[미국] American Water사, NPXpress 폐수처리기술 사용 라이센스 계약
  

미국의 American Water 사는 에너지·환경분야의 혁신기술을 적용하는 글로벌사인 Abengoa사와 American Water사의 특허 기술인 NPXpress 기술사용에 대한 글로벌 라이센싱 협약을 체결했다.

이 협약으로 Abengoa사는 폐수처리 및 영양물질 제거를 위한 목적으로 NPXpress 기술을 사용할 수 있으며 Amercan Water사는 이 기술사용과 관련된 모든 권리를 가질 수 있게 됐다. NPXpress 기술로 운전비용의 증가와 환경규정의 강화에 따른 폐수처리의 문제점을 해결할 수 있으며 특히 질소 및 인의 제거효율 개선으로 비용을 대폭 절감 할 수 있다. 또한 이 기술은 적은 산소량이 필요하여 폭기에 따른 전기소모량을 50% 이상 절감할 수 있다.

이번 협약은 American Water 사의  Innovation Development Program (IDP) 으로 개발된 기술에 대한 최초의 라이센싱 계약이다.

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]