Suez expecting to clean up in China with its expertise

French waste and water company Suez believes tighter environmental regulations in China will require the deployment of more advanced treatments involving cutting-edge technologies, providing tremendous opportunities.

"China's tighter regulations provide tremendous opportunities for us, and we are well positioned to introduce our expertise and technologies to provide innovative solutions to meet stringent environmental standards in China," said Thomas Stanley, chief technology officer of Suez-Water Technologies& Solutions.

"Some programs we do here are targeted in the sector with our advanced technologies to address problems like water treatment and we are also investing for the future."

The company unveiled its fourth research center in China on Aug 30 in Shanghai, focusing on developing innovative solutions for Chinese customers. The center will further improve the research capabilities of Suez Group in China and provide vital technical support for further penetration in the water treatment market across China, the company said.

Specialized in water treatment, it targets five basic research areas - chemistry, materials, bioengineering, chemical engineering and environmental science - and focuses on the removal of non-degradable chemical oxygen demand, advanced membrane/electro-separation, zero liquid discharge solutions for highly concentrated wastewater, digital technology and services, green water treatment solutions and solutions for sophisticated chemical processes.

The advanced bioreactor developed by the Chinese team has been applied to refractory organics treatment economically and efficiently, it said.

Steve Clark, CEO of Suez Asia, said the new center would significantly improve Suez's technological expertise, increase synergies among different business divisions and help China better address resource challenges.

As the solid waste sector in China, especially the hazardous waste sector, has witnessed rapid growth in recent years, Suez now has four hazardous waste treatment plants in China, located in Shanghai and Jiangsu province, and will have two more by the end of this year and another two by 2019, he said.

The growth rate will further increase in the future, he added.

Suez has come up with many product lines and core competencies, and integrated solutions based on such core competencies, according to Tim Huang, senior vice-president for China of Suez-Water Technologies & Solutions.

"I believe the new research center will better harness local R&D to help Chinese customers gain strong economic and social benefits, and jointly contribute to beautiful China," he said.

The company won a contract to treat industrial wastewater at an industrial park in the eastern Chinese coastal city of Yantai last year together with a Belgian chemical company, providing a treatment line for the brine produced by the desalination process to achieve a quality discharge into the sea in accordance with the most recent standards of the industry.