Closed-loop Water System

At our ACCN plant in Assendelft, the Netherlands, we use large quantities of water to wash the mineral aggregates. Each ton of IBA consists of approximately 80% of minerals and requires 1- 1.5 cubic meters of water for the mineral washing stage, that means that 450,000m3 of water would be consumed in a year.

Closing the water loop to minimize our water footprint ACCN minimizes its impact on the environment and local water bodies by closing the water loop. Despite the large amounts of water needed in the mineral washing stage, our ACCN withdraws near-zero water from local water supplies. This is possible thanks to a state-of-the-art water treatment plant located at ACCN’s premises. All spent water used in the process is sent to a treatment process that makes it possible for treated water to be reused in the process. This sequence is repeated over and over again. All the water that is used to remove the salts from the minerals, is processed and cleaned within the facility. The water treatment process is equipped with reverse osmosis and can purify up to 100 cubic meters of water per hour.

Benefits for EfW customers

Water treatment and recirculation enhances our own sustainability, as well as the sustainability of our clients. By treating our process water, our customers can rest assured that we handle IBA responsibly. We remove contaminants and we do it while preserving local water bodies. In parallel, this also reduces BPG and our client's exposure to tighter regulations and helps us all meet the requirements set by authorities.