Dutch-Israeli cooperation starts two pilots for recovery of cellulose from waste water, the Netherlands
Water board Aa en Maas, packaging manufacturer Smurfit Kappa and recyling technology company Applied CleanTech signed an agreement on a joint study to recover cellulose from waste water on 5 November. The study includes two pilots with the Sewage Recycling System developed by Applied Clean Tech.
In February 2014 the first pilot will start at waste water treatment plant (WWTP) of water board Aa en Maas in Aarle-Rixtel, the Netherlands.
Here the cellulose, mainly toilet paper, will be removed from the sewage water before it enters the wwtp. For a second pilot, the installation will be moved to the paper mill of Smurfit in Roermond, the Netherlands. Here the recovery of the cellulose will be tested on the internal waste water flows in the paper mill.
The joint study is expected to end in June 2014.
Dried and sterilized pallets
Applied Clean Tech SRS-system extracts solids from waste water and transforms the recovered material into a pallet product called Recyllose. This dry and sterilized product can be used as in a variety of industries as an alternative fuel, an additive to the pulp and paper industry or an additive for the bio-plastics industry.
Water board Aa en Maas wants to test the SRS-system to learn more about the best possible - both quantitative and qualitative - re-use of the recovered product. For the wwtp the sludge production is expeted to drop some 50%, cutting the operational costs with 30%.
First project in the Netherlands
Applied CleanTech Chief Executive Officer Dr. Refael Aharon said: “We are delighted to start our first project in the Netherlands and we hope that after a successful trial period, our sewage mining technology will be installed across the Netherlands ensuring a greener, power efficient future for generations to come.”
Saving of 1000 euro each day
"With this technology we can separate our wastewater, just like people do with household waste," says Jo Cox, Director of Smurfit Kappa, a Dutch-British manufacturer of cardboard packaging. Smurfit Kappa, one of the largest packaging manufacturers in the world, along with the Aa en Maas Water board, will invest in this Israeli technology aiming to reduce industrial footprint in the Netherlands.
"By implementing this technology in just one of our manufacturing sites, we can save about 1,000 euros per day. Spread along all our sites and possibly also in agriculture and chemical industry wastewater treatment plants in the Netherlands, would mean huge savings," says Cox.
Additional opportunities in Europe
For Applied CleanTech the project is the big step towards new European markets, which is already active in Scotland, Mexico and Israel.
"We are excited to launch our activity in the Netherlands and look for additional opportunities in Europe as well as in the United States. The success of this project would open many doors in the entire water treatment industry," said Dr. Refael Aharon, founder and CEO of Applied CleanTech.
The Dutch-Israeli cooperation and investment was enabled by mediation of the NL Agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The NL Agency continuously looks for advanced technology in Israel. "The Dutch government considers Israel as a strong partner when it comes to new technology", said Job Rose Heart of the NL Agency.
The agreement is regarded as the start of a new era of cooperation between Israel and the Netherlands in water and energy.
Signing of the agreement, from left to right : Mr. M. de Haan (Israel Innovations) , mr. R. Aharon ( CEO & president Applied CleanTech), mr. J. H. Cox (Director Smurfit Kappa Roermond Papier) , mr. H. Divon (Ambassador of Israel) , mr. E. der Werf (MBA Network business unit manager industry Agency NL) , mw. F.P.A.M. van de Ven (Member executive water board Aa en Maas).
This news item was originally published on the websites of water board Aa en Maas (in Dutch only) and Applied Clean Tech/PR News Wire.
More information
Water board Aa en Maas
Den Bosch, the Netherlands
+31 73 615 66 66
www.aaenmaas.nl
Smurfit Kappa Roermond Papier
Roermond, the Netherlands
+31 475 384 444
www.smurfitkappa.com
Applied CleanTech
Jerusalem, Israel
+ 972 2-5617341
www.appliedcleantech.com