international - wwt-online.de

water wastewater technology special issue 2011
Technology for environment:
Practical concept for the
wastewater treatment Page 8
Infrastructure
Wastewater master
plan for Bahrain
Page 12
Challanges and
opportunities
Wastewater from
industries
Page 16
INTERNATIONAL
TRADE JOURNAL FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT
Water resources
management
A look at
Iran and China
Pages 29 and 40
huss
HUSS-MEDIEN GmbH
10400 Berlin/Germany
A11195
wwt-international.com

Crédits photos : Fotolia / iStockphoto / Egis Eau
Innovative technologies and sustainable solutions for the water sector professionals
international
water
exhibition
25 th >27 th May 2011
MONTPELLIER, Exhibition Centre - FRANCE
150 exhibitors International conference
Business meetings Job forum
Innovation trophies Training area
www.hydrogaia-expo.com

Hans G. Huber
Chairman of the Supervisory
Board HUBER SE, Berching
Appropriate technologies
are needed
In Germany, nothing is actually known about the global water shortage issue. We are
fortunate in that we have sufficient quantities of water. We also have an excellent and
efficient distribution system that provides drinking water to all areas. The same applies
to wastewater disposal, which is subject to exemplary regulation in Germany.
This positive situation often blinds us to the fact that water is an existential issue
for many regions of the world.
1.4 billion people in the world do not have access to clean DRINKING WATER;
2.4 billion people do not have access to proper wastewater disposal facilities. This
results in hunger and disease worldwide. This problem not only affects arid regions, but
is also becoming increasingly prevalent in some of the world’s largest cities.
But this global problem cannot be solved by simply transferring German technology and
expertise to these countries – the solution REQUIRES TECHNOLOGY that
has been specially adapted in terms of the following:
❙ Operability
❙ Affordability
❙ Implementation within the time available
❙ Climatic conditions.
The German water management industry is well placed to help solve these problems if it
adapts to the needs of the target countries. Although much of the necessary technology
has been developed, there is often a lack of PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE.
This is often difficult to bring about, however, because the decision-makers in the target
countries simply want to copy the tried-and-tested solutions implemented in Germany
and in other industrial countries.
Another problem that must be addressed in many developing countries is that the
administrative aspects necessary for organising and implementing regulated supplies
of drinking water and wastewater disposal systems are lacking. This is an essential
prerequisite for successful investments.
All in all, the export opportunities for the German water management industry are
strong, provided that the right technology is made available and that measures are taken
to ensure that this TECHNOLOGY can be successfully operated.
This means that the technology has to be transferred to the countries in question and
that operating staff must be adequately trained.
The opportunities for the German water management industry are strong, and we can
make an important contribution to solving some of the problems we see in the world.
Your contact for wwt INTERNATIONAL:
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Editorial staff: Petra Neumann Tel.: +49(0) 30 42151-291 HUSS-MEDIEN GmbH
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Sales: Wolfgang Krausch Tel.: +49(0) 30 42151-388 10407 Berlin/Germany
Editorial
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
1

CONTENT
EDITORIAL
1 Appropriate technologies are needed
Hans G. HUBER
WATER SCENE
Feature
4 WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2011
5 IFAT CHINA 2011
6 A network on the road to success
WASTEWATER
Treatment
8 Major wastewater treatment plant project –
Ataköy, Istanbul
Jens QUADT; Karsten SCHROEDER
12 Wastewater master plan for Bahrain
Bernhard HEINE
Object report
19 ORPU GmbH:
Innovations in sewage water
33 WILO SE:
Optimisation of an wastewater treatment near Heilbronn
37 Aerzener GmbH:
Variable speed rotary blowers
INDUSTRIAL WATER
Modern methods
16 Water and wastewater treatment for Solar industry
Elmar BILLENKAMP
20 Mine Drainage Water Treatment in Vietnam
Stefan KURTZ; Felix BILEK; Hans-Jürgen KOCHAN;
Peter DENKE
26 Treatment of wastewater from food processing industries
Gesine GÖTZ; Andreas KUNZE; André REINICKE;
Christopher GABLER, Sven-Uwe GEISSEN
ENVIRONMENT
Resource conversation
29 Integrated water resources management in Iran
Shahrooz MOHAJERI; Tamara NUNEZ VON VOIGT
40 Management of the water resources in China
Stefan KADEN; Bertram MONNINKHOFF
2 INTERNATIONAL
IMAGE OF TITLE: Variable speed rotary blowers for
wastewater treatment systems
Page 37
Major wastwater treatment plant project
– Atakköy, Istanbul
Page 8
2011

RUBRIC
48 Publication details/Coupon
SOLAR INDUSTRY: Industrial Water is becoming
more and more important to preserve resources.
Page 16
Setting up a pilot plant for mine water treatment
in Vietnam.
Page 20
Treatment of wastewater from food processing
industries
Page 26
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
3

