Investments in four wastewater treatment plants in Belarus are accelerating!

PRESTO project aims at decreasing excess load of nutrients to the water bodies by carrying out investments in enhanced nutrient removal at four wastewater treatment plants in Belarus: Baranovichi, Grodno, Molodechno and Vitebsk. 

Preparation of investments started in 2012 with the technical audits at each of the wastewater treatment plant. The technical audits were carried out by Pöyry Finland Oy, hired by John Nurminen Foundation which is in charge of investment part in PRESTO. 

The work included gathering of needed baseline data on the current technical processes, planning of the most cost effective and feasible solutions for improved nutrient removal as well as preparing tender documentation for the investments that are going to be realized. The necessary technology to decrease the concentration of phosphorus in purified wastewater in order to achieve HELCOM recommendation was selected.

Technical reports became the solid basis for further work and showcase the diverse challenges to be addressed in each of the four waste water treatment plants. The four wastewater treatment plants are now about to complete their first tender procedure in PRESTO for the local design to adjust the technical designs into Belarusian local context. 

As a next step, tenders for construction works, equipment supply and installation will be launched.

All four PRESTO investing partners are discharging their waters to Neman and Daugava rivers which belong to Baltic Sea catchment area. As a consequence, reducing trans boundary nutrient load from Belarus will improve not only water quality of European rivers but also the state of the Baltic Sea. More information on PRESTO project at: www.prestobalticsea.eu

Investing partner Baranovichi WWTP

Text by: Agnieszka Ilola, UBC Environmental Commission, Project Officer, PRESTO Project

Towards Green & Efficient Maritime Cluster in Central Baltic Sea Region

The SmartComp project is going on full speed and the first research report Maritime cluster analysis on the Central Baltic region was published in December 2012. The report concludes that maritime clusters of the Central Baltic region (CBR) operate rather separately and mostly compete with each other, even though they are in the face of common challenges and the toughest competitors can be found in the gigantic clusters in the Far East.

“To keep one step ahead, both the cluster companies and political quarters have to recognize the preconditions of competitiveness – mutual cooperation and resources for further development. Competitiveness cannot be maintained without continuous investments,” says Project Researcher Eini Laaksonen from the Pan‐European Institute of the University of Turku, Finland, the Leader of the SmartComp research team.

Since the bid for a a multi-million euro luxury cruise ship was lost to a sister shipyard in France, the future of the Finnish shipbuilding industry has been very much on the agenda in Finland. It is clear that there is interest towards the input that SmartComp can bring to the field.

The project is aiming at increasing the networking between academia, businesses and public sector in the Central Baltic region maritime clusters. In February, two events under the title Towards Green & Efficient Maritime Cluster in Central Baltic Sea Region will take place in Tallinn to contribute to this aim - a Policy Development Roundtable (12 February) and a Seminar (13 February). The events provide a unique opportunity for public, business and academic actors to discuss these current issues in the maritime field. You're welcome to join us!

PURE partners learning about wastewater treatment in Turku

For the last event of PURE project its partners have been invited to Turku on December 11^th to visit Kakola wastewater treatment plant and the biogas plant of Biovakka.

This modern and the third biggest in Finland WWTP has its facilities built-in the rock of Kakola hill. The construction was completed in 2008, and now plant is serving the population of 300 000 inhabitants in the Turku region. Despite being pretty costly investment for the city, it replaced five existing plants. Kakola WWTP allows more efficient effluent treatment, and due to this discharge to the sea is reduced by 30-50 %.  The heat energy of the sewage water is transferred into distant heating energy (18 MW) and distant cooling energy (35 MW) in a special thermal pump owned by Turku Energy Ltd. During the excursion, PURE project specialists from Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Germany traveled through the treatment process had an opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss experiences with Kakola engineers.

Later the group visited Biovakka’s Topinoja plant on Turku landfill, where the wastewater treatment sludge is treated and processed into biogas. This plant receives from Kakkola WWTP approximately 60 000-80 000 tonnes of sludge annually, which is undergone hygienisation (by heating the biomass in order to remove seeds and pathogens), anaerobic digestion (carried out in a completely closed and oxygen-free space), conversion of anaerobic digestion residues into recycled nutrients, biogas desulphurisation and storage. Later biogas is used as an environmentally friendly source of heat and electricity. Biovakka is also responsible for the final deposition of recycled nutrients generated in the process, and plans on producing biofuel in the near future.

