Wastewater treatment, the largest Italian project in recent years

Vicenza and its surrounding municipalities. A basin of abut 300,000 inhabitants in one of Italy’s richest and most developed areas. They will be the beneficiaries of the new wastewater treatment plant that will change the paradigm of water management in the area with a more modern and sustainable approach benefiting the Vicenza community. This is the largest Italian project of its kind in the last ten years and involves the construction of a new treatment plant in Casale, a few kilometers from the center of Vicenza, designed to handle the region’s wastewater, easing the load on the small existing plants and leading to their closure.

The project, partially funded with resources from the PNRR due to its innovative approach to water management and sustainability, has been entrusted to a consortium led by Fisia Italimpianti, a Webuild group company specializing in the construction of water management plants, from water treatment to desalination.

The goal now is to complete the first phase of the work by 2026 – the deadline set by the European Union for Next Generation funds – and then continue with the interventions at least until 2029, ensuring a new wastewater treatment network for the entire area capable of reducing unpleasant odors in residential areas to zero.

In the first phase, the work will focus on the construction of the new Casale plant, which will be an expansion of the existing facility, modernized with new technologies.

For a more efficient management of the sludge produced by the wastewater treatment process (from sewage), an innovative hydrolysis process will be added to the traditional treatments. This allows for a wider production of biogas, which will be used for energy purposes within the plant itself.

One of the innovative features of the plant is its environmental impact. The sludge treatment process employed here ensures that, once the drying process is completed, a smaller amount remains, resulting in reduced pollution. Additionally, an environmental control unit for odor treatment will be constructed in the same drying area. Particular attention will also be given to energy recovery. “In addition to using the biogas produced from the treatment,” explains engineer Giancarlo Ferri from Fisia Italimpianti, director of the Codav consortium (Consorzio ordinario depurazione acque Vicenza) which will carry out the project, “small units for energy recovery will be built, such as photovoltaic panels and a turbine that will be powered by the water discharged into the Bacchiglione River.”

Among the many interventions included in the project, new embankments will also be constructed around the perimeter of the plant to protect it from flooding of the Bacchiglione River. This way, the plant’s operation will never be slowed down.

Treating wastewater from sewers is a necessary and sustainable process, but it has an impact on the community, particularly in terms of odors that are naturally present in plants that treat wastewater. The project in Vicenza aims to solve this problem by building the new large plant and closing smaller ones located near residential areas.

This is what will happen with the Sant’Agostino plant. Once the project is completed, this plant and other nearby ones will be closed, and wastewater management will be concentrated in a single area.

“The project,” continues engineer Ferri, “was born from the need to optimize the basin to decommission old plants, increase water management capabilities, and offer a better service for the entire area.”

Overall, the interventions also include decontamination activities, the reorganization and rationalization of the sewer system, and of course, the purification of Vicenza’s water. A profound change for this highly developed area that can rely on the experience of the Webuild Group, a world leader in the water sector for over 10 years, with 25% of total revenue as of December 31, 2023, coming from clean hydro energy and clean water sectors.