United Utilities to roll out Nereda treatment technology

United Utilities is to roll out new Nereda wastewater treatment technology in three of its plants.

The utility firm has selected its Kendal, Morecambe and Failsworth works to be the first to use the Nereda technology, which uses granular biomass to treat wastewater in a more sustainable and cost-effective way.

Kendal wastewater treatment plant, situated on the banks of the River Kent, will be the largest Nereda plant in the UK, using the new technology from October 2018.

The installation of the new technology will also form part of a massive £70 million project upgrade at Morecambe wastewater treatment works, which is undergoing a massive overhaul to ensure the effluent leaving the works meets Environment Agency standards and will be operational in April 2019.

United Utilities has been an early adopter in looking at Nereda technology and had the first UK Nereda pilot plant delivered to its wastewater treatment works at Davyhulme, in Manchester in 2013.

“As a company we have been at the forefront of reviewing Nereda, which is a development of the conventional activated sludge process,” said United Utilities’ director of wastewater network plus, Keith Haslett.

“We are always looking for innovation to provide both customer and environmental benefits in a sustainable way and our pilot work has proven this innovation treatment process will provide a step change for wastewater treatment across the North West.

“Kendal will be the largest Nereda plant in the UK and Morecambe wastewater treatment works will treat additional flows in order to reduce the number of stormwater spills, increasing the quality of Morecambe’s bathing waters. In addition the footprint of all three sites including Failsworth are very compact, so the Nereda footprint benefits is an important plus factor in its competiveness.”