A safe, secure supply of water requires huge investment in complex plants which are operated at high costs and have a substantial environmental footprint. Unfortunately, the quality of raw water is increasingly threatened by pollutants of various natures, including pesticides, nitrates, heavy metals, pharmaceutical residuals etc. Dedicated Research and Development delivers improvement in the quality of the end product while reducing production costs and environmental impacts. Research and Innovation is the foundation of Veolia Environnement's global success in the fields of water, waste management, energy and transport. With a team of over 850 researchers and field developers, three dedicated research centres and 200 industrial and academic partnerships, Veolia brings sustainable solutions to clients in the 72 countries where it operates. Veolia Water has been operating in Ireland since 1994 and continues to offer innovative solutions to the market, notably in its Design-Build-Operate contract for the upgrade of the Clareville Water Treatment Plant which provides drinking water to over 90,000 people in Limerick city and the surrounding areas.
"Clareville being a pilot scheme for the country in the water industry has seen Veolia introduce a novel technique to Ireland, with respect to its Actiflo™ process," explains David Keane, Senior Engineer with Limerick City Council. Actiflo™ is a highly efficient water clarification process designed by Veolia Water. "Because of its ability to cater for a greater throughput it requires a smaller construction footprint which reduces capital costs. Based on a competitive tendering process this technique allowed Veolia to be more cost competitive resulting in their successful award of contract and thereby giving a value for money unit cost of treated water to Limerick City Council," says Keane."Improving services and technology to reduce costs for local authorities and industry while satisfying increasing environmental requirements drives Veolia's research teams," says Declan White, Business Development Manager with Veolia Water Ireland. The European Commission has acknowledged Veolia's Water Research Centre as a benchmark in its field and is a Marie Curie Centre of Excellence in the area of membranes, disinfection, biological treatments and hydraulic modeling. "R&D investment is essential if we are to keep pace with higher performance standards set by European legislation and meet the quality needs and demands of an ever expecting public," concludes David Keane of Limerick City Council.
