewater treatment plants and liveable city solutions. The work is led by pioneering Danish companies and utilities. Water loss is reduced to around five percent, and the Danish wastewater treatment plants are overall producing 70 percent of the energy they use themselves.

Covering almost the entire water cycle from water distribution, water resource management, and wastewater treatment, The Trade Council of Denmark in North America’s Water Technology Alliance works to improve the sustainable water market of tomorrow.

“In the Water Technology Alliance we share experiences and solutions from Denmark within wastewater and water distribution with the US. We continue to expand our collaboration with US companies, utilities, agencies and policy makers, as many good partnerships for exchanging knowledge are crucial to make waves for a more sustainable water sector that is efficient, resilient and reliable. There is great potential here to optimize operations and save costs for the utilities, and work towards net zero at the same time,” says Consul General of Denmark in Chicago and Head of Water, Jesper Køks Andersen.