BIO-UV Group’s UV-C treatment system is integrated into the mobile container of the ambitious LIFE ReWa project in Montpellier!
With the LIFE ReWa project, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole aims to produce 110,000 cubic meters of recycled water per year.
Partnering with Chemdoc Water Technologies for many years, BIO-UV Group, a specialist in water treatment and disinfection systems using ultraviolet light, ozone, and salt electrolysis, announces the integration of its RW UV-C reactor into a “mobile” treatment unit designed to produce high-quality recycled water from wastewater. This project is part of the European-funded “LIFE ReWa programme”, led by the Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole Water Authority in a consortium with Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, DV2E, and the University of Montpellier – European Membranes Institute.
This mobile unit is intended to test different treatment systems, including UV-C, in order to define water qualities (derived from wastewater) capable of meeting various uses (cleaning green spaces, roads, agricultural irrigation, etc.).
A pioneering project in France
Funded by the European Union, the Occitanie region, and the Rhône Méditerranée Corse Water Agency, this pilot project initiated by the Montpellier Water Authority aims to preserve water resources, safeguard drinking water, and promote water reuse (REUSE) for urban needs.
With thirteen wastewater treatment plants, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole currently discharges
approximately 32 million cubic metres of treated wastewater (TWW) each year into the sea and waterways. Only 0.01% of treated wastewater is currently reused. To change this situation and reduce freshwater abstraction, the metropolitan authority has decided to create and make available a new resource: recycled water produced from treated wastewater with quality adapted to different uses (agricultural, industrial, and urban).
To achieve this, the Montpellier Water Authority, supported by the metropolitan authority and its partners, is innovating through the implementation of a new system including:
- The installation of recycled water storage units at several wastewater treatment plants within the
metropolitan area to make water available to users. - The construction of a “mobile” recycled water production unit from wastewater, located at the outlet
of a treatment plant, to make it suitable for different targeted uses. The construction of this mobile ontainerwas carried out by Chemdoc, which called on BIO-UV Group for one of the UV-C treatment systems.
BIO-UV Group’s UV-C technology at the heart of the mobile unit in the LIFE ReWa project
The principle of the mobile container is to test different treatment processes in order to establish water qualities that meet various urban needs: road cleaning, fire protection and aerosols – network and green space cleaning – industrial uses and aerosols – agricultural irrigation.
“The REWA project truck is a fantastic demonstrator of the possibilities offered by water purification and disinfection technologies for new uses of urban wastewater reuse, from the simplest to the most demanding, aligned with drinking water standards. BIO-UV Group has been supporting us for years, sharing its expertise in disinfection,” says Salvador Pérez, Director of Chemdoc Water Technologies.
This mobile unit will make it possible to define a wastewater reuse treatment protocol and establish adaptable water qualities tailored to each application. To define these “standards,” the mobile unit will carry out tests on water from five wastewater treatment plants in the metropolitan area (Lattes, Fabrègues, Cournonterral, Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, and Saint-Georges-d’Orques). A treatment process based on ultrafiltration and UV disinfection was defined beforehand, producing four water qualities ranging from 25 to 40 m³/h.
“The LIFE ReWa project represents both a technical and administrative adventure, driven by a strong ambition: to demonstrate that it is possible to turn our wastewater into a valuable resource. Innovative, multi-site, and multi-use, this project relies on membrane and disinfection technologies to produce recycled water. The goal is clear: to provide water adapted to a wide variety of uses, including cleaning public spaces, sewer flushing, firefighting, watering green spaces, and agricultural irrigation. LIFE ReWa is a concrete, pioneering initiative in France to preserve water resources and build a more sustainable future,” declares Anne-Bénédicte Wommelsdorf, LIFE ReWa Project Coordinator.
“We are delighted to be part of this truly pioneering project in France and Europe, alongside our partner
Chemdoc, which will provide valuable technical data and help define specifications for treatment processes and water qualities depending on applications. These data will be essential for the use of treated wastewater in urban environments in the coming years,” says Laurent Emmanuel Migeon, CEO of BIO-UV Group.
