On Wednesday 13 July 2022 we signed an agreement with Hoogheemraadschap De Stichtse Rijnlanden (HDSR) for the construction of a plant that will recover cellulose from wastewater at the sewage treatment plant in Leidsche Rijn. The chain will be closed with KWS, that will process the recovered cellulose.
Renewable raw materials from treated toilet paper
In 2020, a fine screening installation will be put into operation in Leidsche Rijn as part of the expansion of the sewage treatment plant. By finely screening the wastewater, sieving material is filtered out of the water. The screening consist of cellulose fibers, a residue of purified toilet paper. With CellPro, Cellvation developed a method that can process the cellulose fibres from the screenings into the raw material Recell®. KWS is going to use this raw material in asphalt for roads and bicycle paths, among other things. The infra company will achieve a CO2 saving of 90% compared to using the regular product. On top of that, Recell® it is a raw material for biocomposites that are also used in the infrastructure. It can be used, for example, to make revetment walls, wall cladding, traffic signs and other materials. The water board can then use these materials for various projects and activities. In nature, cellulose is found in trees and plants and provides strength for leaves and branches. Recycling cellulose from wastewater saves about 2 tons of CO2 emissions per ton of cellulose converted.
A new installation
To convert the cellulose fibres into Recell© we are going to build a new installation at the sewage treatment plant Leidsche Rijn. This will be designed to produce 700 tons of Recell© annually and thus save 1400 tons of CO2. The captured cellulose will be dried and hygienised. The plant is expected to be completed in the autumn of 2023.
