UK water sector trade organisation Future Water has announced the winner of the 2022 Water Dragons competition.
Supported by sponsors Hydrosave and new supporter wrc, the Dragons throughout 2022 came from investors, innovators, water companies and regulators. The innovators came from a variety of backgrounds and brought ideas from UK, Luxembourg and Canada, showing the international dimension that the competition is now developing.
The six presentations included innovations featuring:
- carbon negative phosphorous removal with Algae;
- reducing Hydraulic loading in wastewater networks;
- enhancing rising main performance;
- intelligent vortex generator reducing carbon and operating costs;
- wastewater level monitoring system;
- improving wastewater treatment with micro-nutrients.
Organisations pitching were given 8 minutes to explain what challenge they were addressing; what differentiated their product from others; why it was innovative; and the business case behind it.
The pitching companies were:
- Algaesys - Carbon-negative, algae based phosphorous removal from wastewater
- Atkins - SMART-NETT solution for reducing hydraulic loading in wastewater networks
- Intelligent Gels - Enhancing Rising Main Performance, reducing pollution event with innovative gel
- H2OVortex - Intelligent Vortex Generator, reducing Carbon footprint and operating costs
- Metasphere - ART sewer IoT Wastewater Level Monitoring Solution
- SciCorp - micronutrient solution for improving wastewater treatment, reducing sludge handling and reducing energy costs
The winning entry was submitted by Intelligent Gels.
Commenting on the judging outcome, Alastair Moseley, Water Dragon Judge Chair & Future Water Board Member said:
“All of the innovations presented to the Water Dragons judges, were high quality and all will have a part to play in the future transformation of the water sector. Choosing a winner was therefore extremely challenging but, in the end, it came down to the innovation that the judges felt was breaking new ground and doing something that hasn’t been available before.
“Future Water has produced the first 'Report Card' for the water sector, focused on Pipes & Sewers and the winners presented a technology that has the capacity to transform the way we manage the performance of pipes, rising mains and sewer, and for that reason, Intelligent Gels was the winner. I am also delighted that the judges awarded highly commended to H2OVortex, for the Intelligent Vortex Generator and SciCorp for its micronutrient solution both pushing forward the boundaries of what is possible. Congratulations to both companies for their ingenuity and creativity.”
First launched by Future Water in 2008, the Water Dragons competition provides a unique opportunity for companies to pitch product, service or process innovations to a panel of senior water company executives and industry specialists. Now in its fifteenth year, Water Dragons continues to evolve - 2022 saw a wide range of entries from across the sector.
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