Climate Protection Minister Katrin Eder hands over funding notice for pilot operation for the elimination of trace substances at the Speyer sewage treatment plant - a promising future project for water protection
“In collaboration with the RPTU Kaiserslautern and the company Zahnen from the Eifel, the Speyer waste disposal companies have embarked on a particularly innovative path to better water protection made in RLP: Investments in modern wastewater treatment are important investments in the future in many respects. Efficient and effective sewage treatment plants primarily serve to protect our water and, in many places, make a valuable contribution to the energy transition and thus also to climate protection. With the pilot plant now in operation and the feasibility study for a fourth purification stage at the local sewage treatment plant, Speyer Waste Management (EBS) is on the right track to explore the possibilities of reducing substance inputs into our waters, particularly from the production and use of pharmaceutical, industrial and cosmetic products," said Climate Protection Minister Katrin Eder on February 23rd. in Speyer. There she handed over a notice for 200,000 euros. The state is using the funds to support the pilot operation at the Speyer sewage treatment plant, which is scientifically supported by the Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau.
The groundbreaking model project was initiated through the mediation of Ecoliance Rheinland-Pfalz e.V. The network for environmental technology now plays a central role in bringing together innovative players in the water management of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The project presents an innovative container solution for eliminating trace substances from the wastewater of the Speyer sewage treatment plant. This process was developed by the Zahnen Technik company from Arzfeld, one of the most innovative companies in the Rhineland-Palatinate water industry. With around 160 employees, Zahnen Technik is committed to setting standards in drinking water supply and wastewater treatment.
The mobile cleaning technology from Zahnen Technik is characterized by its small space requirement, as it requires neither foundations nor additional containers. This makes them particularly suitable for small and medium-sized sewage treatment plants, such as those that are widespread in Rhineland-Palatinate. The model project in Speyer, which is supported scientifically, is intended to test the suitability of the process for improved wastewater treatment and offers significant economic benefits in addition to ecological ones.
The relevance of this project is underlined against the background of the upcoming European Municipal Wastewater Directive, which for the first time prescribes the 4th treatment stage for sewage treatment plants, graded according to size classes, and is expected to become law before the summer break. The results from Speyer are therefore of particular importance for Rhineland-Palatinate, as they could also show how the goals of the Water Framework Directive can be achieved efficiently.
We are pleased that the successful cooperation between Zahnen Technik GmbH and Stadtwerke Speyer GmbH, mediated by Ecoliance GreenTech Innovation GmbH, allows innovative solutions to be developed and implemented to improve our water quality.
Both Stadtwerke Speyer GmbH and Zahnen Technik GmbH are long-standing members of the environmental technology network and have both been actively involved in Ecoliance for years.