Picture: scheme of Kakola WWTP

Author: Olena Zinchuk

 

PRESTO project seminar on sustainable sludge management in Daugavpils, Latvia

More than 80 representatives of wastewater sector in the Baltic Sea Region gathered to discuss sustainable solutions for sludge management on the “Sustainable sludge management” seminar on 23 – 24 October 2012 in Daugavpils, Latvia.

Waste to resource approach has to be applied to sludge management in order to follow the principles of sustainable development. With sewage sludge this is a great challenge all over the world as it contains well recognized contaminants such as heavy metals, pathogens and poorly biodegradable trace organic compounds. At the same time, sludge is rich in nutrients (N & P) and contains valuable organic matter that is useful when soils are depleted or subject to erosion and can be used in renewable energy production.  

“Digestion of municipal sludge is an efficient way to reduce emission of greenhouse gases and produce renewable energy” said in his presentation Jukka Lehtovuori from Kemira Ltd.

Seminar addressed technical aspects of sludge treatment including latest trends, practical solutions as well as safe sludge reuse and disposal alternatives. During the site visit to the hosting waste water treatment plant of Daugavpils udens Ltd. the participants had a chance to familiarize themselves with the lately modernized post-soviet waste water treatment plant and hear about the reconstructions that have been done to improve the nutrient removal and sludge handling.

“Thanks to the investments already finalized within PRESTO project, we have now well-equipped workstation for testing samples of wastewater and sludge” said Aleksandra Vasiljeva from Daugavpils udens Ltd.

The seminar continued next day in Kaunas, Lithuania, with Laboratory Clinique, an interactive learning session for laboratory practitioners, led by Technical University of Berlin.

New fume cupboard purchased within PRESTO project

Old fume cupboard

Text by: Agnieszka Ilola, UBC Environmental Commission, Project Officer, PRESTO Project

COP18 - Nations to make the next attempt in Doha

During the next two weeks (26 Nov. - 7 Dec.), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have invited all 193 member countries to the sunny city of Doha in Qatar, which is the country in the world with the highest usage of fossil fuel per capita. The 18th session of the Conference of Parties (COP18) will be focusing on tackling the climate challenge and discuss international rules for engagement among the member states in the process of renewing the Kyoto Protocol.

Recently, a series of reports from esteemed organisations including the World Bank, shows that the already harsh prediction of a 2 degree rise in temperature in 2100 with business as usual is far to positive. Instead they claim that an increase of 4 degrees is more likely to be the truth. These research results are followed by the superstorm Sandy, deadly flooding in the UK, the tsunami in Japan and the smallest icecap we have ever recorded. So there are clearly evidences that our climate change and the problems it entails are not just a political agenda. It is an inter-national, inter-political and inter-sectoral problem that is addressed in Doha for the next 2 weeks.

A simplified introduction

At the core of the negotiation is the questions of who is to blame for our current situation and the rather negative foresights for our climate and finally who are to pay for it? On the one hand, developing countries stand on their right of developing their countries without letting the climate be an unpleasant obstacle on the way to prosperity. On the other hand, the developed countries cannot accept the fact that developing countries will be the obstacle in breaking the negative impacts humans have had on the global climate since the birth of the industrial revolution. The short video produced by The Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Norway below captures the negotiations and the gridlock situation very well.

However, the discussion above should already be considered outdated because it is grounded in one archaic equation:
Increasing the level of emission is proportional with prosperity and the development of nations.
Evidences for this equation are many and can be found in both developed and developing countries and follow a traditional model of the industrialisation. However, that is also where the validity of this equation ends.

Instead of looking at our industrial past, it is important to focus on our current time and trends in job creation and innovative business solutions and the ideas and decisions that make the wheels go round in 2012. It is here interesting to see that many of the useful solutions towards a greener trajectory, that undermine the above equation, originates from the city level.

What is the role of a city network at a high level meeting among world leaders?

UBC might not represent a direct negotiating part in the climate negotiations, but we represent one of the best proof of evidence needed in order to convince big nations such as, the US and China about a greener trajectory. The Baltic Sea Region provide a vast variety of good examples of green growth and the opportunities in developed cities and emerging economies and countries with different economic, cultural and social background. 

In order to renew the Kyoto Protocol, whose first commitment period runs out on 31 December this year, the Baltic Sea Region represent a positive story in terms combining growth with a green trajectory. The efforts on the international level are highly appreciated and the city level is a point of departure to search for practical solutions where climate policies are utilized into tangible projects, which benefits both the local urban dwellers as well as the global climate change.

It is evident that many cities have been forced to divert into a more sustainable planning trajectory at another pace than national policies. However, it will be a major supporting push in the right direction for cities if COP18 succeed in updating the Kyoto Protocol. From the Commission on Environment, we have high hopes for COP and support the activities to join forces on all administrative levels, from local to global, in order to mitigate the climate change.


