10 Years of ELOVAC®: The track record of a technology transforming wastewater treatment plants worldwide
ELOVAC® removes methane dissolved under vacuum and micro-gas bubbles from digested sludge. This prevents the uncontrolled release of methane – a gas particularly harmful to the climate – during interim storage or dewatering. The recovered gas can then be used to generate energy.
Julia Hartmann Published on 19.03.2026 3 min
ELOVAC® – Climate protection and efficiency in a single step
ELOVAC® removes methane dissolved under vacuum and micro-gas bubbles from digested sludge. This prevents the uncontrolled release of methane – a gas particularly harmful to the climate – during interim storage or dewatering. The recovered gas can then be used to generate energy.
Furthermore, the integrated phosphate precipitation ensures more stable and efficient plant operation and helps sewage treatment plants to reliably comply with stricter phosphorus discharge limits.
This is achieved through improved dewatering, reduced polymer consumption, efficient phosphorus binding in the sludge and the prevention of struvite deposits. This has been shown to lead to up to 5 percentage points better dewatering results and up to 20% lower polymer costs.
Thanks to its compact, ready-to-connect design, ELOVAC® can be quickly integrated into existing wastewater treatment plants – even into mobile test setups for large-scale trials.
Proven technology with strong references
Over the past ten years, ELOVAC® has built up an impressive track record. Among the most significant successful projects are:
- Lingen wastewater treatment plant (Germany)
ELOVAC® enabled an increase in dewatering efficiency of more than 5 percentage points. For the operator, this meant a reduction in disposal costs of around 20% – a milestone in the plant’s economic efficiency. - ELOVAC®-P demonstration projects successful across Europe
Operators throughout Europe confirm the benefits in real-world operation: Improved dewatering, a significant reduction in methane emissions and the immediate prevention of struvite deposits. The mobile container solution enables rapid and flexible integration into ongoing operations. - Swiss wastewater treatment plants – CO₂ certificates with ELOVAC® through the KliK Foundation
Since 2025, ELOVAC® has been an official part of the KliK Foundation’s Swiss climate protection programme. Operators can use the technology to generate high-quality, local CO₂ certificates, which are remunerated at CHF 140 per tonne of CO₂ saved. ELOVAC® is now successfully in use at over 15 sites worldwide. ELOVAC® thus represents a climate protection approach in which CO₂ emissions are reduced in a real and measurable way directly on site – locally in Europe rather than through offsetting in distant projects.
Looking to the future
After a decade of success, ELOVAC® remains a cornerstone of modern sludge treatment. In light of increasing regulatory requirements and growing responsibility for climate protection, the technology continues to gain in importance. The ELIQUO WATER GROUP will continue its commitment to supporting wastewater treatment plants worldwide in reducing emissions and operating efficient, sustainable infrastructure. In doing so, we remain closely attuned to our customers’ needs, optimising solutions for international markets and opening up new areas of application for vacuum degassing.
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