Wastewater solutions provider HUBER supplies its novel technology for what is currently the world’s largest project for energy recovery from wastewater at
the Toronto Western Hospital. Under the project development of the Canadian renewable energy company Noventa Energy Partners, HUBER (hereafter, Huber) uses its ThermWin system to reduce the negative environmental impact of the previous energy supply for the Toronto Western Hospital (TWH).
Text and images courtesy of HUBER
Huber SE, headquartered in Berching, Germany, is a company globally active in the field of water, wastewater and sludge treatment. In the future, the Huber ThermWin system will ensure that negative environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions from the previous energy supply will be reduced. At the same time, the recovered heat covers up to 90% of the hospital’s heating and cooling needs. Huber ThermWin extracts thermal energy from wastewater. Using this system, TWH will record a cumulative reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of roughly 169,000 tons – equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of around 52,000 cars. “Huber stands worldwide for the combination of sustainability and innovation. The global appeal of this project proves that we have succeeded in combining these two components,” says Dr. Johann Grienberger, the company’s Chief Technology Officer.
“The next logical step”
The new system will supply the hospital with clean energy using the recovered heat from the wastewater and sewage system. This is how the project will cover 90% of the heating and cooling needs. The company will supply 16 of its HUBER Heat Exchanger RoWin units (size 8) and 3 HUBER Pumping Stations Screen ROTAMAT® RoK4 700 XL units for the first stage of this project.
“For more than ten years, Huber ThermWin systems have been running at over 70 sites worldwide. The world‘s largest project for energy recovery from wastewater in Toronto is thus the next logical step towards a more sustainable future,” say Simon Schmaußer and Wolfgang Schnabl, Technical Sales Engineers. “The company’s know-how, developed over decades of research and development, enables the uncomplicated and reliable use of wastewater as an alternative energy source for the present and the future.”
Setting a good example
The importance of this technological innovation was also highlighted by John Tory, Mayor of Canada’s most populous city in the southeast of the country, in his speech at the project announcement: “This new wastewater project is a great initiative to address climate change in everyday life.” He said he hoped the success of this project would allow similar technologies and initiatives to be implemented throughout the city to achieve the set climate change goals.
1.8 billion kilowatt hours of energy
Huber has been working with Noventa Energy Partners on this major project since mid-2019. The first expansion stage is scheduled for completion in the course of 2022. Noventa Energy Partners agreed with the City of Toronto on a total energy supply period of 30 years. During that time, the hospital’s CO2 emissions are expected to be reduced by 169,000 tons and more than 1.8 billion kilowatt hours of clean energy will be generated. “Sustainability and environmental and climate protection are more urgent today than ever before. With its products, Huber supports companies and municipal facilities in using sustainable solutions while maintaining economic profitability,” says Dr. Grienberger.
Early warning system
According to Dennis Fotinos, founder and CEO of Noventa Energy Partners, the project will provide the hospital with significant savings in operating costs, in addition to the significant energy and environmental benefits. The wastewater used can be tested for pathogens and toxins by Ryerson University, which is affiliated with the hospital. The university hopes this will provide a kind of “early warning system” for future pandemics.
Noventa Energy Partners Canada and the teams at Huber Germany and USA have been working together for three years to develop customized solutions around the innovative and sustainable topic of heating and cooling with wastewater.