Outstanding global examples of the latest in project excellence, from research concept through to application at scale, were celebrated on 13 August, at IWA’s Project Innovation Awards Gala event in Toronto, Canada. Here we showcase the winners.
IWA’s Project Innovation Awards (PIA) were launched in 2006 to recognise that shared and pressing challenges can be overcome through the development and implementation of creative water solutions. Recognising and championing water innovators, these awards are dedicated to fostering sustainable utility operations, safeguarding community health and safety, and shaping our global water future. By celebrating innovation and spotlighting its creators, the IWA Project Innovation Awards proudly acknowledge those who have taken on the challenge of providing a sustainable water future for all.
Competition and judging
The 14th edition of the PIAs had an impressive 108 entries from 34 countries during the nomination process, starting from early 2024. This level of engagement highlights the extensive innovation and ambition within the IWA network, offering great optimism for the sector.
Entries were well distributed across the six award categories, each representing a unique area of innovation in water management. An independent panel of expert judges evaluated each project based on its innovative qualities and key outcomes, also considering the circumstances of its development and its potential for broader impact. After a thorough and competitive evaluation process, the panel selected the top three projects in each category, with these placed as Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Grand Innovation Award
The expert panel selected the Grand Innovation Award winner from the six Gold medallists from each of the PIA categories to represent the pinnacle of excellence in water sector innovation.
The IWA Grand Innovation Award 2024 embodies a vision of a future where water, a fundamental human right, is managed wisely to balance human and ecological needs sustainably. Highlighting the importance of innovative solutions, this award honours groundbreaking achievements in the global water industry.
The project selected as the Grand Innovation Award winner for 2024 was ‘Inspiring Technological and Market Transformation: Practice of the China Concept Wastewater Resource Facility’, by the Committee of China Concept Wastewater Treatment Plant and CSD Water Service Co., Ltd., China.
This project, the Gold winner in the Market-changing Water Technology and Infrastructure category, has forged a new concept in wastewater treatment that boosts local water resilience, supports agriculture with nutrient-rich soil, and serves as a model for sustainable wastewater management globally, inspiring further initiatives and international collaboration. It stems from the move by several distinguished professors specialising in wastewater treatment, led by Professor Jiuhui Qu, to form the China Concept WWTP Committee (CCWC) in 2014.
Market-changing Water Technology and Infrastructure
GOLD: Inspiring Technological and Market Transformation: Practice of the China Concept Wastewater Resource Facility, by the Committee of China Concept Wastewater Treatment Plant, CSD Water Service Co., Ltd., China
With the need to increase the capacity of China’s wastewater treatment facilities, thousands of new wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are required in the country. In response to this – and concerned that new WWTPs are equipped to tackle the challenges of climate change, resource scarcity and sustainability – several distinguished professors specialising in wastewater treatment, led by Professor Jiuhui Qu, formed the China Concept WWTP Committee (CCWC) in 2014.
The CCWC aims to build approximately 100 Concept Plants, applying advanced technologies and covering various local conditions, different capacities, distinctive features, and diverse models. These will promote substantial changes and upgrades in industry construction forms, technology and standards.
One such Concept Plant, the Yixing Concept Water Resource Reclamation Facility (WRRF), a $42m project, began operations in October 2021. It handles 20,000 m3 of wastewater and processes 100 tonnes of organic matter daily. Key objectives include surpassing environmental standards, achieving energy self-sufficiency through bioenergy, and enhancing resource recovery.
SILVER: The Linear Path to Circularity! by A´guas do Tejo Atlantico, Portugal
A plan to transform linear wastewater treatment plants into ‘Water Factories’, this project aims for water circularity by 2025, focusing on increasing quality water reuse.
BRONZE: South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP), by the Water Research Commission, South Africa
SASTEP fosters innovation in sanitation technology, bridging the gap between research, development and commercialisation, and promoting new sanitation solutions.
Breakthroughs in Research and Development
GOLD: Redefining Wastewater Treatment Technology – Design, Construction and Operation of the World’s First Mainstream Partial Nitritation-Anammox Wastewater Treatment Facility, by Beijing Drainage Group Co., Ltd., Beijing University of Technology, China
This project has developed the world’s first successfully implemented mainstream deammonification process for treating wastewater. The PNAAF (Partial Nitritation Activated Sludge coupled with Anammox Fixed-film) process, jointly developed by the Beijing Drainage Group and Beijing University of Technology, China, was pilot tested and subsequently designed, constructed and operated at Beijing’s Fangzhuang Wastewater Treatment Plant (7200 m3/d).
