MaxBiogas project
OsloMet collaborates with the Norwegian Water industry to develop digital technologies that can make used water treatment and biogas production more energy-efficient, resource-efficient and minimize environmental impact, and increase digital competence in the water industry in Norway. Our main collaboration partners/ end users include Veas WRRF at Asker, Hias WRRF at Hamar, NRA WRRF at Lillestrøm, and municipal water and sewage departments at Oslo, Bærum and Asker. We collaborate also with technology companies.
The water sector uses about one percent of the total energy consumption in the EU, which generates a high energy bill that is covered by residents of municipalities via municipal taxes. The EU has set a target for energy neutrality in the water sector by 2040. This involves renewable energy production from sewage sludge and heat, CO2-neutral production and a resource-efficient bioeconomy.
The Norwegian sewage industry has ambitious sustainability goals (in Norwegian, norskvann.no), therefore investing in energy-efficient biogas production from sewage sludge is important. Biogas can replace diesel and other fossil energy carriers in the transport industry, increasing income for Water Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRF) and reducing the environmental impacts associated with biogas production and use. The following figure highlights the biogas in the circular economy, or the bioeconomy.
