At the Deep Dive New Solutions for Water event on October 17, 2024 in Oroszlány, Hungary, where Veolia operates the world’s largest membrane production facility, the Group’s CEO Estelle Brachlianoff presented the Group’s water innovations and leadership and unveiled an unprecedented offer of end-to-end PFAS treatment & management solutions.
Unprecedented water challenges around the world require solutions
Across the planet, population growth, climate change, and urbanization are putting pressure on water resources and creating new challenges for industries, municipalities, and communities. Access to clean water and sanitation compliant with norms is set to be a major challenge for billions of people by 2030, as the emergence of new pollutants further exacerbates the issue.
As the global leader in water technologies and solutions, Veolia is perfectly positioned to deliver innovative solutions to its clients to secure this vital resource and ensure its quality, availability, and affordability, as Veolia Chief Executive Officer Estelle Brachlianoff outlined during the Deep Dive New Solutions for Water event at the Group’s center of excellence in Oroszlány, Hungary.
Veolia launches a new end-to-end PFAS offer
Micropollutants, including PFAS, are an urgent societal and environmental concern with an impact on drinking water supplies, ecosystems, and communities around the world, subject to heightened regulations. Reinforcing Veolia’s forward-thinking and leadership, CEO Estelle Brachlianoff unveiled a brand-new offer at the Deep Dive event: BeyondPFAS, a unique, integrated offer for PFAS treatment and the most comprehensive one on the market. BeyondPFAS is a suite of end-to-end solutions for PFAS detection, treatment, and disposal in compliance with norms and suited to every local challenge.
Anticipating new regulatory requirements set to arrive in 2026, Veolia also recently conducted a large-scale campaign to analyze the presence of regulated PFAS in drinking water in France and found that over 99% of its drinking water outlets comply with PFAS standards.
A strong focus on water innovation ensuring resilience and driving growth
Veolia has always led the way in water treatment innovations, deploying a diverse range of solutions including membrane technologies, activated carbon, and ion exchange resins. The Group’s strategic program GreenUp 24-27 targets decarbonization, depollution, and resource regeneration through three growth boosters–including water technologies and new solutions–with €2 billion in targeted investments.
The Group’s unique ability to combine its three businesses in water, waste, and energy, and its associated expertise, drives growth for the Group and allows it to provide the best, most efficient, and most complementary solutions to its clients.
“Thanks to our unique positioning, Veolia has a winning formula to champion water technologies and new solutions. We combine our expertise in our three businesses in water, waste, and energy and leverage our global footprint and local presence to deliver best-in-class technologies to our clients. And we have strong commitments: for example, our strategic program, GreenUp 24-27, aims to preserve 1.5 M3 of fresh water in 2027.”
Estelle Brachlianoff, Chief Executive Officer of Veolia.
Showcasing Veolia’s water technological leadership
At the Deep Dive event, an innovation corner shone a spotlight on key Veolia innovations in the water technology sector. These cutting-edge offers include:
Seawater desalination
The Barrel: the ultimate water solution. A plug-and-play reverse osmosis and nanofiltration pressure vessel that meets the highest standards and is scalable thanks to a modular design that can treat anywhere from 400 to 50,000 m3 a day.
Ultrapure water production
Mobile water services: efficient anywhere, anytime! Standalone and modular units for the microelectronics and life sciences sectors cost-effectively use a variety of technologies including Actiflo, MBR, ZeeWeed UF, RO and Ion Exchange for temporary and emergency needs.
Recovery of critical materials
HPD® evaporation and crystallization, in which Veolia has over 85 years of expertise, provides a cost-effective, sustainable, and tailored way to reduce waste and save water for diverse applications including lithium, pulp and paper, chemicals, fertilizers, energy and oil.
Digital and artificial intelligence
Hubgrade® digital solutions for smart water management: anticipating needs and providing tailored solutions to industries and cities, enabling greater efficiency while reducing environmental impact in all water treatment areas.
“Veolia stands ready to tackle its stakeholders’ water challenges. Our technological edge allows us to push value in fast-growing markets and to guarantee water availability and quality with ever-more efficient, innovative treatment solutions that enable our clients to reduce their water footprint, respect regulations, and secure their operations.”
Anne Le Guennec, Senior Executive Vice President, Water Technologies zone, Veolia
Sustainable desalination to tackle water scarcity in the United Arab Emirates
Veolia is tackling the challenge of freshwater scarcity head-on with over 1,950 reverse osmosis desalination systems in 85 countries that produce more than 6.75 million m3 per day. At the Hassyan Seawater desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates, the Group undertakes sustainable seawater desalination and reduces the energy consumption associated with the production of desalinated water through reverse osmosis desalination and optimized design from pre-treatment to post-treatment. The use of technologies including dissolved air flotation (DAF) clarification and reverse osmosis membrane filtration have led to a fivefold decrease in energy consumption compared to thermal technologies (2.9 kWh/m3).
In the United States, water reuse through advanced biological treatment of wastewater
Worldwide, only 11% of water is recycled but water needs are showing no signs of slowing. Demand is slated to grow between 6% and 8% every year, and in places under water stress, reuse is a growing option that Veolia stands ready to implement. The Group already provides the most advanced and efficient wastewater treatment technologies that complement the company’s energy solutions and go beyond regulatory standards, including at F. Wayne Hill WRC in Gwinnett County (United States). In this drought-prone area that is experiencing population growth, Veolia ensures indirect potable reuse. Wastewater is depolluted, discharged, and stored in Lake Sidney Lanier and then extracted, purified, and distributed into drinking water using ZeeWeed UF Tertiary Treatment and Ozonia Disinfection Systems. Since 2010, up to 40 million gallons of advanced treated water have been pumped daily from the treatment plant to the lake for extraction and treatment into drinking water.
Addressing strategic independence through strategic metal and salt recovery in Japan
As the transition to electric vehicles accelerates demand for strategic metals such as lithium, whose extraction is water-intensive, Veolia’s solutions help secure critical metals independence. A leader in evapo-crystallization with HPD® for 85 years, Veolia combines its expertise in thermal and membrane and e-separation processes and emerging battery recycling business to ensure the best operations for its clients. In Japan, at a first of its kind Arcadium Lithium facility that has exceeded 90% capacity in less than 3 months while meeting product purity specifications, Veolia ensures the conversion of technical grade lithium carbonate into battery-grade lithium hydroxide. Veolia helps train plant operators and laboratory personnel at the facility, deploying clarification, ion exchange purification, evaporation, crystallization and precipitation technologies to serve these growing needs.
