A consortium led by France-based Suez Group, with Razel-Bec and VINCI subsidiary Triverio Construction has been awarded a civil engineering contract for the Haliotis 2 wastewater treatment facility in Nice, by Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur and Eau d’Azur. The $770-million project, which will replace the existing plant and treat wastewater from 680,000 residents across 26 municipalities, will be the largest of its kind in France, according to the team.

Among plant features is its ability to remove 90% of microplastics and the generation of renewable energy, including solar and biomethane from sludge, during treatment. Work will start in the summer of next year and will include demolition or repurposing of existing structures and building new wastewater treatment facilities, as well as air treatment and recovery systems for heat and biogas. The project will also include 4.5 landscaped hectares with 600 trees. The plant is expected to come on line in phases from 2025 to 2030, with most of the current equipment and future demolition materials to be reused as backfill.

“Haliotis 2 will be an environmental benchmark. It will combine the reduction of microplastics, the reuse of treated wastewater and the production of green and local energy,” said Sabrina Soussan, Suez Chairman and CEO, in a statement. She termed the plant “a technological performance that meets the challenges of the coming years in terms of water quality, the circular economy and decarbonization.”

Spain

Carbon Capture and Conversion at Wastewater Treatment Plant

ACCIONA is part of the seven-country, European Union-funded HICCUPS project. At a demonstration plant that will be built and housed at an ACCIONA wastewater treatment plant in Spain, CO2 emissions produced during the treatment process will be captured from biogas and converted to monomers. These small molecules can bond to other molecules, in this case creating the polymer PLGA. The project will explore the potential of the polymer to replace polyethylene in packaging materials that will be made with PLGA film-coated paper and injection molding. The project, which launched in September, will run through August 2027 and is funded by a $5.4-million EU grant. Avantium is the project coordinator.

UK

Piloting a Saltmarsh Carbon Code

Jacobs is part of a team being led by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology based in England to develop and test a UK Saltmarsh Carbon Code, which will be a voluntary standard. The code will create a framework for carbon captured by saltmarshes and other coastal systems, dubbed blue carbon, to be sold and traded in the form of carbon offsets, with proceeds going toward coastal restoration projects. The code will spur up to $1.39 billion worth of private investment, according to Jacobs.

The Netherlands

A ‘Living Lab’ to Save Water

Photo courtesy of RAMBOLL

Dutch water utility Vitens, which relies on groundwater for its water supply, has chosen a consortium that includes ADS Group Water B.V. as contractor and Ramboll as subject matter expert on the “living lab.” The project will allow the utility to test water treatment technologies and increase its supply. The team will develop the project over five years under a design, build, operate and maintain contract. The demonstration plant will be designed and built in two phases, with a capacity of 5 to 10-million cu m per year. Phase three will involve operations. A panel of international experts will advise and learn from the project.