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- Helsingborg, Sweden
Award-winning sanitation system in Helsingborg
The Oceanhamnen residential area uses an innovative, circular Desah system. Here, greywater and blackwater are collected and processed separately. In addition, the houses are equipped with food grinders in the kitchen, which dispose of food waste directly and process it locally.
The sanitation system is housed in the RecoLab, a research and development facility that also includes an exhibition area for visitors. This facility is a globally unique system for source-separated wastewater treatment that recovers important raw materials. As such, it fits perfectly with Helsingborg's ambition to become a fully circular city.
The Helsingborg project received international recognition. In 2015, Desah won the Swedish innovation prize in the “Blackwater and Food Waste Challenge”, in the category Treatment plant. And in 2022, the project received another prestigious award: the Global Water Award in the category Wastewater Project of the Year.
Awarded international innovation prizes
Location:
Helsingborg (SE)
Client:
NSVA
Market:
Decentralised wastewater treatment
Year of completion:
2021
What we delivered
For this project in Sweden, Desah was responsible for the complete supply and realisation of the circular sanitation system in Oceanhamnen. This included the installation of a digester for blackwater, which produces biogas. Kitchen waste is also processed locally: for this, Desah supplied the digester and hygiene units that process food waste.
Greywater from showers, sinks and washing machines is biologically purified and then polished using nanofiltration, so that it can be safely reused or discharged. A sophisticated control and automation system was integrated for stable and efficient operation. In addition, Desah provided on-site operator training and supervised the start-up and commissioning of the entire system.
Why this solution?
- Recovery of heat from greywater
- Up to 70% higher biogas production
- Reuse of treated water
- More than 30% drinking water savings
- More than three times higher struvite recovery
- Removal of micropollutants such as drug residues
- Reduced emissions of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide
- Energy-positive wastewater treatment
Technical details
Type
Source-separated
Capacity
2,300 PE
Scope
design, assembly and commissioning
“By separating wastewater at source, we can contribute to sustainability in many small ways.”
Project in pictures
From installation to final result - a compact project with a major impact.
The Oceanhamnen residential area in Helsingborg, Sweden.
The digestion tanks and the hygienisation units.
Nano-filtration membrane modules for the removal of micro-pollutants
The RecoLab test facility.
Also need a smart solution?
Interested in decentralised wastewater treatment and source-separated sanitation for residential developments? Our specialists are happy to advise you. Please contact us for personal advice or a no-obligation quote.
