Transitioning to a circular economy through sustainable advanced water treatment

Q: Could you tell us about yourself and what your role at Ramboll is?

Mitchell: I have worked in the water sector for 25 years across a range of water supply and treatment roles. After studying civil engineering and majoring in water, I started working in construction and utility operations. It was during this time that we experienced a severe drought in Australia, and water recycling and water efficiency became more prevalent. Those early days sparked a passion for managing our water in a more sustainable way.

I then moved into infrastructure design, contracting and project management of water-saving and water treatment projects. I worked on a lot of interesting projects that each in their own way helped our sector adapt to this emerging challenge of water scarcity. More recently I have been working in very innovative consulting looking at step-change solutions for the industry and accelerating the adoption of new technology.

I have always enjoyed working on the future-focused side of things with the aim of making the way we live more sustainable. Throughout every stage of my career, I have seen there are always opportunities for us to be more innovative and water recycling, treatment and sustainable management are recurring themes. While I am based in Australia, I have worked on projects across the globe. Clean water is needed everywhere.

My role in the Ramboll Water team is to support our clients with innovative water treatment and water management solutions, particularly in Australia and the APAC region. I have a broad range of experience, both market facing and technical which allows me to understand our clients’ needs. My experience and expertise will further bolster Ramboll’s capability, particularly with local market knowledge.

Part of my role is also to leverage our global expertise to the region as we are focused on growing our presence in APAC and further developing the water line of business. We are hugely successful in water in other parts of the world and Australia will benefit from that success and world-leading expertise, innovation, and leadership. We have a strong base of clients from our over 40 years’ of history in environmental services in Australia, and you don’t have to look too far to find they need assistance on water-related challenges.

The water sector here is looking for innovative solutions to its challenges and I’m excited to continue supporting that with Ramboll.

Q: In your opinion, what are the most significant challenges our clients face today in terms of water and wastewater management?

Mitchell: There is no doubt that water is a huge issue now and will be an even bigger issue into the future. We have growing populations, growing industry and a limited amount of clean accessible water. Our demand is outstripping our supply. We have our drought and flood cycles which pose different challenges to water supply or quality. Australia is known for its long droughts, but even wetter countries can find times in the year when supply is low, or they have issues with pollution of their supply. Unfortunately, in many places across the globe water supply has been mismanaged through overuse or pollution. This is not a problem that is going to solve itself.

This is all being exacerbated by climate change where we essentially see less clean water available for our needs. This may be in longer droughts, it may be in lower environmental flows, it may be in floods affecting water quality, and it certainly affects the reliability of our built and natural systems. We are facing new challenges, and we need new solutions.

Part of the solution is looking to climate independent supplies, and this means recycling and desalination. Our clients are facing complex challenges, and this is where advanced treatment can open up the options. As water becomes harder to find and harder to treat, we need more advanced methods. Ramboll are experts in water treatment, especially innovative treatment such as low-energy desal and ceramic membranes.

Lots of our clients are facing changing regulations so that means thinking about how to stay compliant across their portfolio, but they are also looking at their ESG goals and how to be more proactive in their water sustainability. For example, we are seeing lots of activity in new data centres where clients are looking for sustainable supplies. A mega data centre can use as much water as a community of 30,000 people. Clients want to operate with a “water neutral” footprint and that means exploring water supply options and coupling it with advanced treatment. Effective resource management is also adding to the strong circularity angle.

All over the world we are facing water scarcity challenges in terms of quantity, quality, or both. The big challenge is figuring out how to sustainably manage our limited water resources that are severely under pressure due to climate changes and contamination but also under increasing demand due to population growth. The exciting part is there are many opportunities we can explore as we introduce new and innovative ways to address the challenges.

Q: How do you see our global expertise translated and adapted to local and regional contexts?

Mitchell: I am amazed at the amount of talent there is at Ramboll. The depth of knowledge is only matched by the wide variety of projects that Ramboll deliver. Our local team is very strong and with the combined knowledge of our global expertise, it is a powerful set of resources to support our local clients. Working in a global firm you see that water challenges across the globe are similar. Our local knowledge lets us apply that global knowledge to the local context, not just with our large knowledge base but with an innovative mindset and experience from that global group of what is possible.

We have a unique offering that is needed to fill the gaps in our local and regional water sector. Australia is not typically a first adopter when it comes to new solutions and Ramboll brings a level of experience and expertise that local clients can rely on and have confidence that there are solutions available. The work done in recent years by the Ramboll global team on advanced treatment, circular economy and water management is leading the way, and our region will benefit from tapping into this.

An example of this is our work on the Vitens Living Lab Strategic Heart project. We are leading the development of a new drinking water concept for the future including multiple water resources, advanced water treatment, innovative water storage, and a low-pressure water transmission. The concept is modular, scalable, sustainable, and cost-efficient, applying innovative extraction and storage concepts with limited impact on land use and the environment. Importantly it is also adaptable because climate change means that we need to think differently about the future.

Whether our clients operate across multiple countries or just in a local context, Ramboll can provide the right level of support.

Q: What attracted you to join Ramboll?

Mitchell: There are many organisations working on water projects but for me, Ramboll really stands out as a global leader, pursuing sustainable change. The mission and values resonate with what I want to achieve in my career. It is important for me to believe in the work that I am doing and Ramboll aligns with how I want to use my expertise.

I want to have an impact on the world to make it a better place and Ramboll has that core value as well. Since working here, I have seen that Ramboll really does walk the walk when it comes to sustainability. It underlies everything we do. There is also a strong focus on gender equality, diversity and inclusion and there is a support for career training and advancement. There is a very open culture here to collaborate with colleagues and work together.

Ramboll operates across the globe on some very interesting projects and that opportunity attracted me. It’s an exciting company to work for and presents some amazing opportunities to grow.