INTERNATIONAL WATER PRIZE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF VIVIMAG

Extraordinary news from Wetsus. The ‘European center of excellence for sustainable water technology’ and TU Delft have received the silver award in the prestigious International Water Association’s (IWA) Project Innovation Award in the category “Breakthroughs in Research and Development”. The award was handed out at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 13 September. The technology for magnetically extracting the valuable element phosphorus from wastewater—ViviMag®— was selected as one of the three winners out of 203 entries from 52 countries. “We are thrilled to get this recognition for our development”, says Leon Korving, project lead at Wetsus.

The ViviMag technology was developed by Wetsus and TU Delft in cooperation with Kemira, STOWA, water authority Brabantse Delta, Vandcenter Syd, Aquaminerals, Aquacare and

Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg. Royal Haskoning DHV recently joined the development. The pilot phase was completed with funding from EIT Raw Materials, an EU innovation community.

“We are thrilled to get this recognition for our development”, says Leon Korving, project lead at Wetsus.

“ViviMag® is a prime example of how basic scientific insights combined with a visionary collaboration with private and public partners can lead to radical new solutions for our common future.” Prof. Mark van Loosdrecht (TU Delft) adds: “The project is a great example of how curiosity-driven research in an engineering environment can lead to innovative solutions for societal problems.” new member!

ViviMag started with fundamental research by Wetsus and TU Delft that identified vivianite as a key mineral in sewage treatment plants. The paramagnetic property of the mineral was exploited to recover the vivianite from sewage sludge using magnetic separation equipment borrowed from the mining industry, resulting in a nice example of ‘urban mining’. With financial support from the European EIT Raw Materials programme, the approach was piloted at the Breda sewage treatment plant of the Dutch water authority Brabantse Delta.

Kemira is now the patent owner and has taken the lead in upscaling the approach further. Kemira is a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries. A second continuous pilot installation in Germany in partnership with Veolia is an important step. Further tests are planned in Denmark and the Netherlands. The first demonstration plant in the Netherlands is already being planned.