Circularity in Urban Water Examples from Finland Jan-Hendrik Krber - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Circularity in Urban Water – Examples from Finland

Jan-Hendrik Körber Turku University of Applied Sciences

• Finland aims to be a forerunner in circular economy (CE) through:
• support of innovative services, product recycling, digital solutions
• legislative reforms
• provision of public financing
• incentives for sustainable public procurement
• Finland is the first country with a Road Map to Circular Economy
• Supporting projects on carbon neutral economies, sustainable food systems,

timber construction waste recycling, soil restauration…

• Finland aims to be carbon neutral by 2035, many cities adapt a smart &

clean approach with Helsinki as forerunner

Finnish Approach to Circular Economy

Sources: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, SITRA, Helsinki Metropolitan Smart & Clean Foundation

• Globally, 54% of the population lives in

urban areas, accounting for 85% GDP1

• Cities consume 75% of natural resources

& generate up to 80% GHG emissions2

• Urbanisation rate in Finland: 85%3
• Concentration of people, material & waste

flows & industries allow for effective circular business models

The Urban Context

Sources: 1World Bank, 2UNEP, 3Statista

• Closed-loop systems and rain water harvesting

systems for individual housing still in their infancy

• Circular systems in agriculture are advancing

Full-scale circular urban water systems:

• Municipal waste water treatment
• Potable water production
• Nearly closed-loop industrial cleaning systems
• Recirculating systems for consumer-near

aquaculture & vegetable production

Water and Circular Economy

• One of the best waste water treatment plants

(WWTP) in terms of resource efficiency

• Highly automated
• Operated by Turun Seudun Puhdistamo Ltd.
• Serves 300,000 people region
• Committed to work towards the UN SDGs
• Constantly developing to improve efficiency,

reduce stormwater inflow, provide industrial WW solutions

Waste Water Treatment – Turku WWTP

Source: Turun Seudun Puhdistamo Ltd.

Energy effiency:

• Turku WWTP produces ~10x the energy it

consumes

• Provides ~10% of district heating & 95% of cooling
• Generates ~18,000MWh from biogas production
• Recovers 2,800MWh ventilation heat
• Produces additional 20MWh from solar cells
• Development: turbine at outlet

Waste Water Treatment – Turku WWTP

Source: Turun Seudun Puhdistamo Ltd.

Nutrient recycling:

• Moving from removal to recovery
• Advanced sludge recycling for fertiliser production
• Liquid nitrogen production
• Biogas generation (66GWh by 2020)

Waste Water Treatment – Turku WWTP

Source: Turun Seudun Puhdistamo Ltd.

• Ground water resources in SW are scarce
• Ground water is artificially generated for the

Turku area by the Turku Region Water Ltd.

• The process used entirely natural treatment

processed trough infiltration in a esker system

• Though the processes are naturally they are

fully controlled

• Controll is facilitated by advanced models &

modelling

Potable Water Production

Littoral sand Silt-clay

• Gf. fine
• Gf. coarse

Till Bedrock Source: Turku Region Water Ltd.

• Ground water is led gravity-driven through pipes

to undergound reservoirs blasted in the rock

• Water is slowed down by turbines that generate

energy required for pumping

• The technology allows to use & re-use natural

resources for production of potable water in a energy efficient way using combinations of natural processes & highly automated process control

Potable Water Production

Source: Turku Region Water Ltd.

• A number of Finnish companies develop closed-loop systems for

industrial water use

• Examples include:
• re-usable cotton towel & work wear cleaning1
• car wash water treatment2, recycling rate 90%

Closed-Loop Systems for Industrial Waters

Sources: 1Lindström Ltd., 2Clewer Ltd.

• Recirculating aquaculture & aquaponics are

becoming more common

• New technologies bring food production to the

consumers

• Systems by Sybimar Ltd. recycle nutrients,

water, heat & CO2 back to food & energy production

• Water & nutrients are used in greenhouses
• Bio-oils & gas are produced from waste (VG

EcoFuel)

• Heat from gas-based energy generation is

used in greenhouses

Closed-Loop Systems in Aquaculture & Vegetable Production

Source: Sybimar Ltd.

Among others, the following technologies are advancing rapidly:

• Stormwater filtration technologies &

methodologies for, e.g. nutrients & plastic recovery1,2

• Low-energy nitrogen production from mobile

toilets that maybe used, e.g. at large outdoor events3

• Smart monitoring & metering technologies to

identify leakages & reduce water loss/consumption4

Emerging Technologies

Sources: 1,2Smart & Clean Foundation, Olli Hakala; 3Sitra, 4Lahti Aqua Ltd.

• The Finnish government, industries, public & citizens are moving

to a smart sustainable society

• Circular economy will become the main model of operation in

future

• The aim to become carbon neutral within 15yrs is supported with

development funds & legislative changes

• Urban areas are a strong driver for changes
• Water is essential part of circular systems

Conclusion