Alcoa Commercializes “Engineered Wetlands” Wastewater Treatment Technology

Alcoa (NYSE: AA) has entered into an agreement with Germany-based engineering and construction company, Bauer Resources GmbH, to commercialize Alcoa’s Natural Engineered Wastewater Treatment technology that mimics natural wetlands to sustainably treat wastewaters. Under the agreement, Bauer will use Alcoa’s engineered wetlands technology to deploy wastewater treatment systems globally.

The system, developed at the Alcoa Technology Center outside of Pittsburgh, imitates the natural process of wetlands to clean and disinfect process water. The system uses 40 percent less energy and has 60 percent lower operating costs than traditional systems, functions without the use of chemicals, and does not emit odors associated with conventional tank systems. Treated water is of high quality and can be reused in manufacturing processes or for irrigation.

“We are pleased to partner with the Bauer Group to bring our engineered wetlands technology to customers worldwide,” said Ray Kilmer, Alcoa’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. ”Alcoa’s technology, combined with Bauer’s engineering, design and construction expertise, will enable the sustainable treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater, saving money and conserving water.”

Bauer Group brings significant wetlands technology expertise and engineering, design and construction experience to the Alcoa-Bauer team. In 2009, Bauer installed the largest wetlands treatment system in the world for Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) in Nimr, Oman. The plant has been successfully operating since January 2011.

“This partnership brings together two experts in innovative technology,” adds Roman Breuer, Executive Board Member at Bauer Resources GmbH. “Our goal is to deploy this proven technology worldwide. Regardless of market – municipal waste water or even a wide range of industrial applications – this technology and partnership can offer a solution.”

Alcoa has been engaged in engineered wetlands technology development and deployment at various Alcoa locations for the last 10 years, with the most recent and largest being a system implemented in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Ma’aden-Alcoa joint venture project site. There, the technology will reduce the facility’s water demand by two million gallons a day, saving $7 million a year in water purchase costs for the integrated aluminum complex.

Alcoa’s Natural Engineered Wastewater Treatment system comprises three steps: (1) an anaerobic treatment tank that removes metals and breaks down and separates organic material in the water; (2) a passive engineered wetland that utilizes vegetation for further treatment of organics and removal of nitrogen; and (3) a cell housing bauxite-based technology that disinfects and polishes the water. The result is water treated to the same or better quality as that of a conventional system.