Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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28 | MAY 2019 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk The Knowledge Innovation Zone Thames Water makes energy-efficient bricks from sewage UU launches second Innovation Lab Sewage sludge is being used to create building materials in the Thames Water region United Utilities' Innovation Lab will give innovative businesses the chance to work with the company to explore how they could help solve key challenges T hames Water has found a way to use sewage to help create a material for carbon negative heavy-duty bricks. U nited Utilities has launched its second accelerator programme to help tech start-ups and other innovative businesses grow and develop their solu- tions through a collaborative approach. Following last year's successful Innovation Lab programme, which saw seven companies developing their ideas, United Utilities has started the application process looking for its second cohort. The Innovation Lab, which is being run in partnership with corporate innovation specialist L Marks, offers an opportunity for innovative businesses to collaborate with the water company and help to tackle key business challenges. Those successful in gain- Every day, the waste of 4 million Londoners entering Europe's largest sewage works in Beckton is drained of water, with the le-over solids roasted ing a place in the Lab will be co-located and work closely with United Utilities to test, develop, improve and demon- strate their product or service in a live customer environment over a 10-week period. In addition, the programme will enable the successful ap- plicants to build relationships with senior United Utilities executives, potentially leading to longer-term commercial partnerships. Steve Fraser, United Utili- ties Chief Operating Officer, said: "Last year's Innovation Lab was a huge success. We made connections and set up contracts with some excit- ing new suppliers that would never have crossed our path otherwise. It's fair to say that the Lab helped us to hone our in the company's waste-to- energy incinerator. The high temperatures sanitise the waste and release heat for producing electricity on site. The le-over ash has – until now – been binned. The innovation will see this dried residue ash reacted with carbon dioxide, water, sand and a small quantity of cement to form aggregate for individual breeze blocks, each weighing 17kg. Thames Water's supply deal is expected to produce 18,000 tonnes of aggregate every year, enough for around 2.3 million construction blocks to be used in a range of prop- erty and business develop- ments across the capital and beyond. Nigel Watts, Thames Water's head of wastewater treatment, said: "We're trans- forming tonnes of waste from our sewage treatment process into a useful product, which can be used in construction in a variety of ways. It's amazing to think that what's flushed down the toilet could light up PR19 business plan, bring- ing innovation right to the forefront to help meet the chal- lenge of delivering more to our customers for less. "We're very excited to launch the second Innova- tion Lab and we're looking forward to hearing from even your bathroom and now help build homes, helping to sup- port the huge growth predicted for our region. "We're always looking for alternative, more sustainable ways to dispose of waste that avoids landfill and this is fan- tastic news for our customers, putting downward pressure on bills, and the environment, which we work hard to protect and enhance." Using ash to produce synthetic aggregate locks in around 800 tonnes of CO2 and will replace 18,000 tonnes of natural resources being dug out of the ground annually, contributing to the UK's circular economy. In addition, the synthetic aggregate is carbon beneficial as more CO2 is captured than is generated in the manufac- turing process. Last year, Yorkshire Wa- ter announced that it has begun transferring treated water from a wastewater treatment plant to construc- tion solutions provider Tar- mac to produce concrete. more companies with great ideas. Together we can de- velop those ideas into better and more efficient services, not just for our own custom- ers but right across the water industry." Daniel Saunders, L Marks Chief Operating Officer, add- ed: "We are delighted once again to partner with United Utilities in delivering the second Innovation Lab. The first Lab was a huge success capped by the Supply Chain Excellence Award at the Util- ity Week Awards 2018. We are looking forward to uncover- ing the most exciting and in- novative companies that can help address United Utilities' key business challenges and build on the success of the 2017/18 programme."