GEA has supplied six GEA biosolids Decanter prime 8000 dewatering decanters for the West Delta Wastewater Treatment Plant in Egypt. The state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant can treat up to 7,5 million cubic meters of sewage sludge daily. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this makes it the largest in the world in terms of size and treatment capacity. Thanks to the GEA decanters, the sludge dewatering plant also holds a record: it is the largest in the region. The West Delta Wastewater Treatment Plant is located about two hours’ drive west of Cairo, Egypt, on the important and central Al Dabba road.

Cooperation between GEA and four of the largest engineering companies in the Middle East

GEA worked on the project with a consortium of four of the largest engineering companies in the Middle East. Metito, Orascom, Arab Contractors, and Hassan Alam worked together on the mega-project. At the official handover of the plant in mid-June 2024, all the key partners involved in the construction of the gigantic sewage treatment plant were honored at a festive ceremony. The award was presented by H.E. Hani Sewilan, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Sunil Kumar, Managing Director of GEA Middle East, accepted the award on behalf of GEA, together with Karim Youssef, Country Head for Egypt and GEA’s local partner Flowtech who also attended the event.

The GEA solution for the West Delta project

The GEA biosolids Decanter prime is a customized solution for the treatment of municipal wastewater sludge. The prime line comprises seven machine sizes with a capacity of 15 to 300 m³/h. The centrifuge is therefore ideal for large capacities. Thanks to a unique machine design, the prime line has been energy-optimized to such an extent that the energy balance of the prime line shows savings of up to 50 percent compared to previous generations of machines. Among other things, this was made possible by the design of the decanter bowl in a deep pond design. The performance and design of the prime 8000 decanter are crucial given the special features of the West Delta wastewater treatment plant. The entire fan-shaped Egyptian Nile Delta only has a slight gradient of twenty meters to its mouth in the southeastern Mediterranean. In addition, large quantities of sewage sludge are produced. The entire Nile Delta begins around 16 kilometers north of Cairo at Qanatir el-Cheirat and covers a total area of 24,000 square kilometers. This makes it one of the world's largest river deltas.

More than 90 percent of Egypt's water needs come from the Nile

Due to the desert climate, water is a scarce commodity in Egypt - the country meets more than 90 percent of its water needs from the Nile. Climate change and a rapidly growing population will make water supply even more difficult in the future. Efficient and integrated management of limited water resources is therefore essential for Egypt's long-term economic and social development.