CP612 Carbon Capture in Water Industry

WRc's Water and Environment Team are delighted to share details of a new collaborative innovation project that will help the water sector on its journey to 'Net Zero'.

Water companies are already embracing catchment management solutions to manage water quality and quantity at source thus avoiding expensive and carbon intensive treatment methods; a natural extension of this approach, increasing alkalinity in rivers, could provide an effective way of capturing and storing carbon, contributing significantly to the water industries efforts towards net zero carbon.

The water industry is well placed to provide strong leadership in developing this new technology by working with farmers to understand mineral fertiliser application, developing novel treatment works that can aid the transmission of alkalinity to the ocean and working with the relevant agencies to understand and control the impact of alkalinity in rivers.

There could be side benefits to the water industry in terms of using silicates as a feedstock for phosphate recovery at wastewater treatment works.

Working along-side Oxford University this project will be carried out in 3 phases:

Phase 1 – A scoping project to establish, further develop and quantify the benefits that this approach will offer to both meet carbon reduction targets over the next 10 years and to explore the potential added benefits to treatment processes.

Phase 2 - Dynamic modelling to prove the benefits. Particular focus on river water quality & impact on water treatment processes downstream.

Phase 3 - Field trials to prove the benefits & enhance the model calibration. Cost-benefit & carbon-benefit analysis associated with specific catchments and treatment processes. 

SEE ATTACHED PRESENTATION

Media

Taxonomy

• Zero Discharge
• Environmental Conservator
• Carbon
• Compliance & Voluntary Carbon Credits Markets
• Environmental