Published: 18. Jun 2022

Marselisborg WWTP - turning wastewater into green energy

Mars Lystbådhavn Large

At traditional wastewater treatment plants, the energy produced is nowhere near enough to cover the operation of the plant. In Aarhus it is. Marselisborg WWTP has an energy self-sufficient far above 100 percent and the plant is in fact a power station, a bio refinery where energy is produced from wastewater.

In Aarhus wastewater is no longer a waste product; it is a source of green energy. Marselisborg Wastewater Treatment Plant has been transformed from an energy consumer to an energy producing plant.

Production of energy from wastewater is no new invention. However, it is new that a wastewater treatment plant can produce as much as 150 - 160 percent energy based on normal household wastewater.

The wastewater treatment plant produces enough energy to cover 94 percent of all the energy used for the whole water cycle in the catchment area, from water production, water distribution over wastewater pumping to wastewater treatment. Moreover, Marselisborg WWTP is the biggest phosphorus-recovery plant in the nordic countries.

Unsurprisingly, this has grabbed the attention of people in the industry all over the world, and Aarhus Vand is happy to share its expertise. Acting as a showcase of these potentials, the Marselisborg plant is visited by energy experts and decision-makers from the entire world. Aarhus Vand is working with a delegation from Chicago, for instance, to achieve similar results in their city.

Read more about Marselisborg WWTP on State of Green