Aquaviva is Unique in the World
Aquaviva, the first carbon-neutral water treatment plant in the world, comes into service.
On December 22, Bernard Brochand, Deputy Mayor of Cannes, Chairman of the Unified Syndicate of Purification of Cannes Basin (SIAUBC) and Yann Rolland, Deputy-CEO of Lyonnaise des Eaux, surrounded by mayors and representatives of the eight towns members of the SIAUBC, have put into service the wastewater treatment plant Aquaviva. At the forefront of environmental requirements, and thanks to its technical performances, Aquaviva is the first carbon neutral wastewater treatment plant in the world and will allow to send back pure water to our environment. The treatment process used is based on membrane technology which is the most efficient process for ensuring treatment efficiency and discharge quality meeting the requirements of the Directive on bathing water. The purification plant ensures no greenhouse gas emissions. This performance is achieved through a series of ambitious and innovative technical options: wastewater filtering by membranes, bacteria to remove pollutants such as phosphorus and centrifugation to get rid of the muds. The Aquaviva station will treat up to 88 000m3 per hour for a 300,000 population equivalent, an advanced equipment combining ecology and high technology to have no impact on the environment in the Cannes basin. The method of treatment by ultrafiltration (the water goes through spaghetti-like membranes) eliminates two times more pollution than required by current standards. In addition, methods for recovery of heat contained in waste water will make the station carbon neutral.
The putting in water is the preliminary phase of the putting into service of the Aquaviva wastewater treatment plant. The process, taking place over four months (until March 2012) is to increase gradually the load of wastewater in the new plant so that the bacterial flora and microfauna (biomass), alone capable of ensuring the elimination of the dissolved pollution by their own development (hence the name of biological treatment), have time to implement and achieve the optimal concentration required in the aeration basins. This period is also being used to start setting the various parameters of operation of the plant such as injection into the basins of the air necessary for the development of biomass purification, or rates of recirculation of activated sludge (another term used to refer to the purifying biomass). The sludge collected will be dried and processed in a factory next to Aquaviva and sold as fertilizer.
Aquaviva has a processing capacity of 300,000 inhabitants-equivalent when put into service, capacity that can be extended to 350,000 inhabitants-equivalent, corresponding to the planned development of Cannes basin purification by 2040. Eight municipalities are connected to Aquaviva via hundreds of miles of wastewater collection and transport: Auribeau sur Siagne, Cannes, Le Cannet, Mandelieu, Mouans-Sartoux, Pégomas, La Roquette sur Siagne and Théoule, from which Acquaviva will receive 15 million m3 of effluent to be treated per year. Aquaviva will be delivered in September 2012; its realization has needed the investment of 77 million euros (excluding taxes) and the Water Agency was involved for 20 million euros of aid.
At the end of his address, Mr Brochand, emphasizing the beauty of the buildings, covered with vegetal walls, has announced that Cannes would propose the site to be admired by tourists as part of industrial tourism.
