Constructing a new wastewater treatment plant designed for production expansion

INEOS Inovyn is investing over 60 million NOKs in a new wastwater treatment plant at the PVC plant, designed for production expansions at Herøya.
two men posing, working clothes, white helmets, production site Collaborators: INEOS Inovyn and the water treatment technology company Sterner in Porsgrunn are constructing a new wastewater facility at the PVC plant at Herøya. On the right, Morten Sundbakk, project manager at INEOS Inovyn and Trond Dahlen, project manager at Sterner.

INEOS Inovyn is constructing a wastewater treatment plant to handle future production expansions.

"This is an environmental initiative to be at the forefront and in line with the company's environmental commitment," says Morten Sundbakk, project manager at INEOS Inovyn. "We are constructing a wastewater plant larger than the current demand. The facility will be able to handle additional production expansions."

 

portrait of man, posing, yellow jumper, white helmet
Dimensioned for expansions: "The new treatment plant will be able to handle further production expansions," says Sundbakk.

Wastewater plant adjacent to the factory

Join Sundbakk and Dahlen as they venture into the heart of the wastwater facility, built indoors in a hall adjacent to the PVC plant in Herøya Industrial Park.

 

 

Sludge waste becomes products

"The PVC plant will have a facility equipped with technology that makes water discharge into Frierfjorden cleaner than ever," the project manager duo explains. They also highlight a new significant advantage of the purification technology.

"Now, we achieve much better sedimentation/cleansing and filtration. We will finely filter and compress PVC sludge waste into a 'cake,' a PVC product that can be sold in the market as a second-grade item. The product is sold at a much lower price and is in demand," says Sundbakk.

 

two men standing in a basin of a tank
Sedimentation technology: The gigantic sedimentation basin holds 250,000 litres. Here, Sundbakk and Dahlen stand in front of the scraper that collects PVC sludge/sediments at the bottom of the basin. The PVC plant currently uses approximately 60,000 litres of water per hour in the production process, including for cooling and as an additive during the polymerization of PVC itself. The water is purified through chemical precipitation and fine filtration before being discharged into the Frierfjord.

Showcasing ourselves in the local area

Dahlen believes that this has been an important project for the water treatment technology company Sterner.

"It is crucial for Sterner to establish ourselves in the local area while demonstrating our ability to handle unconventional technical challenges. There are different and new considerations when it comes to treating wastewater from PVC compared to wastewater from, for example, fish farming or municipal facilities. Now, we have gained new knowledge and can showcase this facility, which is incredibly valuable to us and highly appreciated. It is a well-sized purification facility," he says.

Sterner has supplied all the mechanical equipment, and the control philosophy has been designed based on inputs from INEOS Inovyn. The majority of the electrical and automation work, including the connection of instruments and the plant itself to the existing control system, is handled by the INEOS company.

 

two men leaning on to a big steel tank
Many local suppliers: "The equipment is in place, and numerous disciplines, individuals, and local companies have been involved," say Sundbakk and Dahlen. Several departments from Sterner have been involved in the project's design and implementation. The company also utilizes local suppliers, including Skien Rustfri, the primary supplier of steel and tanks in the facility.

A grand opening

The project duo is working towards the facility's launch after the summer and is looking forward to the opening.

"We are almost finished with the facility before the summer, and then we will conduct tests. In the autumn, we will start running the wastewater to be treated. There are plans for a grand opening in the coming autum, and we are excited," they say.

 

Text/photo: Siri Krohn-Fagervoll   siri@krohnfagervoll.no 

 

06. June 2023

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