Wastewater digestion technology originally developed by Anglian Water in the UK is set to play a central role in one of the largest wastewater treatment upgrades in the world, following its selection by Sabesp for major treatment plants in São Paulo, Brazil.
The Helea sludge digestion technology being brought to market by the international engineering firm, Haskoning, was originally developed through Anglian Water’s innovation programme and successfully deployed across four active UK sites. It will be implemented alongside Haskoning’s Ephyra® technology at Barueri and São Miguel Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Barueri is the largest WWTP in Latin America, and together the sites will serve around 10 million people across São Paulo.
A significant milestone
Proven through long term operation in the UK, a simplified Helea process, called Helea Lite is now being applied internationally for the first time at mega-city scale. Treatment capacity at Barueri will increase from 16,000 to 22,500 litres per second, with capacity at the São Miguel plant rising from 1,500 to 5,500 litres per second. Biogas generated through the new processes will be used for combined heat and power generation, thermal sludge drying, and other sustainable applications, effectively transforming both plants into state of the art energy recovery facilities.
The technologies will be delivered by Haskoning, and the selection of Helea Lite and Ephyra represents a significant step forward in sludge management, setting a new standard for wastewater treatment valorisation.
Emily Timmins, Director of Water Recycling at Anglian Water said:
“Helea was developed over 15 years ago to create a cost effective and energy efficient way to operate our sludge treatment centres in the Anglian Water region. We’re delighted that our partnership with Haskoning has led to its application at this scale in one of the world’s largest cities.”
Enhancing anaerobic digestion performance
Helea Lite is a simplified version of the full Helea process, a sustainable pre-digestion solution that optimises biological hydrolysis. It increases the digestibility of sludge feedstocks, enhancing the performance of the Ephyra digesters, for maximum volatile solids (VS) destruction and biogas production. Helea Lite provides pre-digestion treatment of sludge without the need for the heating and pasteurisation stages of the full Helea process.
Developed by Haskoning, Ephyra is a compact and sustainable solution for optimising anaerobic digestion. Using a plug-flow digestion approach, the technology improves the performance of anaerobic digestion facilities by reducing short-circuiting and optimising biological processes to increase VS destruction and biogas yields, while lowering downstream emissions and improving overall carbon performance.
Partnership for long term performance
João Almeida, Global Director Water Technology Products at Haskoning, said:
“We are very proud of our partnership with Anglian Water and the selection of Helea Lite and Ephyra at Barueri and São Miguel. The technologies have demonstrated established performance and have been adapted to meet the specific operational requirements of these sites.”
The landmark projects build on Haskoning’s established presence as a technology provider for water and wastewater treatment globally. More than 150 wastewater treatment installations using Haskoning technologies are currently under design, construction or operation globally, including its Nereda® biological wastewater treatment technology.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.