Innovative technology turns sewage into plastic
From Waterbriefing comes news of this excellent methodology of recycling.
A ground breaking innovation will enable turning municipal sewage sludge into raw materials, to be used by paper and plastic industries around the world.
The innovative technology developed by Israeli firm Applied Cleantech will enable turning the solids in municipal sewage systems into raw materials for the plastic industry around the world.
The technology is applied by way of a compact, automatic and efficient facility that recycles solids from raw sewage and turns them into high-quality consumer products through a continuous process (SRS- Sewage Recycling System). At the end of the process, sewage solids are turned into high quality, clean and environmentally friendly raw materials, thus naming the purification facility to a manufacturer with extra “green” points.
Aside from the raw materials created at the end of the process, the new plants assist in reducing regional sewage purification plant loads by about 35 per cent. As a result, purification plants enjoy reduced energy consumption and reduced operational and maintenance costs in their water cleaning process in favour of reuse. In addition, sewage recycling provides other benefits such as reducing operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
The company’s development was intended to provide a solution for issues in sewage care. Today, a certain percentage of the massive amount of waste produced by human beings (solid municipal waste) is cleared through garbage systems to landfills, and some is cleared through the sewage system through sewage purification facilities. The raw sewage that reaches the sewage purification facilities contains suspended solids, soluble solids, minerals, oils, and toxic compounds. Speaking in environmental terms, sludge is currently considered one of the major issues that need to be solved.
Dr. Refael Aharon, CEO and founder of Applied Cleantech:
“The revolution is in regarding these solids not as waste that must be hidden, consumed by bacteria, or buried, but as a resource and base for raw materials that is sold back to the industry.
“For the first time ever, this technology is able to recycle solids in waste water and turn them into raw materials that can be used to manufacture paper and plastic. It is currently being utilised in a few cities around the world, and in advanced negotiation phases with municipalities and investors in Europe and the United States.”
