SMC components are in the NEREUS system that equips the Cycle building, a Zero-Waste demonstration building. It recycles and reuses in situ all the effluents in the athletes' village.
One of the buildings in the village, housing 26 apartments, is equipped with an innovative system for filtering the wastewater from the showers, kitchens and toilets, thus allowing it to be reused.
Thanks to the NEOSTEP® solution from NEREUS, this water will be purified to the point of being drinkable, and will be used for flushing toilets, in washing machines, for cleaning, and for irrigating green spaces. In addition, the system will recover heat from wastewater, to then use it to heat domestic hot water. The goal of the Cycle building is to recycle 90% of wastewater and reduce water consumption by 60%, while also limiting energy consumption.
Caption 1: Supported by the innovation and ecology fund set up by SOLIDEO and backed by Caisse des Dépôts, ICADE Promotion and CDC Habitat, the project aspires to revolutionise the paradigm of resource circularity by initiating a genuine transition towards “Resource Buildings” and “Zero Waste”, significantly limiting the environmental impacts, creating local value and new skilled jobs
NEOSTEP® from NEREUS uses dynamic filtration technology for very low energy consumption
NEOSTEP® from NEREUS uses dynamic filtration technology that consumes very little energy. Founded in 2013, NEREUS is a leader in the field of dynamic filtration in France. Unlike traditional frontal filtration, where particles stick to the filter surface, tangential filtration allows the fluid to pass through the filter under pressure, limiting particle accumulation. Dynamic filtration is an innovative variant of tangential filtration, offering high permeate flow rates and considerably reducing the risk of clogging thanks to high-shear rotating membranes. What's more, this method consumes around 80% less energy, making it both an efficient and environmentally friendly solution.
A solution that can be placed in the heart of a city
The NEOSTEP® compact wastewater treatment plant can be installed close to where it will be used, whether in parks and gardens, eco-districts or sustainable buildings. These systems are designed to be compact, they are factory-tested and delivered ready for use. Guilhem Molles, Technical Director of Nereus, says: "We need components that are compact and above all reliable, because it's crucial for us to avoid on-site repairs anywhere in the world”.
NEOSTEP® incorporates the latest membrane technology, enabling dynamic ultrafiltration combined with biological treatment, followed by a final reverse osmosis filtration stage. This solution recovers up to 49.7 kWh of heat per year, equivalent to avoiding 9.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
SMC: responsiveness and a superior product
In the Olympic Village installation, 12 water circuits are managed, each controlled by 3 angle-seat valves. These valves open and close the pipes to clean them or take them out of service if necessary. They are controlled by an SMC valve manifold. Guilhem Molles continues: "After testing the valve islands from many different companies present on the market, we chose the solution offered by SMC because of its compactness and superior robustness. SMC's water-resistant pneumatic valve manifolds, with their IP 67 certification, are essential for installations that have to be cleaned with water". These pneumatic valve manifolds are designed to withstand up to 5,000,000 cycles, and feature IO-Link communication. Guilhem Molles adds: “For more corrosive environments, such as in coastal or tropical regions, we have worked closely with SMC and used AMG water separators, which remove up to 99% of the water, and FRL air treatment units”.
A future-oriented solution
“This technology has great potential, because of its low energy consumption. Although the price of membranes remains high, the return on investment is estimated at around 5 years,” explains Guilhem Molles. But their cost is steadily going down. Currently, the applications are mainly in industry and the tertiary sector, but with the advantages of the technology, it is forecast to spread into wastewater treatment plants, which are major consumers of energy. SMC is supporting Nereus in all these developments.