WATER SCENE Feature
WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2011:
Attracts wide
international attention
WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL is the meeting
place for the water industry from all over the world.
To date around 25 per cent of
the exhibitors expected at
the fair will be from abroad.
This includes three joint national
displays hosted by China,
a joint national display by Russia,
and a pavilion representing
the USA, where companies will
be distributing information
about their services and activities.
Numerous exhibitors from
the Middle East will also be
represented in Berlin for the
first time. International events
will be further augmented by a
Russia Day, organised by the
Eastern Committee of German
Industry and German Water
Partnership. WASSER BERLIN
Save the date:
WASSER BERLIN
INTERNATIONAL 2013
from 15 to 18 April
WASSER BERLIN
INTERNATIONAL 2015
from 20 to 23. April
INTERNATIONAL attracted
further attention following its
recognition by the US Commercial
Services as an “outstanding
platform for presenting US
products and services.”
NO DIG 2011
In 2011, WASSER BERLIN
INTERNATIONAL will incorporate
the INTERNATIONAL
NO DIG for the first time, where
the latest developments and
technology in trenchless pipe
laying will be on display. In
2008, using trenchless technology
750 kilometres of pipes
were built in Berlin alone, saving
around 64 million euros in
costs.
International standing
As regards topics, a forum attended
by several nations will
WASSER BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2011:
from 2 to 5 Mai Image 1
WWT-INTERNATIONAL: Hall 2.2, Stand 202b
Stand: 27.01.2011
NO DIG: is a further highlight at the WASSER Image 2
BERLIN INTERNATIONAL 2011 Fotos: Messe Berlin
underline the event’s international
standing. Every day of the
fair the latest water industry issues
concerning the respective
countries will be discussed
here. Among the nations attending
will be Russia, Romania,
Bulgaria, Jordan, numerous
Central Asian states, and Turkey.
To facilitate face-to-face
meetings and in order to promote
business relations an extensive
supporting programme
will be taking place.
“The international attention the
fair has attracted is due to two
main factors”, said Cornelia
Wolff von der Sahl, Project
Manager at Messe Berlin. “On
the one hand the water industry
is becoming more globalized.
Against this backdrop, with its
extensive programme of congress
events is becoming an increasingly
important industry
platform. On the other hand, our
direct involvement in other
countries, our international
contacts and the work carried
out by our foreign representatives
has had a positive impact.”
As of 2011 the format of the fair
will be optimized to run over
four days at intervals of every
two years.
Congress programm
It is also the first time that the
accompanying congress programme
wat + WASSER BER-
LIN INTERNATIONAL will
be jointly organized by all the
relevant specialist organizations,
under the aegis of the
DVGW. More than 120 highprofile
experts representing research,
politics and industry
will deliver their reports on all
the issues concerning the water
industry at 18 tracks under a
variety of headings.
CONTACT
www.wasser-berlin.com
Non-commercial sponsors:
DVGW German Technical
Association for Gas and Water
www.dvgw.de
FIGAWA Association of Companies in
the Gas and Water Industries
www.figawa.de
IWA International Water
Association
www.iwahq.org.uk
4 INTERNATIONAL
2011

IFAT CHINA + EPTEE + CWS 2011:
Information
platform
Supporting program includes
technical and scientific conferences,
workshops, theme specials and
exhibitor presentations.
The highlight of this year‘s
supporting program at
IFAT CHINA + EPTEE +
CWS, which takes place at the
Shanghai New International
Expo Centre from 5 to 7 May, is
a workshop on “Earth System
Engineering: Challenges and
Chances on the way to a sustainable
world”, which is being organized
by CRAES – the Chinese
Research Academy of the
Environmental Sciences (Beijing)
– and IESP – International
Group for Earth Systems Preservation
(Munich) – in close
conjunction with the Bavarian
State Ministry of the Environment
and Public Health
(StMUG) and Messe München
International (MMI).
Experts from China and Europe
will hold lectures and discuss
environmental issues around the
world including climate change,
dwindling energy supplies, the
food shortage and social imbalance,
especially when it comes
to water. They will join participants
in debating holistic solutions
and guidelines for responsible
action on the part of the
commercial and political sectors.
The IESP workshop was well
received by the audience last
year. So to meet the requirement
of the audience, this year the
IESP workshop is prolonged to
one and a half days on May 5
and May 6.
Scientific
conferences
As in the past, the German Association
for Water, Wastewater
and Waste (DWA) is organizing
a series of technical and scientific
conferences at IFAT
CHINA + EPTEE + CWS.
Among other things, key topics
include water supply, waste
water, sewage sludge treatment,
waste disposal, sewer systems
and environmental technologies.
Several events are being
organized in cooperation with
the Toingji University Shanghai,
as for example the meeting
of the “Young Water Professionals”
on May 5. The event covers
the theme “China Environmental
Protection Industry – Market,
Strategy, Perspective”.
For the third time, Germany‘s
Federal Ministry for the Environment,
Nature Conservation
and Nuclear Safety (BMU) is
organizing a workshop on “Sustainable
Solid Waste Management
and Resource Efficiency”
on May 5 and a workshop on
“Circular Economy – Contribution
to Resource Management
and Climate Protection” on May
6. The workshop will focus on
treatment and energy recovery
of waste and biotechnical solutions
to solve waste problems
and addresses experts in the
water and energy sectors.
Another highlight is fact that the
Parliamentary State Secretary
Katherina Reiche of the Federal
Ministry for the Environment,
Nature Conservation and Nuclear
Safety in Germany will
not only officially open IFAT
CHINA + EPTEE + CWS but
will also use this event to enter
into a dialog with the industry.
Pump Forum
In addition to that, IFAT
CHINA + EPTEE + CWS also
features a premiere: The “2011
Pump Forum” will be held for
the first time on May 5. With the
theme of “Bring Benefits to Different
Pump Users”, the forum
aims to propagate the idea of
saving energy and reliable tech-
nology, propel the application of
high-efficiency, low-consumption
and energy-saving products,
and create a face-toface
communication platform for
users and manufactures.
Simultaneous translation into
Chinese and English will be
provided for all events in the
supporting program. Participation
in the supporting program
is free of charge for those who
participate in IFAT CHINA +
EPTEE + CWS 2011.
Feature
IFAT CHINA is Asia´s most comprehensive trade show
for the water sector and sewage treatment, for waste
disposal and recycling Image 2
About IFAT
CHINA 2010:
❙ 839 exhibitors
from 26 countries
❙ over 22,000 visitors
from 84 countries
CONTACT
www.ifat-china.com
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
5

