국가 최대의 공거래 수질 및 폐수 사업 회사인 American Water과 환경분야의 지속가능성과 에너지를 위한 혁신적인 기술 해법을 적용하는 세계적인 회사인 Abengoa가 American Water의 특허된 NPXpress 기술의 전세계적인 특허권 협약에 서명했다.

이 협약은 Abengoa가 NPXpress를 사용하여 지속가능한 방법으로 영양염류의 제거와 폐수
처리를 성공하도록 돕는다. American Water은 NPXpress 기술에 대한 모든 권리를 얻는다.

NPXpress 기술은 운영비용 증가와 더욱 강화된 환경 규제에 직면한 폐수 처리 시설의 인과 질소 제거를 개선하여 비용 절감을 돕는다. 또한 이 기술은 낮은 산소 기준으로 운영되어 통풍을 위한 전기 소비를 최대 50%까지 절감 할 수 있다.

American Water (NYSE: AWK), the nation's largest publicly-traded water and wastewater utility company, and Abengoa, a global company that applies innovative technology solutions for energy and environmental sector sustainability, signed a worldwide licensing agreement for American Water's patented NPXpress technology.

The agreement will enable Abengoa to use NPXpress to achieve wastewater treatment and nutrient removal in a sustainable way. American Water will retain all rights with respect to its NPXpress technology.

The NPXpress technology helps wastewater utilities, which are facing both increasing operating costs and more stringent environmental regulations, to reduce costs while improving the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. Because the technology operates at lower oxygen levels, electricity consumption for aeration can be reduced by up to 50 percent.

In addition, the process can eliminate the need for costly chemical addition (methanol) by up to 80 to 100 percent. This process provides a more affordable and sustainable way of treating sewage. NPXpress is patent-protected in 15 countries and the EU.

This is the first time American Water has licensed an internally generated technology achieved through its Innovation Development Process (IDP). American Water's IDP program fills a vital need to seek innovative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions that can benefit all water utilities.

IDP combines research and development, technical expertise and infrastructure assets with innovations from both within American Water and from external business partners to create greater efficiencies in the areas of drinking water and wastewater. It provides a conduit for innovators to allow their technologies to be evaluated and to accelerate the adoption and market penetration of products or services that help solve pressing needs within the water industry.

[출처 = Water World/ 2014년 4월 25일]