VA-kluster Mälardalen
A cooperation between researchers and wastewater organisations
Researchers and practitioners in cooperation for a sustainable future
VA-kluster Mälardalen is a Swedish research and education consortium, established in 2010, with members from universities, research institutes, and wastewater utilities. The consortium functions as a network and a platform for its members to initiate and collaborate in research projects within wastewater and sludge management. Our strength is the close collaboration between wastewater treatment plants and researchers, working together with the challenges the industry is facing. The collective expertise among members of the cluster within measurement, control, and modeling with application to wastewater treatment is unique in Sweden and has a high international standard.
The foremost focus of the consortium is to support the work at the wastewater treatment plants in the region and in the whole of Sweden. The objective is to contribute to more efficient wastewater and sludge management systems with respect to energy and resource recovery. The consortium receives support from Svenskt Vatten. The consortium is also financially supported by its members.
Education for the future
The consortium educates the future professionals in the water and sanitation sector. The goal is to contribute to a world-class water and sanitation education both on the undergraduate and postgraduate level as well as for professionals working within the sector. We also wish to highlight the water and sanitation area as an important and interesting topic with several applications in society and for environmental protection.
Every year about twenty master theses are performed within the cluster, and approximately twenty PhD students are currently active within the water and sanitation area at the partnering universities.
Research areas in focus
With its broad competence, VA-kluster Mälardalen covers the whole system – working upstream in the production of wastewater to enhance the nutrient and resource recovery, to the utilization of recovered resources such as sludge or refined products, through circular and resource-efficient collection and treatment of wastewater to protect the environment and recover resources. The prioritized research areas are:
- Circular systems and wastewater treatment processes
- Methodology, technology, and knowledge – upstream and downstream – for sustainable circular systems
- Digital technologies for sustainable wastewater systems
Members
Wastewater utilities: Enköping municipality, Eskilstuna Energi och Miljö, Falu Energi och Vatten, Käppalaförbundet, Mälarenergi, Nodra, Roslagsvatten, Stockholm Vatten och Avfall, SYVAB, Tekniska Verken in Linköping, Uppsala Vatten, Växjö municipality, Örebro municipality.
Universities: Lund University, Mälardalen University, Uppsala University, The Swedish Agricultural University (SLU), and The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH).
Research institutes: IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.