Unique and innovative research launched for treating medicine residues in waste water: UVO
Water technology company Nijhuis Water Technology B.V. and Van Remmen UV, together with Waterschap Rijn en IJssel, are launching an innovative study on how hospital wastewater can be treated easily, flexibly and cost-effectively. Currently, hospital wastewater, containing residues of medicine, cleaning and contrast agents, goes via the sewer to sewage treatment plants. However, a sewage treatment plant can remove about 65% of these residues with current state-of-the-art technology. The treated water then ends up back in streams and rivers. To keep treatment affordable and make the water even cleaner, cooperation throughout the wastewater chain is needed.
UVO Project
To pre-treat hospital waste water in a suitable way before it is discharged to the sewer, Nijhuis Water Technology, part of Nijhuis Industries, and Van Remmen UV have developed the UVO concept. Here, integrated Ozone and UV treatment ensures the breakdown of medicines, X-ray contrast liquids and resistant bacteria. Hospital wastewater is thus pre-treated in a very targeted and efficient way (source approach). During this project, Nijhuis Water Technology, Van Remmen UV and Waterschap Rijn en IJssel will further investigate and optimise the UVO concept. This is currently taking place in the laboratory, from the fourth quarter of 2018 at the Streekziekenhuis Koningin Beatrix (decentralised source approach) and in 2019 at the Winterswijk sewage treatment plant (post-treatment). The ultimate goal of this project is a cost-effective treatment of micropollutants that can be easily, flexibly and modularly applied to the treatment demand of the future.