Wastewater Treatment Facility
SILVER: Integration of TADOX Technology to achieve Net Zero in Textile Wastewater Treatment, by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India
Using TERI Advanced Oxidation Technology (TADOX), invented by Dr Nupur Bahadur, this innovative process involves UV-TiO2 photocatalysis for the removal of colour and dissolved organics from textile wastewater.
BRONZE: IntensiCarb, All in One Process, by Brown and Caldwell, Trojan Technologies, US Peroxide Technologies, USA
This innovative anaerobic digestion intensification technology combines vacuum evaporation with fermentation or anaerobic digestion.
Governance, Institutions and Social Enterprise
GOLD: Wollert Community Farm, by Yarra Valley Water, Australia
Developed in collaboration with Whittlesea Community Connections and Melbourne Polytechnic, this community farm in Melbourne’s northern suburbs utilises buffer land at a recycled water treatment plant, with the aim of enhancing biodiversity, promoting local food security, and fostering community engagement through regenerative farming and education initiatives.
SILVER: Tetra Safe Drinking Water Project: Leveraging Solar Energy to Support Lower Income Communities in Bangladesh’s Coastal Region, by Tetra Private Limited, Bangladesh
By developing a solar-powered desalination device to provide 1000 litres of purified water daily, at a low cost, this project is already delivering access to safe water to 1200 households.
BRONZE: Jaldoot Programme, by Public Health Engineering Department and Jal Jeevan Mission, Assam, India
This initiative trains students through workshops focusing on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and the functionality of piped water supply schemes.
Performance Improvement and Operational Solutions
GOLD: Government-led City-wide COVID-19 Sewage Surveillance in Hong Kong with Engineering and Smart Technology Applications, by the Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong SAR Government, China
Utilising engineering and smart technology applications, this project implemented a unique and dynamic city-wide sewage network-based surveillance programme, facilitating real time decision-making for controlling COVID-19 transmission across the city with coverage of more than 80% of the city’s population.
SILVER: Whole Life Cycle Management System of Municipal Pipe Networks in Developing Areas by the Three Gorges Smart Water Technology Company Ltd., and the Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute, China
This digital management system for municipal sewer networks, focuses on small- and medium-sized cities along the Yangtze River, which supports 33% of the country’s population.
BRONZE: All-factor Collaborative Digital Governance Demonstration for Pollution and Waterlogging of the Shenzhen River Basin, by Shenzhen Water and Environment Group Co., Ltd., China
This project focuses on the optimisation of water management in mega cities, adopting collaborative digital governance of all factors resulting in pollution and waterlogging.
Exceptional Project Execution and Delivery
GOLD: Ontario Wastewater Surveillance Initiative (Ontario WSI), by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), Canada
Initiated in 2020 to monitor the spread of COVID-19 – leveraging GIS, IoT, big data, and machine learning, to provide real time, actionable data, using wastewater analysis – the scope of the surveillance has now extended to influenza, RSV, and other pathogens.
SILVER: Huangxiao River and Airport River Water Environment Comprehensive Treatment PPP Project, Green Industry Investment Ltd. from the 3rd Bureau of China State Construction Engineering Co. Ltd.; (CSCEC), Wuhan Municipal Water Authority; 3rd Bureau of CSCEC.
Enhancing water quality and flood control, this project was the first in Hubei to be selected in the Global Infrastructure Hub (GIH) project database.
BRONZE: 120 MLD SWTP 9 Stage 6 Phase 1, Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by VA Tech Wabag Ltd., India
This groundbreaking wastewater treatment plant, alongside its extensive treatment scheme, incorporates a state-of-the-art 20 mld tanker pumping station and cutting-edge sludge treatment systems.
Smart Systems and the Digital Water Economy
GOLD: Digital Twin Platform for Water Distribution System in Fuzhou, by Fuzhou Water Group Co., Ltd., China
This platform constructed a GIS system to realise digital archiving of 4500 km of the pipeline network and 194,000 ancillary facilities, deploying 804 monitoring sensors in the municipal network, feeding information to a water big data centre.
SILVER: Digital Dosing for Sustainable Sewer Protection, by the University of Queensland, Australia
This real time control system utilises digital twins, advanced optimisation algorithms, cloud computing, and IoT networks to dynamically and automatically manage chemical dosing according to real needs.
BRONZE: The AI-Acoustic Underground Leak Detection System: A Case Study of Taiwan Water Corporation, by Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC), Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Chinese Taipei
This advanced Smart Acoustic Identification System for diagnosing leaks in piping systems integrates AI and IoT technologies to accurately identify leak locations. •
For more details on the winning projects, visit: iwa-network.org/press/global-best-in-water-projects-announced-at-iwa-2024-project-innovation-awards
