Artificial intelligence and wastewater treatment | Water 17 | Public authorities | RESE | Purecontrol

Eau 17 and its public authority, RESE, use artificial intelligence to optimize wastewater treatment with Purecontrol

Committed to the fight against global warming, Eau 17 and its public authority, RESE, have been experimenting with Purecontrol's solution for a year on a dozen of its wastewater treatment installations. The objective is to reduce energy consumption by controlling the aeration processes of treatment basins by artificial intelligence.

The results are very encouraging: up to 20% savings were observed on sites used as test benches. A success that the Water Syndicate now wishes to replicate on other installations in Charente-Maritime.

Since January 2023, Eau 17 has been experimenting with an innovation developed by Purecontrol, a Breton company specializing in the use of AI to optimize water treatment and management processes. Since last September, thirteen wastewater treatment plants in Charente-Maritime managed by RESE, the syndicate's public operating authority, are now managed in real time by the Purecontrol solution. This technology aims to optimize water treatment processes to reduce energy consumption.

A project that is part of a strategy for adapting to climate change

The RESE purifies the wastewater of 151 municipalities via 157 treatment plants. A real challenge in view of seasonal population fluctuations, and the environmental challenges that the territory faces. This project is therefore in line with the climate change resilience and adaptation strategy validated by the Eau 17 trade union committee in 2020. One of the main axes is to reduce the ecological footprint of the public water service and to contribute to the sustainable development of territories. Another objective for Eau 17 is to reduce operating expenses to contain user bills.

By controlling the aerators of the treatment basins, which are essential for the proper treatment of wastewater and the most energy-consuming equipment, the solution considerably reduces energy consumption. ”Artificial intelligence calculation models allow a more detailed understanding of the evolution of the various parameters to be taken into account in water treatment, and therefore manage treatment systems more effectively. ” explains Romain Grabowski, Head of WATER France at Purecontrol.

By using the various data available (energy price, weather, flow rates, water quality measurement at the station outlet, etc.), the Purecontrol algorithm creates a real-time prediction of the evolution of the pollution load to be treated within the station. Thanks to this vision, the Purecontrol solution controls the station's aerators in real time, in order to ensure the efficiency of the treatment while reducing energy consumption.

A partnership that is growing

The first results are conclusive, the partnership between Eau 17 and Purecontrol is being strengthened. The current solution will be deployed on other treatment plants, with several operators and new areas of collaboration are emerging: reducing the quantities of chemical reagents used in water treatment, deploying centralized regulation of wastewater collection structures to reduce their discharge into the natural environment and their energy consumption.

” The energy optimization of water and sanitation services is an imperative to contain user bills and meet the challenges of sobriety in territories. The partnership with Purecontrol allows us to find innovative solutions to improve the operating performance of our systems. In this type of project, it is essential that the site operator be involved throughout the thinking process to maximize the gains and that he can take ownership of the solution implemented.” concluded Hortense Bret, Head of the Heritage and Prospective Department at Eau 17.

About Purecontrol

Created in 2017, Purecontrol uses artificial intelligence to significantly reduce operational costs, energy consumption, and optimize operations for the water management, industry and renewable energy sectors. Now deployed on more than 300 sites, the solution has proven its efficiency on processes thanks to the management of installations in real time and data analysis. Purecontrol obtained the Greentech Innovation label from the Ministry of Ecological Transition in 2021, then Solar Impulse Efficient Solution in 2022, thus demonstrating the eco-innovative dimension of the solutions provided. https://www.purecontrol.com/

Contact: Enora Delanoë: 07 83 37 68 09 — enora.delanoe@purecontrol.com

About Eau 17

Eau 17 is a public establishment that organizes water and sanitation services for 450,000 inhabitants spread over 432 municipalities in Charente-Maritime. For 70 years, it has been the major player in the small water cycle in the department by respecting the principles of equalisation, pooling, solidarity and local governance. The syndicate works in close collaboration with local authorities, its public authority, RESE and private operators.
Each year, around 40 million euros are invested to offer a quality service to users and to respond to the strategy of resilience and adaptation to climate change. Eau 17 manages a diversified heritage, 63 catchment fields, 11,000 km of drinking water network, 2,700 km of pipes for collective sanitation, 200 treatment plants and 80,000 individual sanitation installations.
For more information: www.eau17.fr to follow our news: linkedin.com/company/eau-17/