Bluewater Bio to upgrade sewage treatment in S. Africa

London-based Bluewater Bio International said today it signed a three-year deal to give Headstream Water Holdings the exclusive rights to its technology in South Africa.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the companies said they plan to expand into other sub‑Saharan African countries after the South African launch. Many companies see South Africa as an entry point into the the African market (see Plug Power sells 120 fuel cell power systems in South Africa). 

Bluewater developed a hybrid Bacillus activated sludge (HYBACS) technology, an odorless waste-treatment process that produces a re-usable effluent. The HYBACS process can treat water from municipal systems, domestic sewage, industrial systems, dairy processing, meat processing, soft drink manufacturing and landfill leachate.

The companies said Bluewater Bio's technology could help upgrade small municipalities' wastewater plants that are poorly maintained or too small for the growing populations. South Africa has 1,619 registered wastewater treatment plants, and the companies said more than 60 percent aren't meeting water-quality standards.

Bluewater says the HYBACS system can either halve the land requirement or increase the treatment capacity of an existing works, which reduces build cost. Bluewater says the system also reduces the electricity demand of a conventional plant—a significant advantage in the South African market.

Last year, a report by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa said the country's economy lost ZAR 50 billion ($6.67 billion) because state-owned utility Esko had trouble meeting peak demand. The report estimated Esko shed 4,000 MW during peak demand, causing outages that disrupted businesses, traffic, industry, hospitals, homes, and schools—even forcing the major mining groups shut down operations due to safety concerns (see BioTherm gets $150M to address energy crisis in S. Africa).

The HYBACS process removes a number of pollutants, including nitrates, phosphates, E.Coli and carbonaceous matter from domestic, agricultural and industrial effluents using the Bacillus bacteria. The system treats the biological waste in municipal wastewater down to 10 milligrams per liter of biological oxygen demand.

The grey water can then be used for process industries, irrigation and air conditioning projects.

Bluewater designs and builds wastewater treatment centers and trains staff but does not typically operate the plants.

In November, Bluewater signed a five-year deal with Aqualia Gestiόn Integral del Agua to generate reusable gray water from effluent in Avila, Spain. The deal also gave Aquila, a subsidiary of Madrid-based builder Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, exclusive rights to sell the technology in Spain (see Bluewater, Aqualia sign 5-year wastewater deal).