REGAIN Consortium Partners With NX Filtration To Demonstrate Municipal Wastewater Reuse

The REGAIN research project, a Dutch consortium of a water board, an industrial water company, and two research institutes, has selected NX Filtration’s hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane technology to be one of the three technologies to be tested on its effectiveness and efficiency in removing pharmaceutical residues from wastewater. The objective of this test is to avoid the discharge of such residues into the Unesco nature reserve Waddenzee and to enable the production of industrial grade water by re-using treated wastewater.

The REGAIN consortium consists of Dutch Water Board Noorderzijlvest, water technology company WLN, knowledge institute CEW (Centre of Expertise Water Technology) and North Water (an industrial water subsidiary of drinking water utility Groningen and Evides Industriewater). REGAIN will test the three different treatment technologies throughout an 18-month research project at Noorderzijlvest’s Garmerwolde municipal wastewater treatment plant in Groningen, The Netherlands.

The overarching goal is to achieve a sustainable freshwater system by working in a circular, win-win manner. Using the treated wastewater effluent as a sustainable source for industrial water in the region, especially catering to the rapidly expanding industries in Eemshaven and Delfzijl, contributes to fresh water quantity. Due to limited drinking water availability and increasing demand for fresh water, alternative water sources are much needed. By striving to ensure that no pharmaceutical residues in the wastewater stream enter the vulnerable Unesco nature reserve Waddenzee, water quality can be improved. By 2025, it should be clear whether the REGAIN research project can serve as the basis of the implementation of a comprehensive system with an expected capacity of 10 million cubic meters per year.

Mark Schaap, Technology Manager at North Water, comments:
"The demand for industrial water in our region is growing, and we aim to use treated wastewater as a sustainable alternative next to using Eemskanaal surface water. The hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane technology from NX Filtration is a crucial component of this project, in which we test proven technologies at a larger scale. This filtration technology, previously tested at the wastewater plants in Wilp and Asten, blocks micropollutants such as pharmaceutical residues with minimal use of chemicals and energy. In addition, hollow fiber nanofiltration membranes are less prone to particle contamination and are easier to clean compared to traditional spiral-wound nanofiltration membranes.”

Christian Beuzel, Sales Manager at NX Filtration, adds:
“We are proud to contribute our unique hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane technology to the REGAIN project, and a such support in bringing the treatment and reuse of wastewater to the next level. NX Filtration is committed to delivering sustainable water solutions, and we are convinced this research will showcase the efficiency and reliability of our technology in large-scale applications.”

About REGAIN
REGAIN is a joint project of Dutch Water Board Noorderzijlvest, water quality and water technology company WLN, knowledge institute CEW (Centre of Expertise Water Technology), and North Water (an industrial water subsidiary of drinking water utility Groningen and Evides Industriewater). Within REGAIN, research is being conducted with innovative techniques that can be used to remove or degrade pharmaceutical residues from treated sewage water. In addition, methods that are needed to upgrade the treated sewage water into industrial process water after removal of pharmaceutical residues, will also be determined. This research project will lead to the knowledge that is needed to build a full scale installation at the wastewater treatment plant Garmerwolde.