AN advanced vacuum sewerage system has been installed on The Palm Jumeirah.

Not only is this the first system of its kind in the UAE, it is also the largest of its kind anywhere in the world, says Nakheel, a Dubai World company and the project’s developer.
The system has been developed by Corodex Electromechanic, a part of Concorde-Corodex Group, which is one of the world’s leading suppliers of water supply engineering and wastewater treatment systems.
The vacuum sewerage system serves 2,000 villas through 900 collection chambers, 40 km of pipeline and the world’s largest vacuum station. The vacuum system delivers waste water to a membrane bio-reactor (MBR) sewage treatment plant (STP) located on the trunk of the island.
In line with the Blue Communities ethos of minimising the environmental impact of Nakheel’s developments, the system has been designed so that there is no emission of treated effluent into the sea. Instead, the treated, safe, wastewater is reused to irrigate landscaping on Palm Jumeirah, which reduces the demand for desalinated water and helps protect this vital resource.
The system’s design offers a number of other environmental benefits, from low-cost and low-impact construction, to the ability to cross water protection areas because leaks cannot occur. This means that, unlike traditional treatment processes and pipe networks, the vacuum system is completely odourless. As the pipe network is all underground, it is also unobtrusive, providing an ideal solution in an urban environment.
Abdulrahman Kalantar, managing director of design and development at Nakheel, says: “We chose a vacuum sewerage system because of the many environmental, social and cost benefits it brings to Palm Jumeirah – including the reuse of treated, safe wastewater for irrigation; and its low impact construction coupled with the highest health and safety standards. Nakheel is committed to working with those who can provide technologies in line with our Blue Communities initiative. We’re delighted with the results.”
Corodex Electromechanic handed the system over to Nakheel following a fast-build period. Nakheel confirmed that it has selected the Corodex system for developments on Palm Deira and the company will start work on these projects shortly.