Ofwat has published far-reaching proposals which include opening up the market for sludge – flagging up forecasts which suggest the bioresources market could produce benefits of up to £780 million.

The lengthy paper setting out Ofwat’s plans to introduce a series of major reforms says:

“Our objective in changing the way we regulate sludge is to stimulate markets in sludge services. This would enable and incentivise companies to pursue the best solutions in sludge treatment and maximise benefits for customers, the environment and the companies themselves.”

“As new providers enter the market, we anticipate increasing resilience in sludge services, with companies able to choose from a number of alternatives for treating, disposing of and recycling their sludge in both day-to-day operations and to lessen the effects of disruptions.”

The issue looks set to be a major topic for discussion at this year’s UK AD & Biogas conference and exhibition taking place on the 6th and 7th July at the NEC in Birmingham.

Now in its the sixth year, UK AD & Biogas is UK's only dedicated anaerobic digestion and biogas trade show.The event is already an essential date in the calendar for AD operators using food and farm waste as their feedstock. With sewage treatment now firmly on the agenda and set to move even higher with the prospect of a lucrative competitive market, key players including the water companies will be looking for intelligence to take advantage of the business opportunities on offer.

This year, as ADBA makes a big push to the international market, the thriving Association has launched its first ever award for ‘Innovation in Sewage Treatment through AD’, with Veolia UK & Ireland, Landia, Symbiona SA and Weltec Biopower shortlisted for the inaugural prize.

The success of the Anaerobic & Bioresources Association’s (ADBA) two-day exhibition and conference has been the total focus on its core market - evidenced by year-in, year-out increasing numbers of visitors.

The inclusion of a new sewage treatment/AD award is a timely acknowledgement of the water industry’s readiness of both the incumbent water companies and potential new entrants to the market alike to take advantage of the opportunities now opening up.

While anaerobic digestion is of course nothing new to the municipal sector, since the creation of the association less than seven years ago the industry has seen rapid development of technologies focussed on process optimisation.

The water companies will undoubtedly look with increasing interest at the innovative technologies now available - for example, a digester mixing system that will increase gas by around 12-15%, as one award nominee has already proved.

Charlotte Morton, ADBA’s Chief Executive, believes that the equipment on offer from the Association’s members is spot-on for sewage treatment plants.

“In a short space of time our members have become incredibly innovative”, she says. 

“UK AD & Biogas will showcase equipment that is designed for purpose, capable of getting the very most out of not just agricultural and food waste, but sewage too”.

Among the finalists for the ‘‘Innovation in Sewage Treatment through AD’ award is Landia’s GasMix technology.  For EPS Water at an Irish Water sewage treatment plant, GasMix not only produces a very healthy gas yield, but also makes big reductions in energy usage and maintenance.  Externally-mounted, with no moving parts inside the digester, it also eliminates numerous health and safety issues such as the need for breathing apparatus and working from heights.

“At ADBA we have been keen to promote joined-up-thinking since day one”, continued Morton.  “Some of our members are no strangers to the municipal sector, but their work in process optimisation for AD plants is now ripe and ready for the water companies to take full advantage of”.

Landia, who have been nominated for a total of five awards at UK AD & Biogas, are putting their GasMix system to the test with extensive ongoing academic studies – the first of which showed a 3% increase in gas yields at Viborg Sewage Treatment Works – a figure achieved with GasMix only operating for just five minutes per hour, at a plant with only 2% solids. 

In the same Study, conducted by the University of Aarhus, a consistent increase of 12.5% was recorded at LBT Agro, with the same figure being produced at Eco Sustainable Solutions in Dorset, for which GasMix is also on the ADBA award shortlist in the Best Process Optimisation category.

On digester mixing alone, gas yield improvements of 10% and more will undoubtedly spark the interest of water companies looking to maximise their energy generation capabilities and revenue opportunities.

Energy savings of 50% and a reduction in maintenance costs of 50% should also firmly tick the water industry boxes for Innovation and TOTEX.

Ofwat’s proposals herald major changes which look set to transform the UK water sector. The paper outlining its plans to create a competitive market for sludge says:

“There are …important opportunities, as sludge services are not a natural monopoly. They have many similarities with organic waste treatment services.”

“There are opportunities to broaden the range of those involved in sludge services, to optimise treatment, recycling and disposal outside traditional company boundaries – through sludge trading or third parties, for example.”

“So, our longer-term vision involves markets for sludge, unlocking its potential as a resource by informing, enabling and incentivising companies operating in these markets to do more for less, to make the best use of resources and to find new ways of doing things.” 

For water companies looking to optimise sludge – or bioresources, the term now also used by Ofwat – the highly focused AD event is a timely opportunity for the water sector to explore the technologies which will enable them to do this.