Wastewater digestion technology originally developed by Anglian Water is set to play a central role in one of the largest wastewater treatment upgrades in the world.
The Helea sludge digestion technology has been selected by Brazilian water and waste management company Sabesp (the largest in the country and one of the biggest in the world) for its major treatment plants in São Paulo.
It was originally developed through Anglian Water’s innovation programme and successfully deployed across four active UK sites.
It will be implemented alongside Haskoning’s Ephyra® technology at Barueri and São Miguel Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs).
Barueri is the largest WWTP in Latin America, and together the sites will serve around 10 million people across São Paulo.
Significant milestone
Already in long-term operation in the UK, a simplified Helea process called Helea Lite is now being applied internationally for the first time at mega-city scale.
Treatment capacity at Barueri will increase from 16,000 to 22,500 litres per second, with capacity at the São Miguel plant rising from 1,500 to 5,500 litres per second.
Biogas generated through the new processes will be used for combined heat and power generation, thermal sludge drying, and other sustainable applications, effectively transforming both plants into state-of-the-art energy recovery facilities.
The technologies will be delivered by Haskoning, with a spokesman saying their selection represents “a significant step forward in sludge management, setting a new standard for wastewater treatment valorisation”.
Emily Timmins, Director of Water Recycling at Anglian Water said: “Helea was developed over 15 years ago to create a cost- effective and energy efficient way to operate our sludge treatment centres in the Anglian Water region.
“We’re delighted that our partnership with Haskoning has led to its application at this scale in one of the world’s largest cities.”
Enhancing anaerobic digestion performance
Helea Lite is a simplified version of the full Helea process, a sustainable pre-digestion solution that optimises biological hydrolysis.
It increases the digestibility of sludge feedstocks, enhancing the performance of the Ephyra digesters, for maximum volatile solids (VS) destruction and bio-gas production.
Helea Lite provides pre-digestion treatment of sludge without the need for the heating and pasteurisation stages of the full Helea process.
Ephyra is a compact and sustainable solution for optimising anaerobic digestion. Using a plug-flow digestion approach, the technology improves the performance of anaerobic digestion facilities by reducing short-circuiting and optimising biological processes to increase VS destruction and biogas yields, while lowering downstream emissions and improving overall carbon performance.
Long-term partnership
João Almeida, Global Director Water Technology Products at Haskoning, said: “We are very proud of our partnership with Anglian Water and the selection of Helea Lite and Ephyra at Barueri and São Miguel.
“The technologies have demonstrated established performance and have been adapted to meet the specific operational requirements of these sites.”
