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MARKHAM, ONT. — (MDE) has selected to provide its Vilter VQ95 single-screw ammonia industrial heat pumps to power the world’s largest wastewater energy transfer (WET) facility at its Low Carbon Energy Centre in downtown Markham, Ont.

MDE’s WET facility extracts and converts energy from wastewater for sustainable heating and cooling, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

At the plant’s full capacity, the project is expected to reduce carbon emissions from the production of thermal energy by more than 30,000 tonnes per year, which is taking 7,000 cars off the road.

The MDE WET facility differs from standard applications because it uses sewage wastewater as the primary heat source, which is typically an untapped energy stream. Instead of relying on conventional energy sources, it captures waste heat from sewage, which enters at about 5 C, and efficiently converts it into usable heat at 95 C, a release indicates.

The facility’s integration into an eight-foot diameter underground sewage pipeline near the district energy building is also unique and allows for large-scale, sustainable water heating while simultaneously providing cooling capacity, significantly reducing carbon emissions and showcasing innovative energy recovery from waste streams.

Copeland’s industrial heat pumps are slated for delivery by mid-summer 2025 and to be fully operational by January 2026.