Curio Water has announced plans to build ten pilot plants using Ozonia® ozone systems supplied by Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions that will allow water companies to test for a wide range of micropollutants in different sites across the UK.

Photo: ozone plant construction at Severn Trent's Frankton WwTW

The initiative aims to help water companies fully establish the extent of the problem in UK waterways ahead of legislation.

With over 30 years’ worth of experience in water treatment applications globally. Curio provided engineering support for Europe’s first micropollutant plant for wastewater treatment in Neugut, Switzerland, which has been operational since 2014. 

The announcement comes amidst growing interest in tackling the problem of micropollutants in UK waters. Earlier this year, Severn Trent unveiled plans for the UK’s first wastewater micropollutant removal plants to adhere to the strengthening of existing legislation as well as upcoming measures.

Curio has been working with Severn Trent Water to build, supply and test the impact of ozone as an additional treatment for removing micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals and antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the UK’s first waste water micropollutant plant at Frankton, Warwickshire.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate will be using and analysing the sampling results from sites at Severn Trent to formulate new micropollutant removal regulations, with implementation of subsequent treatment infrastructure envisaged during AMP 8 through AMP 9.

Micropollutants cover a broad range of contaminants - with PFA “forever chemicals”, trace pharmaceuticals, and pesticides being of particular concern. Despite appearing at trace levels, research has suggested that they can pose long term harm to both human health and the environment.

Testing for the chemicals is both a technical and logistical challenge. The type and prevalence of micropollutants can vary depending on the site, while variations in the discharge of effluent require long term sampling and a variety of techniques to accurately establish the full composition.

Curio’s micropollutant testing plants will allow water companies to test for these chemicals on site. It will also allow companies to test different ozone treatments to inform potential full scale installations that can effectively tackle their problem.

Howard Marles, CEO of Curio Water, said:

“These pilot plants are an innovative and much-needed solution for the UK water industry when it comes to testing for micropollutants. They have been designed based on our experience working in sites in Europe, and with Severn Trent in the UK, who will soon have micropollutant removal facilities up and running for their bathing water sites.

“Testing for micropollutants is both a technical and logistical challenge. Our pilot plants are designed as flexible ‘plug and play’ installations for use with both urban and rural discharges, and will allow companies to approach the supply chain with high-quality data on the nature and scale of their micropollutant problem.”

In September 2024 Curio announced it was building the UK’s first pilot plant aimed at assessing the impact of different combinations of technology for micropollutant removal from wastewater technologies which would operate at Cranfield University’s campus in Bedfordshire.

Laurent de Franceschi, Head of Applications from Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions, commented:

“These plants have been developed based on the experience of countries like Switzerland that have pioneered micropollutant testing and removal. We hope that over the next decade, they will help the UK achieve some of the cleanest and most environmentally friendly bathing waters in the world.”