Aquaporin wins a pilot for an energy efficient solution to China’s leachate overflow

The Danish water technology company Aquaporin has won a strategic order in China to help a landfill meet the country’s strict discharge limits by treating leachate more efficiently.

Managing leachate discharge in China

In the first half of 2022, the landfill will receive an advanced containerized pilot system developed by Aquaporin in collaboration with Gradiant Environmental Technology to provide a sustainable and economical solution for treating landfill leachate. Aquaporin is currently involved in similar pilot projects in Southern China and Europe with the purpose of testing the technology to gain insights that will enable developing a final solution for the global leachate treatment market.

“We believe this could be a technology breakthrough that has the potential to provide a new economic solution for leachate treatment. When the pilot project is completed next Summer, we will have a key reference showcasing our forward osmosis (FO) based leachate treatment solution not only to the Chinese market, but globally,” says Matt Boczkowski, Aquaporin CCO & Deputy CEO.

Jason Yu, Managing Director of Gradiant China, adds:

“The demand for leachate minimization or Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) is a very big market in China. With the system developed by Aquaporin and Gradiant, the leachate industry has an innovative solution to meet local regulations. We believe this solution will help our customers treat leachate with lower costs and stable operation.”

Using forward osmosis to treat wastewater energy efficiently

Aquaporin’s containerized system uses FO to further reduce the leachate volume as compared to what is possible with current technologies and methods. With lower volumes, smaller evaporators are required, meaning landfills will use noticeably less energy to eliminate the leachate. In parallel, clean water will be generated for discharge or reuse, contributing to a more sustainable future in wastewater treatment and lower carbon footprint.

Leachate pollution is a worldwide problem

Leachate management is a global challenge as it is one of the most complex and difficult wastewaters to treat. The subject is getting increased attention, not only in China, but on a global scale, where landfills are witnessing growing regulations for discharge limits for water pollutants that were previously discharged to water bodies untreated. This traction has given Aquaporin the opportunity to demonstrate how our innovative FO technology can help landfills live up to national policies on environmental protection by meeting water discharge regulations in leachate applications.

About Gradiant

Gradiant is a leading global solutions provider and developer of cleantech water projects for advanced water and wastewater treatment. Gradiant’s robust, end-to-end solutions and proven technical delivery and operations expertise enable sustainable and cost-effective treatment of the most complex water challenges.

About Aquaporin

Aquaporin is an innovative water technology company dedicated to preserving the world’s most valuable resource: water. Using aquaporins – nature’s own water purifiers – we mitigate water pollution and scarcity in support of the global sustainability agenda. Our proprietary technology, Aquaporin Inside^®, is based on Nobel Prize-winning research and embedded in all our membranes. With our Aquaporin Inside^® membranes, we empower industries to treat and recycle wastewater, paving the way for a future with zero liquid discharge.

About forward osmosis

• Forward osmosis explained: https://aquaporin.com/fo-explained/
• Frequently asked questions: https://aquaporin.com/what-is-forward-osmosis/
• Solutions for industrial wastewater: https://aquaporin.com/industrial-water/

Further inquiries

Please contact:

Søren Robenhagen

Commercial Director, Industrial Water, Aquaporin

+45 5373 8783

sro@aquaporin.com