WATER SCENE Feature
German Water Partnership (GWP):
A network on the
road to success
GWP sees itself as a network
designed to establish the German
water management industry on the
international markets.
Reference works of all type
– digital or analogue – define
strategy (Ancient Greek:
strategós, the general, the commander)
as “a long-term tactical
striving towards a goal, taking
the available means and resources
into consideration.”
Almost the very same definition
can be found in the relevant
publications, a definition as
understood in the conventional
sense by the business world: “a
behavioural pattern employed
by companies and mainly
planned in the long term in order
to achieve their goals.”
Strategy determines the success;
putting it in a nutshell, one
could also say that strategy is
the art of doing the right things,
with the right people, in the
right place and at the right time.
The Canadian Professor of
Management Studies, Henry
Mintzberg, defines strategy in
terms of five Ps, namely “Strategy
is:
❙ a Plan (a planned strategy)
❙ a Pattern (the strategy implemented)
❙ a Position (the position on the
market)
❙ a Perspective (how goals are
achieved)
❙ a Ploy (a manoeuvre for surviving
in a competitive environment)”.
In principle, German Water
Partnership (GWP) also acts in
accordance with these five Ps,
which create transparency, systematics,
structure and strategic
orientation for everyone. This is
necessary and offers additional
clarity as GWP monitors different
goals simultaneously, goals
which each require different
strategies.
In addition, strategies are supported
by means of tactical elements
which can be implemented
at short notice in
operating business.
A plan – the planned
strategy
In cooperation with its members
from companies, professional
associations and research establishments
from the German
water sector, GWP has dedicated
itself to four core issues:
Position of the “German Water Partnership” brand
❙ a safe water supply
❙ efficient water treatment
❙ sustainable water usage
❙ capacity development
These goals are to be fulfilled
for as many people as possible,
German Water Partnership at IFAT ENTSORGA 2010 in Munich Image 1
particularly in developing and
threshold countries.
The long-term goal is therefore
to give these people access to
clean water, to ensure careful
wastewater treatment and sanitation
facilities as well as the
recirculation of the resource, to
protect water as a resource for
coming generations, and finally
to establish a global capacity
development concept so that the
UN millennium goals can be
reached.
This requires shared strengths
with experience, expertise and
know-how. And this is exactly
what German Water Partnership
has brought together under one
roof. Here you can find the experience,
expertise and knowhow
of the German water management
industry and research
community, among the most
powerful in the world. Here is
where everything comes together
and here is where multifaceted
support at political level
comes into play via the five
Federal Ministries: BMU (Environment),
BMBF (Research),
BMZ (Cooperation), BMWi
(Economy) and the Federal
Foreign Office, which acts as an
additional reinforcing component.
With such a powerful
network, partners outside Germany
have a central contact
person at their disposal for any
water-related queries they may
have.
The GWP partners and members
– all of whom have been
incorporated into this network
– act as guarantors for longlasting,
high-quality, fail-safe
and up-to-date products and
solutions as well as for a reliable,
qualified and effective
service.
Close cooperation between all
partners ensures that German
expertise, experience and knowhow
are harnessed throughout
the world in such a way that
the goals which have been set
can be reached. The planned
strategy, Plan (1), has thus been
clearly defined.
A pattern – the strategy
implemented
In the search for a pattern which
had led to success, i.e. for a
strategy which has already been
implemented, GWP can point to
6 INTERNATIONAL
2011

