Anglian Water currently recycles more than 95% of treated sludge to agricultural land, where it is used as a valuable soil improver, providing essential nutrients and organic matter for crop production.
Its Whitingham Sewage Treatment Works (STW), located near Norwich, serves a population equivalent of more than one million people and treats both indigenous and imported sludge from across the region. With continued population growth and increasing wastewater treatment demands, Anglian Water identified the need to expand and modernise its sludge treatment infrastructure to operate as part of the Ephyra process developed by Royal Haskoning® Technology.
The installation of two new PERMASTORE® anaerobic sludge digesters forms a key part of a £26 million investment programme designed to increase treatment capacity, improve operational efficiency and support the region’s long-term environmental objectives.
The Ephyra Process plays a critical role in sustainable wastewater treatment by stabilising sludge, reducing residual waste volumes and producing renewable biogas that can be used to generate heat and electricity. The new digesters provide Anglian Water with additional resilience and capacity to accommodate future growth while maintaining high environmental performance standards.
Working in partnership with Hayes GFS and the @one Alliance delivery team, Permastore supplied two TRIFUSION® Glass-Fused-to-Steel digesters with a combined storage volume of 8,258m³. The project was delivered within an accelerated programme, enabling rapid installation whilst minimising disruption to ongoing site operations.
The engineering design expertise of Permastore, combined with the durability and corrosion resistance of the TRIFUSION® glass coating system, provides a robust containment solution designed to deliver decades of reliable service in one of the most demanding wastewater treatment environments.
Steve Skinner, Managing Director of Hayes GFS, commented: “Projects such as Whitingham demonstrate the advantages of Glass-Fused-to-Steel technology for critical wastewater infrastructure. The combination of rapid installation, proven corrosion resistance and low whole-life maintenance requirements provides water utilities with a highly resilient and cost-effective solution. We were proud to work alongside Permastore and the @one Alliance team in delivering this important investment for Anglian Water.”
Project Benefits
- Increased sludge treatment capacity to support regional growth
- Enhanced operational resilience and futureproofing of the treatment process
- Rapid installation programme compared with traditional construction methods
- Reduced whole-life maintenance requirements and lower operating costs
- Long-term corrosion protection through Permastore’s TRIFUSION® Glass-Fused-to-Steel technology
- Safe, secure and environmentally responsible sludge storage
- Reduced lifecycle costs and improved return on investment
- Support for renewable energy generation through the Ephyra and anaerobic digestion process
By selecting Permastore’s Glass-Fused-to-Steel technology, Anglian Water has invested in a solution engineered to provide long-term reliability, operational efficiency and environmental sustainability, helping meet the wastewater treatment challenges of a growing region for decades to come.
