Today, 18 April, saw the start of construction of a sewage treatment plant using the entirely new and innovative Verdygo design and construction philosophy, officially launched by the Chair and Vice-Chair of Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg, Ger Driessen (Chair, Peel & Maasvallei Waterboard) and Jan Schrijen (Chair, Roer & Overmaas Water Board).

The basic principle behind the Verdygo concept is customised sewage purification at the lowest possible cost to the community. A Verdygo sewage treatment plant is flexible, allowing you to respond to technological, demographic and climatic developments. Moreover, because Verdygo is above ground, modular and sustainable, it is easy to expand or scale down your plant, depending on market demand, or even move it to another location, for example closer to the customer.

Wiht ever higher demands being made of the quality of treated wastewater, traditional construction methods (static, underground, concrete tanks) are rapidly reaching their limits. By contrast, a Verdygo sewage treatment plant is entirely above ground and modular. “This offers enormous scope to innovate,” argues Ger Driessen, “because you can respond flexibly to new developments in treatment technology, which in turn enhances sustainability. Innovations are easy to implement by simply adding a module, and it’s even possible to test innovations in practice, such as phosphate recovery, sludge treatment or removing medicines from wastewater. So the sewage treatment plant is increasingly evolving into a ‘factory’ for energy, raw materials and water, thus contributing to the further development of the circular economy.”

Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg devised the Verdygo concept in-house and worked closely on its implementation within the so-called Golden Triangle of the business world, academia and public sector. “Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg is always open to innovations, and strives to stimulate and support the development of innovative products,” explains Jan Schrijen. “In that context, companies are welcome to use our infrastructure at Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg to try out new ideas. So for example, as part of the Verdygo project in Simpelveld we are using self-repairing concrete developed by Techical University Delft. Its sustainable and cost-saving qualities make self-repairing concrete potentially very attractive. Similarly, we are using different materials for each of the various large tanks in which the waste water is purified. As well as the concrete tank, there’s also a stainless steel one, a coated steel one and a wooden tank. This means the different materials can be properly compared, particularly where recycling is involved.”

Working closely with contractor Aan de Stegge, who are responsible for the design and construction work, the organic treatment at Simpelveld sewage treatment plant, including sludge thickening, will be replaced using the Verdygo concept design. While at a second location, the Roermond sewage treatment plant, the entire supply system will be replaced, including a booster pumping station and grilles.

Together, the two projects form a blueprint for a complete new treatment plant following the Verdygo concept. “Incredibly, with the above-ground, modular and standardized construction, construction costs are 20% lower than traditional construction costs and construction time a third shorter,” explains Guus Pelzer, Director Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg. “You can also achieve 20% savings on annual maintenance costs, which of course benefits local people who are, after all, the ones whose taxes pay for the treatment of the sewage.” Both the Simpelveld and Roermond projects will be completed by mid-2016. The total investment across both projects is €10.7 million.

Boilerplate

Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg is the sustainable producer of treated wastewater in Limburg. With maximum cost-efficiency, we convert wastewater and sewage sludge into valuable raw materials and energy, part of which we reuse to meet our own energy requirements. The wastewater comes from the 493,000 Limburg households and 30,000 businesses connected to our 500km sewer system. Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg produces 150million m3 of treated wastewater and processes 100,000 tons of sewage every year, making a vital link in the water chain.

Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg is the operational organisation of Waterschap Peel & Maasvallei and Waterschap Roer & Overmaas.