No fewer than 546,000 MWh electric Energy are needed annually in Austria for the purification of municipal wastewater. The usual process used for this purpose – the biological oxidation – is not only very energy intensive and thus a significant cost factor, but also makes valuable raw materials such as ammonium-nitrogen and various energy–rich carbon compounds unusable.

Indeed EnviCare® tries to encounter these problems with modern, energy-efficient membrane distillation processes and anaerobic high–performance bioreactors. On the one hand organic components of wastewater can be exploited in the form of biogas as well as industrially useable “ammonia water” can be generated. On the other hand lower temperature levels of these processes make the use of waste heat and solar thermal energy possible. In brief: revenues can be earned and operating costs can be reduced.

In a pilot plant, which was engineered by EnviCare® and which is currently operated at a municipal sewage treatment plant concepts for the integration of these new technologies in existing municipal plants are researched. Additionally we are obtaining precise knowledge of process parameters, such as flow rates and temperature, for predicting possible savings by means of these promising technologies.