Partners launch BODAC + Ozone Strong Water solution

Three Dutch water companies are collaborating to scale an activated carbon water purification technology on a global scale.

Taking BODAC technology from the Netherlands to the world

NieuWater, Nijhuis Saur Industries (NSI), and Jotem have signed a licencing agreement that positions Jotem to provide small-scale installations and NSI large-scale installations of the BODAC technology that has been successfully running at NieuWater's wastewater treatment plant in Emmen for 15 years.

BODAC: what is it and how does it work?

BODAC technology (Biological oxygen dosed activated carbon) removes micropollutants by combining pure oxygen dosing and granular activated carbon. Not only is the system effective at removing pollutants in water, it is also long-lasting.

Eddie Broeders, NSI global business development manager, Municipal, explained to Aquatech Online: "While used in an application for water reuse, for example, the system has demonstrated a consistent 70-80 per cent rate of pharmaceutical residue removal, without exchanging the activated carbon, even after 10 years of operation."

The key to this longevity is the creation of a unique biomass on the activated carbon (BioActive carbon), which regenerates the activated carbon in-situ. This BioActive carbon helps to create specific microorganism cultures which facilitates a combination of oxidation, absorption and biological degradation of organics and pharmaceutical residues.

The partners used the opportunity presented by Aquatech Amsterdam to launch a new solution to further improve BODAC's performance. By combining BODAC BioActive carbon with Ozone Strong Water (OSW), water purification, pharmaceutical residue removal, and biofouling control all performed to a higher standard, while cutting costs and reducing environmental impact. In terms of the removal of pharmaceutical residues this improves from 70-80 percent to 90 per cent.

It's this combination that the licensing agreement covers.

Proven technology for over 15 years

The BODAC technology has been proven effective for more than 15 years at WWTP Emmen. It has been removing over 70 per cent of pharmaceutical residues for 15 years, with no need to replace activated carbon. This lowers chemical use by 90 per cent, extends reverse osmosis (RO) membrane lifespan, and crucially for the partners scaling the technology globally, it offers the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) over 25 years.

At WWTP Emmen, the BODAC process sits between the ultrafiltration and RO stages of water treatment. Broeders had some advice for existing WWT plants exploring the possibility of incorporating a BODAC stage. He told Aquatech Online: "BODAC technology can be retrofitted in any existing WWTP either in steel vessels for small/medium scale WWTP or when a modular approach is desired or in concrete for medium/large installations."

Reduced chemical use and long-life membranes

BODAC has another benefit in the wastewater treatment process, helping to control biofouling on the RO membranes. When integrated with ultrafiltration and RO, the system reduces chemical usage by 90 per cent compared to conventional processes.

Even after 15 years, the original RO membranes at WWTP Emmen remain fully operational.

Adapting for the municipals market

To best serve the municipal market, BODAC has been further developed into a pressure-less variant. Broeders added: "The launch of BODAC + OSW is set to revolutionise municipal water treatment. This cutting-edge combination delivers unmatched efficiency in micropollutant removal, offering municipalities a cost-effective, low CO₂ footprint alternative to conventional treatment methods.

He continued: "The synergy of BODAC + OSW forms a powerful, sustainable barrier against contaminants, achieving superior purification at a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and reduced CO₂ footprint."

The solution now forms part of the NSI toolbox, as Wilbert Menkveld, CTO, explained: "We have added these technologies as standard modular building blocks to our toolbox for cost-effective micropollutant removal and water reuse. This enables us to offer our customers the best solutions for a long time and contribute to a more resilient and sustainable water loop."