The focus countries and regions of German Water Partnership Image 2
numerous elements taken from
its own ranks such as:
❙ ongoing projects
❙ individual success stories and/
or partial successes in projects
❙ success stories and/or partial
successes from a variety of
activities and actions.
To make this manpower, technology
and specialist “Made in
Germany” knowledge known
outside Germany, GWP has
participated in – and continues
to participate in – numerous
trade fairs, congresses, conferences,
workshops, symposia,
visits from delegations, seminars
etc. at an international level
– and has already made a name
for itself. The company always
participates in such events with
a specific eye on those countries
in which German know-how is
in demand and investments in
the water management infrastructure
have been planned and
are necessary. The various
presentations in the relevant
countries ensure the successful
creation and expansion of intensive,
long-term and confidencebuilding
contacts with networks,
individuals, authorities and institutions,
which can then be
expanded to generate further
success. In addition, working
groups which initiate and maintain
contacts in their own coun-
try, enter cooperation agreements
on site and start projects
were established in the GWP
focus countries defined in 2009.
These refer not only to the developing
and threshold countries
described above, but also
target countries such as Turkey,
Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.
Current examples of success,
both in the field of research as
well as water supply and wastewater
disposal, which are based
on implemented strategies, can
be found in Vietnam, Jordan,
Isfahan in Iran, Russia and even
the Gulf States.
A position – the position
on the market
After almost three years,
GWP’s position on the German
market with over 300 members
from companies, professional
associations and research institutions
from the German water
sector is almost without dispute.
The GWP network promotes
contacts, an exchange of ideas
and information between the
partners from the world of business,
research and politics, and
is actively used as a platform for
penetrating new international
markets in a variety of ways and
recognising trends in the water
management industry at an
early stage.
Within this network, the German
water management industry
is positioned on the international
markets along the entire
added value chain; a global
market share of 24% can already
be recorded for “Made in
Germany”.
A perspective –
how the goals are
achieved
The goals for the German Water
Partnership network are distributed
across the world. In order
to achieve them, the relevant
tasks must be taken into account.
Put simply, GWP also
regards its role as including:
❙ strengthening the competitive
position of the German water
management companies on
the international markets
❙ intensifying the transfer of
Germany technology, bundling
information for this
purpose
❙ improving the basic conditions
for business development
and
❙ encouraging innovations.
GWP also receives valuable
support and help in this context
from the BMU, BMBF, BMZ,
BMWi and the Federal Foreign
Office as well as through cooperation
with the GIZ Gesellschaft
für Internationale Zusam-
Feature
menarbeit and gtai Germany
Trade and Invest.
Seen on their own, covering the
current immense demand for
investments in the global water
sector and supplying the world’s
population with clean drinking
water are major goals with major
prospects for all those involved.
A Ploy, a manoeuvre based on
illusion, in order to survive in a
competitive environment does
not appear appropriate for
GWP; the structures, tasks and
goals are not very suitable for
this.
Outlook
GWP started life three years
ago with the strategic opportunities
of a thriving, sustainable
network and the expertise and
know-how of the participants
involved, and it is sticking firm
to these. This has allowed GWP
to achieve a series of both major
and minor successes, to initiate
projects, conclude cooperation
agreements and enter into partnerships.
Many clients and decisionmakers
from all over the world
now see the GWP brand as a
fast track to German expertise
and experience in the water
management industry. Step by
step and in cooperation with its
members and partners, GWP is
thus achieving the goals it has
set itself of “giving as many
people as possible access to
clean water, ensuring careful
wastewater treatment and sanitation
facilities as well as the
recirculation of the resource,
protecting water as a resource
for coming generations, and finally
establishing a global capacity
development concept.
So the strategy is working!
CONTACT
Dipl.-Ing. Stefan GIROD
Director General
German Water Partnership e.V.
Reinhardtstraße 32
10117 Berlin
GERMANY
Tel. +49/30 300199-1220
Fax. +49/30 300199-3220
E-mail: stefan.girod@
germanwaterpartnership.de
Web:
www.germanwaterpartnership.de
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
7

WASTEWATER Sewage systems
Jens QUADT; Karsten SCHROEDER
Major wastewater
treatment plant project –
Ataköy, Istanbul
Essen-based company WTE provided the planning
and operating concept for the wastewater treatment plant
in Ataköy, Istanbul.
With around 12.8 million inhabitants,
Istanbul, UNESCO world heritage
site and the only capital in the world situated
on two continents, is one of the largest cities
in the world. Its rapid growth and high industrial
and traffic density present a great
challenge for the protection of health and
the environment.
Alignment to EU law
For the institutions involved, the alignment
of Turkish regulations to EU standards has
created a need for action. The Turkish Ministry
of the Environment has therefore
drawn up an ambitious programme for upgrading
wastewater purification facilities.
One goal of this plan is to purify the wastewater
of the most heavily-populated city in
Turkey effectively and to adhere reliably to
the discharge values demanded.
The largest project currently included in this
programme, the new wastewater treatment
plant in the Istanbul district of Ataköy near
Atatürk airport, was completed in November
2009. In May 2007, consortium leader
WTE Wassertechnik GmbH (Essen), together
with the two Turkish construction
companies Lidya and Kalyon, received an
order from the Istanbul Metropolitan Water
and Sewerage Company (ISKI) to construct
a new wastewater purification plant for
around 2 million inhabitants (population
equivalents). The value of the order was
EUR 108 million and included a 3-stage
biological wastewater purification plant
with further nitrogen removal and subsequent
sludge digestion. It had been preceded
by an ambitious competition between wellknown
European rival companies.
Final plant acceptance by ISKI was carried
out on schedule. Subsequent plant operation,
which is being handled by the German
company for 5 years, began at the start of
2010 (Images 1 and 2). Municipal and industrial-commercial
wastewater from the Istanbul
districts of Bakirköy, Bahcelievler,
Bagcilar and partly from Kücükcekmece
and Sultangazi is treated at the plant, making
the high polluting load levels caused by
largely untreated discharges into the rivers
Ayamama and Tavukcu a thing of the past.
The high polluting load levels caused by
largely untreated discharges into the rivers
Ayamama and Tavukcu are thus a thing of
the past. The size of the Ataköy wastewater
treatment plant project is unparalleled in the
European sphere and placed the highest
demands on the planning and project management
teams. Such were the major challenges
taken on by the project teams in the
consortium. In this connection, the primary
task of WTE was complete installation planning
and the process engineering-related
design of the plant as well as the supply and
installation of the machinery and electrical
engineering equipment.
The expertise and extensive operational
experience already gathered by WTE as an
operator of large wastewater treatment
plants (e.g. Zagreb and Moscow) had some
influence on the planning and operating
concept of the Ataköy plant. Ultimately,
however, it was the operating costs that
proved to be the final decisive factor in
awarding the contract to the consortium.
Technical design data
The Ataköy wastewater treatment plant was
planned as an activated sludge plant in a
cascade arrangement. When the plant was
designed, special importance was attached
to minimising energy consumption.
The wastewater engineering calculations for
the biological stage, including calculating
the oxygen required, were undertaken in
accordance with the standard rules and
regulations of ATV process flow sheet A
131 (2000):
❙ Capacity: approximately 2 million EW
❙ Wastewater volume: 510,000 m3/d, after
final completion 780,000 m3/d after final
completion
❙ Maximum wastewater concentrations in
discharge:
• BSB 5 : 25 mg/l
• CSB: 125 mg/l
• TSe: 35 mg/l
• Total N: 10 mg/l
• Total P: 3 mg/l
Installation engineering
Intake pumping station with
upstream screen
The very scale of the intake pumping station
constituted a new challenge for the planners.
The pumping station, made to a concrete
circular design, was planned and produced
with a diameter of approximately 22 m and
an overall depth of approximately 16 m.
On both sides of the Ayamama, three pipes
(DN 2600, DN 1600 and DN 1400) were
merged in a collection structure. Through a
connecting pipe from the collection structure
to the combining shaft of the intake
pumping station, the water is conveyed via
a DN 2400 pipe to the intake pumping station.
A mechanical coarse screen was placed
upstream of the intake pumping station for
protection against coarse wastewater materials.
Through the intake pumping station, the
wastewater flowing to the wastewater treatment
plant at a maximum volume of 32,500
m3/h is conveyed into the intake channel of
the wastewater treatment plant. Nine submersible
motor pumps convey the inflow
water to a level of approximately 8 m, from
where the entire wastewater treatment plant
is flooded under gravity down to the discharge
structure.
Mechanical wastewater
pretreatment
The wastewater is dispersed into a total of
nine screen channels in the screen building.
The three aerated twin-chamber grit traps
were designed for a filter throughput rate of
8 INTERNATIONAL
2011

