Aurea wins two Aquatech Innovation Awards

We’re thrilled to have won the Aquatech Innovation Award in Wastewater Treatment and the Overall Award for Aurea – our efficient and sustainable micropollutant removal solution. We were up against some stiff competition, and winning is testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Aurea team and its crucial work in micropollutant removal.

The amount of micropollutants entering the natural environment is rising. Larger amounts of more complex pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals and other sources of micropollutants are being washed down our drains. And current treatment plants are not equipped to adequately remove them from wastewater.

Commonly used micropollutant removal technologies like ozone or activated carbon treatment are unsustainable, costly, and pose risks to the environment. That’s why it’s crucial to take another approach to this area of wastewater treatment.

We wanted to develop a safer, more sustainable, and more cost effective way to remove micropollutants from wastewater. So, in collaboration with Wageningen University, we invented one: Aurea Technology.

An innovative, efficient, and accessible technology

Aurea technology isn’t just a concept, it’s a usable solution that has been successfully piloted at WWTP Horstermeer and is moving towards full-scale installations in the Netherlands at WWTP Zeist and WWTP Woerden. And its benefits have already been proven in both pilot studies and extensive lab tests.

Aurea delivers high removal efficiency for a broad spectrum of organic micropollutants with significantly lower energy consumption than other conventional treatments and, consequently, lower operational costs.

In fact, Aurea’s benefits extend far beyond micropollutant removal efficiency. Aurea Technology can deliver cleaner water, lower emissions, and improved sustainability.

• By minimising chemical consumption and energy use it delivers a low carbon footprint.
• It’s additional complete removal of ammonium from effluent contributes to the European Framework Direction objectives for surface water.
• The BACF process improves resource efficiency with a lifetime of up to 25 years.
• Aurea’s high removal efficiency of a large range of micropollutants contributes to safe drinking water sources and protects aquatic ecosystems.

A new standard for micropollutant removal

Water Authority de Stichtse Rijnlanden is helping pioneer Aurea Technology. The first full-scale installation of Aurea Technology is currently in progress at WWTP Zeist. This project is designed to handle 12,500 m3/h and serve a population equivalent of 100,000 people.

This project will help pave the way for many more Aurea Technology installations across the Netherlands and beyond in the near future.

And, crucially, the recognition from the Aquatech Innovation Awards naming Aurea Technology winners of the Wastewater Treatment category, in addition to it winning the prestigious Vernufteling Award in 2024, will help it reach even more wastewater treatment plants in the future.