MEMBER PRESS RELEASE – Severn Trent & CCm Technologies awarded innovation grant to treat wastewater

Severn Trent & CCm Technologies awarded innovation grant to treat wastewater 
 
CCm Technologies in partnership with Severn Trent has been awarded approximately £1 million government funding to explore new sustainable ways to recycle wastewater and convert it into a commercial product. 
 
18th February, 2020:  The water and waste company has received grant funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Carbon Trust, as part of their Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator programme. 
 
The project focuses on a new process, developed by CCm Technologies, which uses captured carbon dioxide to stabilise, nitrogen, phosphate and organic chemicals held within waste streams at Severn Trent, turning them into sustainable plant nutrients. This stabilisation process significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions on site and the carbon free heat co-generated in CCm’s proprietary process will be used to reduce energy consumption across the site, so aiding Severn Trent in their drive toward Zero Carbon operations. 
 
The funding will go towards developing an entirely new solution for treating wastewater in the sewage process. This pioneering approach, in partnership with CCm Technologies, is a world first for the wastewater sector and will substantially reduce the amount energy needed, as well as increasing the quality. 
 
As part of the collaboration with CCm Technologies, an award-winning cleantech company focused on resource optimisation, there is the potential to develop an enhanced fertiliser product for agricultural and/or horticultural application, potentially creating new commercial opportunities for Severn Trent.   Paul Knuckle, external funding lead at Severn Trent says, “We are really excited about this award from the Carbon Trust and BEIS because it’s a first for Severn Trent and CCm Technologies.  We’ve demonstrated how well aligned our wastewater recycling ambition is to the government energy efficiency strategy and how we can support the circular economy with the potential to produce value from waste.”   

Paul added: “Winning this award alongside our collaboration with CCm Technologies is a first step in building a strong innovation partnership and we’re looking forward to working with them.  It will be the first trial of the technology at this scale in the UK”   Professor Peter Hammond, CCm’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, commented: ”This is a meaningful breakthrough that will allow our technology to demonstrate the release of significant plant nutrient resources held by Severn Trent and use them to lock captured carbon back into the soil, paving the way for greater sustainable agriculture in the UK.” 

 – ENDS –

Notes to editors: 

• Severn Trent is the UK’s second biggest water company.  It serves 4.4m homes and business customers in England and Wales. Its region stretches from mid-Wales to Rutland and from north and mid-Wales south to the Bristol Channel and east to the Humber. The company delivers almost two billion litres of water every day through 49,000km of pipes. A further 94,000km of sewer pipes take wastewater away to more than 1,000 sewage treatment works.  To find out more about Severn Trent’s performance in comparison to other water companies go to http://discoverwater.co.uk/  
  www.stwater.co.uk @stwater 
• CCm Technologies Ltd., previously CCm Research Ltd., is an award winning cleantech company, focused on resource optimisation, including Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU). CCm's technology converts captured carbon dioxide and other waste streams (such as Ammonia and Phosphate) into stable value-added materials with multiple uses across global priority sectors of food/agriculture, advanced materials & energy storage. CCm Technologies is based in Oxford and Swindon and was established in 2011. CCm is a founder member of the recently formed Sustainable Markets Council, an initiative of HRH the Prince of Wales with the support of the World Economic Forum. The company has also received the coveted Solar Impulse Foundation Efficient Solutions Label. CCm will be represented at the Global Water Intelligence Summit (29th-31st March, March).
  www.ccmtechnologies.co.uk @CCmTechUK 

 
FOR ALL CCm TECHNOLOGIES RELATED MEDIA ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT: 
 
Andrew Waterworth
CARINISH Consulting
+44 7771 740484
awaterworth@carinish.com