Sewage systems
LARGEST CURRENT WASTEWATER PROJECT: Ataköy, Istanbul wastewater treatment plant Image 1
780,000 m3/day (total capacity). Up to 50%
of the wastewater flows out of the grit trap
to the primary clarifiers. The remaining
wastewater stream flows directly to the
spreader unit of the activated sludge tanks.
Biological stage
The spreader unit, with a biological phosphorus
area, disperses the stream into the
three activated sludge tank lines. At the biological
purification stage, the carbon compounds
are broken down and the nitrogen
and phosphorous nutrients removed. The
capacity of the activated sludge lines is
identical – 99,258 m3 each; the dimensions
are 179 m x 83 m.
In each tank, the sludge-water mixture is
kept in suspension by means of slowly running
submersible motor-driven agitators.
Aeration is provided by the introduction of
compressed air with fine bubbles released
via disc aerators.
Air supply is guaranteed by means of 12
turbo blowers (each 20,000 Nm3/h) with a
combined capacity of 240,000 Nm3/h in the
blower station.
The biologically purified wastewater from
the activated sludge tanks reaches the sec-
ondary settlement tanks via the spreader
units. The water flows into 12 circular tanks,
each with a diameter of 44 m, a surface of
1,526 m 2 and a volume of 21,250 m3.
In the secondary settlement tanks, the
flushed activated sludge is separated from
the purified wastewater by sedimentation
under the influence of gravity. The tanks are
equipped with scraper bridges. Sludge
scrapers convey the activated sludge separated
off at the bottom of the secondary
sedimentation tank to the central secondary
Construction of the activated sludge stage Image 2
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
9

WASTEWATER Sewage systems
Construction of the phosphorus stage Image 3
Fitting of the agitators into the activated sludge stage Image 4
Installation of the turbines Photos: WTE Image 5
3-stage biological line Image 6
sedimentation structure. From secondary
sedimentation, the purified wastewater
flows into the discharge channel, which
leads to the discharge structure. From the
discharge structure, the water is piped into
the Ayamama or into the Sea of Marmara.
Sludge treatment,
sludge transport
Sludge treatment essentially involves the
following steps: sludge pre-thickening,
sludge stabilisation by anaerobic treatment,
i.e. digestion and subsequent mechanical
dewatering and drying.The excess sludge
from secondary sedimentation flows
through nine sludge thickeners (centrifuges
each with a capacity of 76 m 3 /h) and is then
kept in the raw sludge containers.
The centrifuges increase the dried matter
content of the sludge to 6%. The pre-thickened
sludge then is pumped using six raw
sludge pumps (capacity 115 m 3 /h) to the digestion
tanks. The six digestion towers are
made of cylindrical reinforced concrete and
each have a capacity of 10,000 m 3 . Here, the
pre-thickened raw sludge is anaerobically
stabilised, while at the same time biogas is
produced and the volume of the sludge reduced.
The anaerobically stabilised sludge from the
digestion towers is stored in sludge storage
containers with a capacity of 20,000 m3. The
sludge is then transported using six sludge
pumps, each with a capacity of 38 m3/h, to
the sludge dewatering unit. The fully digested
sludge is dewatered using six centrifuges.
The dried matter content of the fully
digested sludge is increased to 25%.
The biogas is stored in 2 gas tanks, each
with a capacity of 4,000 m 3 , and subsequently
converted in cogeneration into
thermal and electrical energy which is used
in the wastewater treatment plant. The gas
10 INTERNATIONAL
2011

