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

 

Finding Win Wind solutions for Europe

The times of recession are turning and the world can go back to efficient production. Unpublished estimates from the International Energy Agency state that greenhouse gas emissions are increasing again, faster than ever, hitting records last year. Fatih Birol, chief economist of the IEA note that the United Nations-led negotiations on a new global treaty on climate change have stalled, showing also that the significance of climate change in international policy debates is much less pronounced than it was a few years ago.

At the same time the Fukushima catastrophy makes minds turn about nuclear power. Germany’s decision to shut all nuclear reactors by 2022, makes the situation on greenhouse gas emissions even more interesting. How is Germany planning to reach its ambitiously set goals on CO2 reduction? Ac-cording to Reuter, Angela Merkel’s ruling Coalition has planned to cut power use by 10 percent by 2020 and further expand the use of renewable energy such as wind and solar power. This is a piece of good news! Europe’s biggest economy has opened the doors to suppliers of renewable solutions, showing example also to others who will be affected by the closure of nuclear stations. In yesterday’s news a representative of a Finnish Wind Power provider happily expressed his enthusiasm to stand in the first row to sell their solutions around Europe.

What about the German-Russian natural gas pipeline that was completed earlier this month, and the second that is being built? Nord Stream Joint Venture is enjoying favourable times. Fukushima came just on time for a German decision on nuclear power, and a more easily accepted transition into lighting German houses through the Natural Gas pipeline that has awoke much mystification especially in the states between Europe’s two power poles. John Sauven, the executive director of Greenpeace UK, reminds about the ways politicians and other actors in the world’s great powers are eyeing up extraordinary and risky ways to extract the world's last remaining reserves of fossil fuels – even from under the melting ice of the Arctic.

Indeed, Germany is showing example on what kind of energy source is desirable to be used to reach goals on emissions reduction. I hope that the Finnish Wind Power provider will make it to the first row and has a clear throat when selling his solutions. There seems to be a somewhat bigger actor on the playground, with a stronger voice. It will not be easy to convince decision makers on the “Win Wind situation”, when gas is soon to be provided directly from underneath the surface of the Baltic Sea.


Picture source: City of Turku

AFP - YLE Uutiset

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