The Center of Water Efficiency Excellence (SWEET), is a new research center established by Kemira and VTT Technical Research Center of Finland. The center incorporates the leading expertise in water management in a new way: all operations are based on customers’ needs and user-oriented thinking.
The scarcity of clean water is a growing challenge for municipalities and industries around the world. SWEET, a research center established by Kemira and VTT in March, aims to produce new solutions that enhance the efficiency of water management.
The center focuses on three research areas: water reuse, technologies related to biomass processes and water chemistry in the aid of sustainable development.
“Water reuse needs new perspectives that turn traditional thinking upside down. So far, the focus has been on treating wastewater and the raw water needed in different processes. With the growing scarcity of water resources, however, we need to increasingly focus on identifying the most optimal reuses for wastewater,” says Kaisu Annala, Vice President of Research & Development and Technology in Kemira’s Municipal & Industrial segment.
Use determines treatment
Treatment methods depend on how the water will be reused. For example, harmful bacteria needs to be removed from wastewater that will be directed to cultivated land, but such nutrients as phosphorus and nitrogen are not detrimental.
Different parts of the world have different conditions, presenting additional challenges for research and development. In many areas, the amount of available raw water varies considerably by rainfall and season. In these same areas, groundwater resources are dwindling and need to be replenished with treated wastewater.
Water reuse involves many research paths. Many industries need solutions that prevent scaling and corrosion in piping and equipment. The SWEET research center’s focus areas also include removing metals and salt from recycled water. New technologies require new chemistry.
In municipal wastewater treatment, the focus areas include removing detergents and medicinal substances. The content of these is not high, but the need for thoroughly removing all detrimental elements is increasing.
Dewatered biomass
The SWEET research center aims to enhance the use of biomass in energy and biofuel production. In this research area, the focus is on developing cost-effective ways of reducing the moisture content of different types of biomass.
Biomass and the processes using biomass are generally highly water-intensive. The moisture content of freshly felled wood is approximately 50 percent, and that of seaweed, an anticipated future source of biomass and energy, is more than 90 percent.
Dewatering and water recycling are key processes in biorefineries. Research and development also focus on dewatering the sludge from wastewater treatment. Research in these areas reflects one of the new center’s core strengths: synergy through incorporating different types of water expertise.
“We have diverse knowledge of wastewater treatment processes. Solutions for what is known as wet-end chemistry in paper manufacturing can also be applied to biomass treatment. We can find optimal solutions by combining different areas of expertise, but this requires persistent and consistent development.”
Cost-efficiency is key
Research and development are guided by cost-efficiency: new products and solutions must enhance customers’ competitive strengths. This is clearly apparent in enhancing energy efficiency, the underlying theme in all of the SWEET research center’s operations.
“Pumping water consumes a high amount of energy, so using chemistry to reduce the water masses that need to be treated brings considerable cost savings. In pulp and paper plants, for example, pumping water constitutes approximately half of all electricity use,” says Annala.
The SWEET center’s third research area, water chemistry in the aid of sustainable development, creates bio-based, biodegradable and recycled products. These include KemEguard polymers, which are already being used in oil drilling sites in the North Sea, to name just one example.
“Stricter environmental regulations increase the need for biodegradable products in many customer segments. The trend is from slightly detrimental chemicals to more sustainable products.”