turbine system allows for the operation of
natural gas and biogas. The excess biogas
capacity is burned off.
To reduce the disposal costs of the dewatered
sludge, a drying plant was installed
directly after the dewatering units. A significant
increase in the dried matter content
in the outgoing sludge mixture (to approximately
≥ 90%) was achieved.
Service building, plant control
The wastewater treatment plant is controlled
and monitored from the control room in the
service building. With the assistance of the
process control system, the wastewater
treatment plant is operated automatically.
The use of automation systems is designed
to achieve the following goals for the Ataköy
wastewater treatment plant:
❙ Optimisation of the process cycle
❙ Increase in plant safety
❙ Optimisation of energy use
❙ Reduction in personnel deployed
Wastewater treatment plant automation has
been achieved through decentralised programmable
logic controllers (PLC). In addition
to its high level of operational safety
and ease of handling, this solution enables
flexible responses and allows complex functions
to be performed.
n addition, a laboratory in the service building
is equipped for the necessary measurement
analyses.
Energy generation through gas
turbines/cogeneration
Instead of the widely installed combined
heat and power units for generating energy
from fermentation gas, ISKI invited tenders
for gas turbines. The biogas generated in the
digestion towers is converted in cogeneration
into thermal and electrical energy
which is used in the wastewater treatment
plant. The gas turbine system generates 2 x
4.6 MW of electrical energy and allows for
the operation of natural gas or biogas.
Thanks to fermentation gas recovery, up to
78% of the entire energy needs of the wastewater
treatment plant can be met.
Further special features
Part of the purified wastewater from secondary
sedimentation is piped from the
discharge channel to the process water
pumping station featuring a membrane filter
plant, which has a capacity of 390 m3/h for
process water and cooling water. Following
treatment in the disinfection plant, the process
water is made available for operating
the wastewater treatment plant.
For further discharged air treatment, including
from the screen building, sludge treatment
building and other structures handling
discharged air, an ozone washing system is
installed. The discharged air is treated at a
rate of approximately 75,000 Nm 3 /h.
wwt-international.com
Operating concept
The operating concept of the Ataköy wastewater
treatment plant provides for threeshift
operation.
Altogether, approximately 65 staff ensure
the professional operation of the plant,
among them 4 engineers, 6 foremen, 16
skilled workers and 2 secretaries. The company’s
own guard service is responsible for
the security of the plant. The operating staff
of WTE and the consortium partners were
trained both in the international training
centre of the WTE operating company and
on site.
Conclusion
From the viewpoint of the consortium partners,
a positive conclusion can be drawn. All
the partners pulled together to bring the
Sewage systems
project to a successful conclusion and to
satisfy ISKI, the customer. This goal has
clearly been achieved.
For the region of Istanbul and the surrounding
waterways, an enormously important
step has been taken to improve living conditions.
CONTACT
Jens-O. QUADT (Gra duate in Business Economics
– Management and Business Academy)
Head of IMS and Central Services Department
WTE Wassertechnik GmbH
Ruhrallee 185 | 45136 Essen | Germany
Phone: +49/201 8968 – 559
Fax: +49/201 8968 – 560
E-mail: jens.quadt@wte.de
Internet www.wte.de
11

WASTEWATER Discharge and treatment
Dipl.-Ing. Bernhard HEINE
Wastewater master
plan for Bahrain
Bahrain’s continuing urbanisation
has made it necessary to completely
modernise its supply and disposal
infrastructure.
In August 2008, the Gesellschaft für Technische
Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), in cooperation
with Dornier Consulting, was
awarded a contract to develop a wastewater
master plan for the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Over a period of 18 months, a comprehensive
needs analysis and a forecast plan for
the next 20 years were developed – a wastewater
infrastructure plan.
The plan included the following details:
❙ Wastewater canal system
❙ Rainwater canal system
❙ Wastewater treatment plants
❙ Utilisation of purified wastewater (Treated
Sewage Effluent, TSE)
❙ Use of sludge
❙ Environmental impact assessment
❙ Organisation analysis
Owing to rapidly increasing urbanisation in
the Kingdom of Bahrain and the population
The island state of Bahrain
The Kingdom of Bahrain is an island state
comprising 33 islands in an inlet of the
Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia and
west of Qatar. With an area of approximately
711 km² – following artificial
land reclamation – the archipelago is not
quite as large as Middlesex. In Arabic the
name Bahrain means “two seas”. Bahrain
has a population of a little over 1 million.
Bahrain is one of the most economically
advanced of the Gulf states. Diminishing
reserves mean that the end of oil production
(since 1932) is in sight. The processing
industry will therefore gain increasing
economic importance. The oil
refinery in Sitra, which has been operational
since 1936, now processes crude
oil mainly from Saudi Arabia. The petrochemical
and aluminium industries are
based on natural gas. The pig iron reduction
plants as well as the electricity
and desalination plants are also run on
the still readily available natural gas.
Bahrain is a leading financial centre in
the Arabian Gulf region. Its agriculture
(1,000 ha) produces vegetables, poultry,
eggs, milk and fruit. Bahrain is becoming
increasing popular among tourists from
Saudi Arabia, as well as from all over the
world.
Sources: Wikipedia.de [translated]
Bibliographisches Institut &
F. A. Brockhaus AG, 2009
12 INTERNATIONAL
2011