Text by: Jeppe Mikel Jensen, UBC Environmental Commission
Video: The Center for International Climate and Environmental Research, Norway

Towards better living environments and healthier citizens

The societies of today are highly car dependent and dominated. The growing traffic flows begin to be a severe problem in many cities having negative impact on the environment, causing problems of pollution and noise and taking space away from other functions in the city such as leisure and recreation.

Ambitious targets to reduce CO₂ emissions have been set at European level and also at the local level. This requires a shift from car traffic towards lighter and less polluting modes of transport. Recently, policy efforts made by many European cities have been increasingly targeted to reduce the amount of cars rolling on our streets. However, still a lot have to be done in order to support the more sustainable and healthier modes of transport such as biking and walking. 

We often tend to forget that the cities encouraging walking and biking and aiming to reduce the number of cars, besides more attractive and pleasant living environments, they get healthier citizens. The more people move using their muscle power, the healthier they are. The domination of cars in today’s society has decreased the daily movement made by bicycle or foot. Already small children are used to that their parents take them everywhere by car. There is a huge potential in many cities to reduce especially the amount of short trips made by car within the city area.

The improved health of citizens can also bring large saving in the social and healthcare sector. It has been calculated that each kilometre biked causes a saving of 0,16 euro, compared to a car that causes instead a loss of 0,10 e per kilometre for the society. According to WHO, every new cyclist produces a saving of 0,70 e per kilometre. It has been calculated in France that every cycling commuter decreases the costs for healthcare sector by 1200 euro per year. Source.
 

How can we then encourage people to choose a bike instead of car?

City planning is a way of creating such living environments that encourage people to take care of their daily tasks such as going to shops, work, schools and services by foot or by bike. An attractive living environment with well-functioning bike and walkway network, makes it easier for people to leave their car home. 

Sustainable Urban Mobility planning is a one way of creating attractive living environments and quality public spaces.  A Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) is a strategic plan designed to satisfy the mobility needs of people and businesses in cities and their surroundings for a better quality of life. It builds on existing planning practices and takes due consideration of integration, participation, and evaluation principles.

The basic characteristics of SUMP are: a participatory approach; sustainability to foster economic development, social equity and environmental quality; the integration of policy sectors; clear, measurable objectives and clear evaluation plans and value for money. In other words, SUMP introduces a new people-focused planning approach.

It’s time to start planning the cities for people not cars!

Kirsi-Marja Lonkila and Maija Rusanen from UBC EnvCom gave a presentation on the concept and benefits of Sustainable Urban Mobility plan in a conference Wellbeing municipality focusing on the daily mobility of people. The seminar was organised by KKI-programme in Helsinki on the 15th of November.

Text by: Maija Rusanen

New opportunities for the Central Baltic maritime cluster

The Baltic Sea is one of the busiest seas in the world, and it has a huge impact on the Central Baltic Sea economy and society. Tightened competition and new legal requirements challenge the competitiveness of the Central Baltic marine cluster, which has always been sensitive to economic ups and downs. When simultaneously markets like Russia or Asia are eager to create a business-friendly environment, there is a strong need for new openings in the Central Baltic Sea Region.

There is no doubt that the competitiveness of the Central Baltic Region marine cluster, containing Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden, has to be improved. However, when doing this, the state of our common Baltic Sea should not be compromised. Marine traffic is an environmentally friendly means of transport, but as the volumes increase, it could also mean increased effects on health and environment. These include e.g. the increased risk of accidents and oil spills, as well as growing greenhouse gas emissions. Solutions need to be sought from smart and environmentally sustainable growth.

Led by UBC Commission on Environment and part-funded by the Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme, the SmartComp project supports smart, environmentally sustainable growth and cooperation of the Central Baltic Region marine cluster. This will be done through triple helix cooperation, meaning that maritime cluster businesses, the public sector and universities are encouraged to cooperate across borders in Finland, Estonia and Latvia.

The project research team will provide new information about the current state and future scenarios of the Central Baltic Region maritime cluster. The research reports recognize the problematic areas and introduce best practices and smart business models, in order to help adopting new solutions in the Central Baltic. The results will also be the basis for the triple helix activities in the project, including consulting days for business representatives and policy recommendations.

 The first project research report, analysing the current state of the Central Baltic maritime cluster is expected to come out in December. Find out more on the project website at www.cb-smartcomp.eu!

 

Text: Kirsi-Marja Lonkila