algoWatt: put into operation the Purify groundwater remediation and industrial liquid waste treatment plant

24 June 2020

The new environmental asset put into service in Umbria, in the eco-industrial
park of Nera Montoro (TR) and is authorized to treat 438,000 cubic meters per
year of groundwater and 58,000 tons per year of liquid waste.

algoWatt, GreenTech Solutions company listed on Borsa Italiana's electronic stock exchange (MTA) announces that the platform Purify Srl, JV between algoWatt and ATP Project and Constructions Srl, owner of industrial fluid waste treatment and groundwater remediation plants in Nera Montoro (TR), Umbria, has put into operation.
The start-up of the platform, which involved a total investment of approximately Euro 9 million, confirms the goal of algoWatt aimed at enhancing the asset management of marginal resource recovery plants, also through the consolidation of partnerships with leading Italian and international investors in the green and circular economy sector, as envisaged in the Group's Recovery and Relaunch Plan.
AlgoWatt's Chairman and CEO, Stefano Neri, said: "We put into operation an innovative plant, projected and started before the merger between TerniEnergia and Softeco, which originated algoWatt, in line with the industrial targets we had set ourselves. The commissioning of the plant completes the equipment of the green industry factory in Nera Montoro (TR) Umbria, which represents an integrated platform (liquid waste, biodigestion and composting of FORSU, treatment of end-oflife tyres) with economic-financial and strategic value. It is, in fact, an industrial area dedicated to the environmental industry, barycentric with respect to the Italian market for the recovery of resources and characterized by a strong appeal for players specializing in green and circular economy".
The Executive Director of ATP Srl, Pierluigi Ruopoli, said: "Our partnership in the construction and subsequent management phase of a complex and articulated plant
such as that of Nera Montoro, represents an important opportunity, especially in the field of enhancement and refinement of our skills. The relationship with algoWatt will allow us to introduce very relevant digital and technological innovations in plant management and to offer to the liquid waste treatment market a platform focused on environmental sustainability and operational efficiency".

The Purify plant
The new plant platform, authorized by the Umbria Region, integrates two different treatment lines:
1) Groundwater remediation (TAF). Purify manages the groundwater treatment, in compliance with the regional requirements of the remediation project of the Nera Montoro site, in the province of Terni, for a total capacity of 438,000 cubic meters per year. The revamping involved the chemical-physical and biological plants, a complex system consisting of 48 wells for the drainage of treated water and a monitoring system consisting of 95 piezometers placed to control the water table of the Nera Montoro industrial site, for a total treatment of 50m3/h.

2) Treatment of industrial liquid waste (TRL). This is the new section dedicated to the treatment of liquid waste with a capacity of 58,000 t/year that includes two process lines: (a) biological treatment with activated sludge for the removal of nitrites, nitrates and ammoniacal nitrogen; and (b) chemicalphysical treatment by flotation or evaporation, with two three-stage vacuum evaporators (2,500 litres/hour each) for the purification of water with the highest concentration of pollutants.

The competitive environment
The Purify plant platform operates in an area with high demand for the treatment of industrial liquid waste. Addressing a supra-regional context, it can provide the ideal answer for those companies that place the enhancement and correct treatment of environmental resources as a target of their activities. As regards Umbria alone - a region where no similar treatment plant exists - an analysis of the companies' MUDs shows that demand for liquid waste treatment exceeds twice the authorised capacity of Purify. The plants operating in the neighbouring regions of Lazio, Tuscany, Marche and Abruzzo are not equipped with all the process lines of the Purify platform. The catchment area, also in consideration of the proximity of the highway exit, can extend up to a distance of 300-400 km, especially towards the south, filling a substantial plant gap in this sector of central-southern Italy.
The revamping of the TAF plant, on the other hand, makes it possible to adjust the regulations for the reclamation of groundwater, making a significant contribution to the safety of a historic industrial area in Central Italy, previously owned by the Eni Group.