BAHRAIN: the planning area Image 1
growth that accompanied it, the need arose
for a basic infrastructure in the wastewater
disposal sector (Images 1 – 3).
Wastewater canal system
The existing wastewater system is about
2,400 km long, including the main and
branch sewers and approximately 500 pump
stations.
Large sections of the existing system are
overloaded and too small for the amounts of
wastewater currently being produced. As a
result, hydraulic efficiency is in an extremely
precarious condition and the risk of
flooding is high.
Discharge measurements were carried out
at central points of the system to determine
the amount of infiltration water. An average
infiltration rate of 50 % was found, a figure
that was attributed to pipes being laid incorrectly
during construction, and in some
cases the wrong type of material being
chosen. This is an extremely high value
which, in the midterm, can only be reduced
Discharge and treatment
by means of technical pipe rehabilitation. In
addition, the wastewater system also requires
extensive installation of extension
and bypass channels.
Rainwater canal system
The rainwater system is approximately
450 km long and has a total of 69 pump stations.
Image 2
Population
growth 2001 to
2030
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
13

WASTE WATER Discharge and treatment
TSE avaible TSE demand
18000000
m3 /month
14000000
12000000
10000000
8000000
6000000
Surplus
4000000
2000000
Crop demand covered
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Month
To prepare a model of the rainwater system,
some additional measurements had to be
made and the existing files completed and
brought up to date. The analysis of the rainwater
system covered a total of 30 separate
catchment areas. The reason for modelling
the rainwater system was twofold: firstly, it
was necessary to test the hydraulic efficiency
of the system and determine the risk
of flooding; secondly, it was also necessary
to simulate precipitation events in order to
generate precipitation discharge models for
Bahrain. Before this type of hydraulic model
can provide precise data, the system has to
be calibrated by means of discharge measurements.
Table 1 shows the planning parameters
for the calculation of the model.
The existing rainwater canal system is a
gravity line system that discharges in the
direction of the seacoast. High water pump
stations at the outlet in the area of the coast
ensure unhindered discharge even during
high water. The poor condition of the entire
system has become apparent owing to the
high dry weather flows and the high infiltration
caused by it.
Image 3
Increases in
wastewater
2008 to 2030
Image 4
Increase in
wastewater
treatment
capacities
in m3 /d
Image 5
Reuse of
wastewater in
Bahrain 2020
Image 6
Sludge treatment in Bahrain
Wastewater treatment plants
The country’s rapidly growing urbanisation
has raised the capacity of wastewater treatment
plants in the highly populated areas
(Image 4). The Kingdom of Bahrain currently
has 11 wastewater treatment plants,
the main ones being the Tubli and North
Sitra plants.
The other plants are in the less densely
populated areas in the east and west of Bahrain.
Tubli is the largest wastewater treatment
plant and with a capacity of around 200,000
m3/d is therefore hugely overburdened.
In future, wastewater disposal from the
Muharraq peninsula will take place through
a new wastewater treatment plant. This new
plant is currently in the tendering phase.
The plan for ideal wastewater treatment
capacities is to be achieved predominantly
through the following key measures:
❙ Renovation, extension and modernisation
of the existing main wastewater treatment
plant in Tubli
❙ Construction of the new Muharraq wastewater
treatment plant
Reusing purified wastewater
The reuse of purified wastewater is an important
factor in a country with few natural
water resources (Image 5).
The system for reusing wastewater (TSE) is
designed solely for the irrigation of agricultural
and green areas. The system comprises:
❙ conditioning stage with sand filtering and
treatment with bacteria
❙ reservoirs and
❙ the transport and distribution pipes
14 INTERNATIONAL
2011

Image 7
Sludge management plan
Demonstation trials
and marketing
Demonstation trials
and marketing
Total Cost (Mil. BHD)
Treated sewage effluent system Sludge reuse system
59.17
Sewage teatmant works
147.19
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Do farmers accept
use of sludge?
Yes
Is demand sufficient
to use all sludge?
No
Do parks accept
use of sludge?
Yes
Is demand sufficient
to use all sludge?
No
Bahrain currently has three pipe systems for
reusing purified wastewater, all of which
operate independently of each other.
The main network uses treated wastewater
from the Tubli treatment plant.
Bahrain sludge
Does quality comply
with standards?
No
Can sludge quality
be improved?
Do the standards
need revising?
Yes
Yes
Transport sludge to outlet
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
0.5
Foul sewerage system
211.47
Surface water drainage system
38.93
Control industrial
effluent discharges
No
Can cement factory
use sludge as fuel?
Co-treatment with
solid waste?
Is landfill disposal
site available?
Install dedicated
sludge incinerator
Image 8
Project costs
Rainwater discharge parameters Table 1
Protection class Recommended (Rain R1) Medium (Rain R2) High (Rain R5)
Return period 1 2 5
Duration (min) 60 30 30
Intensity (mm/hr) 11.5 24 38
Total rainfall (mm) 11.5 13 19
Increases in amounts of sludge Table 2
STP 2008 2013 2015 2020 2025 2030
WPCC Tubli 20,836 22,197 23,694 26,090 28,192 29,588
STP
Muharraq
0 7,551 8,368 10,246 11,780 12,832
STP NBNT 0 695 776 1,098 1,353 1,545
STP
South-West
0 0 0 1,235 1,648 2,058
STP
South-West
0 1,389 1,340 1,236 1,120 993
Total 20,836 31,832 34,178 39,905 44,093 47,016
A TSE network is also being planned for the
new Muharraq wastewater treatment plant.
Both the decentralised and the central system
can be used for TSE treatment:
Discharge and treatment
Decentralised supply system
❙ production – transport – storage – distribution
– end user
The features are: continuous transport via
gravity line, low-pressure line systems, pressure
pipe systems to the end user
The advantages.
❙ smaller dimension of pipes in the transport
lines
❙ the pressure in the distribution lines can
be used for various areas
Central supply system
❙ production – storage – distribution – utilisation
The advantages.
❙ reservoirs and pump stations do not have
to be in remote locations
The TSE systems must perform the following
operations:
❙ the efficient use of purified wastewater
❙ valuable resource and therefore an integral
component of water management planning
❙ conserve groundwater resources
❙ provide water for industrial use when
there is no requirement for drinking water.
Image 5 shows the TSE usage balance
forecast for 2020.
Sludge treatment
Sludge is currently treated at the location of
the wastewater treatment plants (Image 6).
The first stage of biological sludge treatment
is aerobic digestion. This is followed by
dehydration in a sludge drying bed. A thermal
sludge drying plant with preliminary
mechanical dehydration is installed at the
treatment plant in Tubli. Due to technical
problems, currently only 37 tons TS/a of
sludge are being treated and supplied to
agriculture, for soil enrichment, as well as
to a landfill. A long-term sludge management
plan has been developed as part of this
master plan (image 7).
In response to the continued rise in the
population density and the increased amount
of approximately 47,000 tons TS/a sludge
associated with this, long-term thermal use
is under discussion.
The costs
The proposals put forward in this wastewater
master plan would require investments in
the region of EUR 900 million in the 20
years under review; based on the forecasted
population growth, this is approximately
EUR 360 per inhabitant (image 8).
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
No
No
No
CONTACT
Dipl.-Ing. Bernhard HEINE
Ing.-Büro H. Voessing GmbH
NL Frankfurt
Hahnstraße 43 E | D – 60528 Frankfurt/Main
15

