Waste water - raw material instead of waste material

Namibian company develops innovative solution for industrial customers

DEG customer Ujams Wastewater Treatment Company (UWTC) has been operating a modern water treatment plant in Windhoek since 2014. A special membrane technology and a patented micro screening ensure that the treated water complies with Namibian waste water standards, which in some aspects are even stricter than the German ones.

But the Namibian company wants to achieve even more: The treated water and sludge are to be reused as raw materials. DEG supports Ujams by offering Business Support Services. DEG had already provided the company with a long-term loan of 100 million South African rand, equivalent to around EUR 7.3 million, for construction of the plant.

Together with the Austrian technology partner VA Tech WABAG GmbH and CIM GmbH, UWTC now wants to analyse in detail the process water cycles of important local industrial customers, in close cooperation with local stakeholders. The goal is to develop engineering solutions for pre-treatment and avoidance of especially polluted waste water.

Reuse of treated water and sludge

In this context it is also examined how the treated water can be used as industrial water for industrial and commercial purposes, e.g. in road construction. As a result, less fresh water will be wasted in future, and around 60,000 extra people can be supplied with drinking water, according to initial calculations. This is a significant relief for the greater area of Windhoek, which has suffered under water shortages for years.

The company will also develop a plan for reusing the produced sludge. After the intended further treatment, the sludge is to be used for energy generation by turning the produced biogas into electricity. This is an innovative approach, considering that currently energy is mainly imported from neighbouring countries. In future, the generated electric energy is to be used directly for operation of the waste water treatment plant. novative