Foz and Royal HaskoningDHV Sign Wastewater Treatment Agreement for Brazil

Foz, the Brazilian Water Company of Odebrecht Ambiental (Brazil), and engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV have signed a cooperation agreement to implement the innovative wastewater treatment technology Nereda in Brazil. Foz plans to build at least ten Nereda installations in the coming years to treat the wastewater of millions of Brazilians. The total contract value is expected to exceed 11.5 million Euro.

For both companies the cooperation agreement represents a major leap forward. In Brazil less than 30 percent of all domestic wastewater is treated. Mr Emyr Diniz Costa Junior, Foz’s Engineering Director, said “We believe Nereda can help us to contribute to better public health by providing people with access to sanitation. The Nereda technology treats wastewater more sustainably.” Foz starts the design of three Nereda plants this year, two in São Paulo, treating the wastewater of 140,000 people, and one in Rio de Janeiro for 550,000 people. In the next five years at least ten plants will follow in Brazil.

Royal HaskoningDHV’s Global Director for Water Products and Innovation, Mr René Noppeney, said “The challenge for many large cities around the world is to find sustainable solutions for sanitation that have a small footprint. Nereda offers that solution.” The footprint of a Nereda installation is up to a factor four smaller than that of conventional water purification systems. Mr Noppeney continued: “We see the Brazilian municipal water and wastewater market as a growth market. It is of great interest for our company that one of the foremost Brazilian water companies has chosen our innovative technology.”

Nereda is an award-winning, innovative technology that treats wastewater with less energy and chemicals and a smaller footprint than conventional water treatment systems. Nereda treats wastewater using the unique features of aerobic granular biomass. The purifying bacteria in Nereda create compact granules with superb settling properties. The technology is invented by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and developed in a unique public-private partnership between the University, the Dutch Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA), the Dutch Water Boards and Royal HaskoningDHV. After twenty years of research and development this innovative biological solution is now proving itself as the next leap forward in wastewater treatment technology.