Upgrading of all air treatment and ventilation units of Switzerland’s largest wastewater treatment plant

• Environment

April 15th 2024

The municipal Geneva Industrial Services (SIG) have entrusted John Cockerill with the upgrading of all air treatment and ventilation units of its Aïre wastewater treatment plant, the largest in Switzerland. Objective: double the processing capacity of the existing installations while increasing their performance. Thus, after our specialists' intervention, the plant's upgraded air purification and odor treatment installations will be able to treat emissions effectively and in compliance with the required environmental standards, for a capacity of 1,000,000 inhabitants.

A strong experience in air purification and odor treatment

Initially designed to treat the equivalent of wastewater from nearly 600,000 inhabitants, the Aïre wastewater treatment plant handles wastewater from the city of Geneva, 24 municipalities in the canton, and parts of the cross-border region between France and Switzerland. Due to the population growth and economic development of the canton of Geneva, the plant is no longer able to meet the required purification targets, as the increase in load currently exceeds the nominal load by about 25 to 50%. It was therefore urgent and necessary to expand and modernize the facilities to reach a capacity of 1,000,000 inhabitants.

Won over by our Group's solid experience of over 30 years in air purification and odor treatment, SIG (SIG stands for Services Industriels de Genève) consequently called on our experts for the upgrading and extension of its existing air purification and odor treatment installations.

"A complex, unique and ambitious project"

Samuel Keller, Commercial Director of John Cockerill EE, explains: "In the search for optimal solutions to meet the technical requirements and complexity of the specifications associated with the client's budget constraints, over two and a half years of support and studies with the contractor and the client were necessary."

It is in this context that John Cockerill, in partnership with the company IDEM, was selected to upgrade all existing air treatment and ventilation units. "A complex and unique project, as we will be working on existing installations to adapt them so that they can handle a significant increase in air flow. Various works will be carried out, including the replacement of several fans and air handling equipment, as well as the redesign of some parts of the engineering so that the existing installation can handle an increase from 115,000 m3/h to 210,000 m3/h", says Samuel Keller.

With the doubled capacity, the modernized installation will be able to treat the plant's gaseous emissions effectively and in compliance with the required environmental standards.

To support the ecological transition

Lasting approximately 3 years, these works will enable the Aïre wastewater treatment plant to meet the new environmental standards defined by the Swiss Confederation and to continue its commitment to the ecological transition.

John Cockerill thus contributes to preserving natural resources, fully aligning with its values and mission to assist municipalities and industries in minimizing their environmental footprint by managing their emissions through efficient, innovative, and tailored solutions. All while meeting increasingly strict standards and the most complex construction configurations!

For more information about this project and our solutions, contact us!