Introduction
Established over 50 years ago in Kuwait, M.A. Al Kharafi and Sons (Al Kharafi & Sons) has grown to become one of the largest construction companies in the region. Notably, they have been involved in constructing sewage treatment plants in Kuwait for the Ministry of Public Works.
In 2021, they faced the urgent task of boosting wastewater management capacity swiftly due to a surge in population and escalating demand, all while tackling the challenge of water scarcity in Kuwait.
We recommended a decentralized approach involving moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) packaged units from AnoxKaldnes® — a subsidiary of Veolia Water Technologies. This biological water treatment process utilizes a biological treatment process where biofilm develops on carriers suspended in wastewater.
This innovative approach is particularly beneficial for medium-sized plant upgrades, and retrofitting projects aimed at enhancing performance. Meaning, instead of a large plant that would reduce the network size, Al Kharafi & Sons could lower capital costs, enhance operational flexibility, and expand wastewater treatment capacity with plug-and-play units.
Within one year, our team delivered 53 packaged plants, marking the largest order of this type ever received.
This initiative has enabled the reuse of 40,000 cubic meters of water daily in water-scarce Kuwait.