Progress report for
BKT Tomorrow Water Project
Achievement at a glance
The newly formed TWP Advisory Board comprises distinguished industry experts in water treatment, water stewardship and policy, environmental engineering, and global collaborative networking. Included are Dr. Joan Rose, 2016 Stockholm Water Prize recipient, Professor Jeannette Brown, former Water Environment Federation President, Dr. Sandeep Sathyamoorthy, Process and Innovation Lead at Black & Veatch, Dr. Paul O’Callaghan, Bluetech Research CEO, Dr. Joh Kang, engineering consulting industry veteran of 40 years.<Process Design Progress>
TWP consists of two main parts: downstream for wastewater treatment and upstream for biosolids treatment and biogas production. TWP has signed partnership with various major engineering companies, such as Black and Veatch, and with City of Los Angeles Sanitation District (LASAN), to commercialize Mainstream AMX. These partnerships are intended to promote co-operations in on-going pilot projects and explore potential business opportunities. Along with Proteus, these are the two key components to downstream treatment.
In 2021, Tomorrow Water was selected to develop an upstream co-digestion project in the City of Pocheon, South Korea. The project is another step towards the ultimate application of TWP, combining co-digestion technologies with AMX for energy savings and high nitrogen removal. Upon completion, the project will act as a flagship site which will demonstrate many of TWP’s complementary unit technologies in action.
<Digital Formation>
Co-flow, the newly branded concept for developing datacenters on wastewater treatment plants, is under continued development and has signed partnerships with major engineering companies, including Arcadis and Samsung. The Co-Flow design has piqued the interest of several datacenter developers and operators, and there are ongoing discussions on how to effectively implement it in the real world.
Challenges faced in implementation
With the success of bench and lab scale experiments for TWP technologies, some full-scale adaptations of the technologies are now operating in the real world. As the development of many of major technologies are approaching completion, the ability to demonstrate the TWP concept is closer to actualization. Nevertheless, the main challenge has been identifying a local entity within a developing nation with the vision and capabilities to support construction, local coordination, sourcing, installation, and commissioning of a TWP site, all of which is paramount in securing proper project funding.For this purpose, TW has been in discussion about possible collaboration with Water Equity in India to bring some resources or local network into this project. Water Equity, who is forming an infrastructure fund for developing countries, showed strong interests since TWP is in line with what they are pursuing. Further discussion and collaboration effort will follow.
Additionally, efforts in searching for TWP funding were aggravated by the slowdown of the global economy because of the COVID pandemic, which have been further compounded as preference has shifted to more short-sighted objectives to combat COVID and a potential economic downturn.
Next Steps
The TWP Advisory Board’s goal is to oversee the standardization of technologies used in TWP plants to ensure adaptability and flexibility in the face of diverse plant locations. The Advisory Board will also provide guidance on securing funding for the initiative from governments, foundations and private investors committed to environmental and social causes set by the UNSDGs. The Advisory Board plans to conclude the initial phase with the successful installation and commissioning of the first TWP plant within a developing nation.1) Technology Development Completion
Since Co-Flow has been received well by different industry sectors, the newly formed partnerships have catapulted Co-Flow to the brink of realization. Mainstream AMX is now shifting their research and development to refine on the process and conditions needed to consistently deliver stable operations. Long term research regarding oxygenic photo-granules (OPG) and keratin extraction from hog hair and slaughterhouse waste is ongoing and under rigorous development.
2) Funding for Demonstrations in Advancing Countries
We are continuously looking for funding to demonstrate our comprehensive solutions through TWP, and the formation of it’s Advisory Board has been a monumental step forward. With the invaluable knowledge, leadership and network provided by this cohort of experts, we are optimistic in our ability to successfully identify a TWP site and secure necessary funding opportunities.
3) Partnership
We are looking into partnerships with several entities in both developing and developed countries in regard to engineering and construction capabilities to further increase the possibility of implementing and locating an appropriate TWP site.
Beneficiaries
TWP will help to address several UN SDGs. Goal #6, Water & Sanitation is provided by treating the wastewater for the basic sanitation needed for all the people. The biogas produced in this process helps to address goals #7 Affordable Clean Energy and #13 Climate Action. Additionally, the introduction of Co-Flow supports goal #9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, by providing datacenter solutions and infrastructure. TWP has evolved from not only providing a solution for developing countries, but a solution to all. Even developed countries can benefit from innovative, sustainable solutions for clean water and renewable energy, and the growing need for IT solutions such as datacenters. With the inclusion of Co-Flow, TWP effectiveness extends beyond whether a country is developed or undeveloped, and has the potential and versatility to be effective at various stages in a nation’s growth.
Actions
Several notable awards & recognitions received in the last year:- Selected as one of the top group of “The Sustainable Development Goals Business Index (SDGBI)” of the UN for 3 years in a row.
- The Water Council from th State of Wisconsin, USA, selected Proteus to undergo it’s Innovative Technology Pilot Program
- Case studies for both AMX and Proteus were individually ranked in the Top 50 Abstract in WEFTEC
- WEF NEXT magazine published a detailed feature of Proteus
- AMX featured in Global Water Intellience’s CTO Market Report June issue, and Proteus featured in GWI’s September issue as one of the top 10 technologies to replace primary clarifiers
- Bluetech Research featured Co-Flow concept