Royal HaskoningDHV And Anglian Water Bring Net Zero Digestion Technology To Water Companies In The UK And Abroad

Royal HaskoningDHV and Anglian Water have entered into a cooperation agreement to bring the HpH digestion technology, developed by Anglian Water, to market in the UK and abroad. Part of the agreement includes the transfer of the existing HpH patent to Royal HaskoningDHV. This technology will go to market under the name Helea and will support water companies to meet their Net Zero targets by offering a more affordable and sustainable route to advanced sludge digestion.

Proven success
Every wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) produces sludge as part of the treatment process. The treatment and disposal of these biosolids is expensive, representing up to 70% of a plant’s operating costs. Responsible for processing around 150,000 tonnes of sludge per annum, Anglian Water identified an opportunity to develop a new hydrolysis technology that would maximise a plant’s biogas production from sludge. This would also reduce operating costs and the plant’s carbon footprint too. This technology is now successfully installed across four Anglian Water sludge treatment plants.

Helea provides wastewater companies with a technology that significantly increases the biogas yield over conventional digestion. At the same time, it transforms the remaining biosolids into a high-quality biosolids resource that can be utilised in agriculture as a nutrient and a soil conditioner. With these characteristics, it supports the wastewater industry to achieve its Net Zero Targets.

Erik Oostwegel, CEO of Royal HaskoningDHV: “We are excited about the opportunities for this technology in the water sector, both in the UK and abroad. With the environmental and climate changes that surround us, there is an increasing focus on resource recovery and energy efficiency.”

“Helea is a strategic addition to our already strong water technology portfolio that is aimed at challenging and supporting the water industry in its ambition for sustainability. In synergy with our existing water technologies, such as Nereda, Kaumera and Ephyra, Helea will deliver more added value for our water clients. It will also further strengthen our global leading market position in water technology,” added Niels Schallenberg, Global Director Water & Maritime at Royal HaskoningDHV.

Peter Simpson, CEO of Anglian Water said: “We are really proud to have developed this innovative, green technology at Anglian Water – it epitomises what we stand for as a business – forward thinking, environmentally conscious and always looking for better ways of doing things. We have benefitted from HpH technology over the past six years at four of our recycling centres and now, we are excited to work with Royal HaskoningDHV, leading international consulting engineers, to increase the access to this advanced technology across the UK and beyond. The advantages of Helea combined with other treatment technologies will in our experience provide significant benefits, both in process efficiency as well as cost savings and the environment.”

No financial details about the investment have been disclosed.

About Royal HaskoningDHV
Royal HaskoningDHV is an independent company dating from 1881 integrating engineering, design, consultancy, software and technology to deliver more added value for clients. Through our mission Enhancing Society Together, we take responsibility for having a positive impact on the world and contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goals. We constantly challenge ourselves and others to develop sustainable solutions to local and global issues related to the built environment and the industry. Backed by the expertise of almost 6,000 colleagues working from offices in more than 25 countries across the world, we are helping clients with challenges ranging from climate change and digital transformation to changing customer demands and the energy transition. www.royalhaskoningdhv.com

About Anglian Water
Anglian Water supplies drinking water to 4.3 million customers across the East of England and collects and treats used water almost 7 million people. We operate within the largest geographical region of England and Wales. Water is our business. It’s our job to handle it with care and balance the needs of our customers with those of the environment around us. Our ethos is ‘Love Every Drop’, because it’s what we do. Every drop of water is precious, and we believe it’s everyone’s responsibility to look after it. We’re constantly discovering new ways to keep ahead of a changing world, by planning for the future, and exploring new ideas to meet our customers’ individual needs today and tomorrow.

For more information, vist www.anglianwater.co.uk.