Applied CleanTech to Install Sewage Recycling Systems in Slovenia and Croatia

London-based Applied CleanTech has signed an agreement with entrepreneurs in Slovenia and Croatia, to establish about 200 of Applied CleanTech’s Sewage Recycling Systems (SRS) at the countries' wastewater treatment facilities.

According to the company, the sludge buildup as a wastewater byproduct in the two countries is currently transported to Austria for incineration due to a lack of a better solution, incurring high treatment costs. Applied CleanTech says that its new technology will enable Slovenia and Croatia to transform their sewage wastewater into high-quality raw materials for the global plastics and paper industry and lessen the load on regional wastewater treatment plants by around 35 percent, it says. The value of the transaction is estimated at more than €10 million (US$13.1 million) over the next five years.

The technology is implemented in an automatic and efficient facility that recycles raw sewage solids and transforms them into high-energy products through the continuous SRS process. At the end of the process, the sewage solids turn into a clean raw material with high energy potential, says the company.

The company's development was designed to solve the problems of sewage treatment, and, according to Applied CleanTech, is the only one of its kind worldwide. Today, part of the waste is disposed of by landfill or incineration, and part is disposed of via the sewers to wastewater treatment facilities. Raw sewage entering the treatment facility contains oils and toxic compounds. Treating the material requires great energy investment, numerous chemicals and a solution for the sludge produced as a byproduct.

Dr. Raphael Aharon, CEO and founder of Applied Cleantech, says, "The revolution is in recognizing solids incineration as a resource and basis for a raw material, which can be sold back to industry to widen the recycling circuit. Currently, the company is in advanced negotiations with additional countries in the U.S. and Europe to establish more projects of this kind."