About Project VARGA

The scarcity of resources, the increased energy cost and the increasing environmental awareness have in the last years increased the focus on the circular economy, resulting in terms such as reuse and recycling. This development means that waste is regarded now as potential resource and source of income.

The purpose of VARGA is

• To develop essential parts of the circular economy for energy production and utilization of nutrients in urban waste and wastewater for the production of food
• To develop a concept for upgrading a conventional wastewater treatment plant to the future Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF)
• To demonstrate this at Avedøre Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) with a capacity of 400,000 PE, which will be a showcase for Danish environmental technology in international size
• To demonstrate synergies in co-operation on resource utilization across the water and waste sectors

Expected results

By the end of the project by mid-2020, it is intended that:

• Avedøre WWTP has been transformed into a WRRF
• There is a concept for upgrading and a model for transforming a conventional wastewater treatment plant into the future WRRF
• New technologies included in the concept have been demonstrated in full scale
• Synergies in co-operation on resource utilization across water, waste and agriculture sectors have been demonstrated
• A robust circular economy has been demonstrated for the production and use of biogas and fertilizers from KOD (Source of organic waste) for ecological farming (from the big city to agriculture and return)
• The transformation of a WRRF is documented in relation to life cycle environmental impacts and financial costs

Facts

The project VARGA has a total budget of 84,321,244 DKK, of which the Danish Environmental Protection Agency has committed a project grant of DKK 19,012,949.

The project is implemented by BIOFOS, EnviDan, Unisense, ARC and DTU Environment. In addition, the following subcontractors are involved in the project: SEGES, Krüger A / S and Vestforbrænding.

The project started in January 2017 and is expected to be completed by mid-2020.

The project will serve as a showcase for Danish expertise in Environment and Water Technology, where the Avedøre plant will be transformed into a full scale resource plant.

The total market potential is estimated at 5.7 billion. DKK, of which the export potential for Danish knowledge and technology is expected to constitute to DKK 670 million. DKK. Read more about the market potential here.