The development of the Capacitive Deionisation (CapDI) desalination system for wastewater recycling is to be funded specifically for agricultural use by a € 1.2 million order for Voltea BV awarded on 26 May 2011 by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure & the Environment (MIE).
The funding comes from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which encourages entrepreneurs to develop new solutions to help the Netherlands adapt to changes in climate and water.
Voltea (which was featured in the May/June 2011 issue of D&WR) received the order after successfully completing a € 50,000 feasibility study in 2010, showing that CapDI technology can desalinate wastewater more efficiently than other competing technologies such as reverse osmosis. The feasibility study was carried out in collaboration with the Delft Blue Water project consortium (Delfuent, Evides, Veolia, Hoogheemraadschap Delfland).
As part of the upcoming project, Voltea will build a full-scale treatment line, featuring CapDI technology, which will desalinate 5-10 m³/h of effluent from the Harnaschpolder Wastewater Treatment Plant near Delft. The project’s goal is to produce desalinated water that can be reused for irrigation of local greenhouses.
A new regulatory environment makes wastewater reuse for agricultural purposes an attractive option for farmers, wastewater treatment plant operators and companies providing wastewater-reuse solutions. This project is of high importance to both the MIE and Voltea.
For the ministry, the project means meeting important climate and water change goals. For Voltea, the SBIR grant provides an enormous opportunity to adapt and develop CapDI technology for the wastewater reuse market.
Voltea CEO, Michiel Lensink comments “Water reuse is a major trend in the water industry and this project will give Voltea the opportunity to demonstrate that our CapDI technology is one of the most efficient technologies for the desalination of brackish water”.