INDUSTRIAL WATER Modern methods
Elmar BILLENKAMP
Water and wastewater
treatment for
Solar industry
Industrial wastewater is becoming
more and more important to
preserve resources.
Solar cells are manufactured in a complex process Image 1
Solar cells are manufactured in a complex
process that requires enormous
know-how. The objective is to produce
panels with a high level of efficiency at low
cost. To achieve this, different production
processes are used. A fundamental distinction
is made between solar cells on the basis
of silicon wafers and thin-film cells, in
which a special process is used to apply the
photovoltaic layer onto a carrier medium.
The manufacturers of solar cells are constantly
developing and improving the production
processes.
For all methods, large quantities of water are
required. The production process leads to
polluted wastewater. Since water is becoming
increasingly valuable as a raw material,
efficient water management is necessary.
The wastewater from the production process
must be treated in such a way that as much
water as possible can be recycled. The
treated wastewater must reliably comply
with the discharge parameters so that it can
be discharged without polluting the environment.
Besides optimisation of the production
process, optimisation of the wastewater
treatment is often necessary. This is why
EnviroChemie is conducting intensive research
to continuously develop the process
and thus to significantly increase water recycling
rates. For this reason, the entire
production process has to be taken into account
in order to achieve not only “end of
the pipe” solutions, but also to offer production-integrated
solutions.
In Germany, the standards for wastewater
treatment are high. They are laid down in
Appendix 54 of the Wastewater Ordinance
(AbwV). This appendix applies for wastewater
whose contaminant load originates pri-
marily from the production of semi-conductor
components and solar cells, including the
related pretreatment, intermediate treatment
and after-treatment. In addition, local statutes
laid down by local authorities and
towns must also be complied with. These
frequently lay down further requirements
depending on the capacity of the local municipal
sewage treatment plant and the previous
pollution of the outfall (river) into
which the sewage treatment plant discharges
the treated wastewater.
The concepts also require that safety engineering
should meet special standards. An
example here is the formation of hydrogen
from alkaline wastewater when silicon from
wafer production is dissolved. Coordinated
measures are required here for explosion
prevention and protection.
Fluoride is created in the production process
as hydrofluoric acid HF. The handling of
hydrofluoric acid requires special precautions,
since this substance is extremely toxic
and aggressive, and contact with even small
quantities can have fatal consequences.
These basic requirements must be met in all
projects worldwide.
In the following, three examples will be
used to show the continuing innovative
water and wastewater treatment in the solar
industry. The examples are not only current
projects, but also processes from the field of
research and development.
Solar cell production in India
In the past few years, the production of
wafers and cells has increasingly been transferred
abroad. In some cases, the requirements
for the treated wastewater differ from
those in Germany. One example of this is
India.
In India, ground and surface water naturally
have a high concentration of fluoride. In the
state of Rajasthan, almost all districts have
high fluoride concentrations (up to 18 ppm)
in their drinking/ground water sources. In
southern Rajasthan, the concentrations of
fluoride are up to 11 ppm (for comparison,
in Germany the fluoride concentration is
only 0.3 ppm). These high concentrations
Residual concentration of Image 2
fluoride and pH-value depending
on the addition of CaOH 2 /1/
16 INTERNATIONAL
2011
1000
F-
mg
100
10
F – concentration
pH value
1 0 10 20 30 ml/l 50
Ca(OH) 2 10 % suspension
2
4
6
8
10
12
pH value

Diagrammatic view of the anaerobic Biomar ® process
can be harmful to people and cause chronic
fluoride intoxication (fluorosis). The legal
regulations are therefore strict in terms of
fluoride in treated waters. (Quelle??)
Indian law:
The fluoride limit concentration as F in
treated effluent quality of common effluent
treatment plants into inland surface waters
is 2 mg/l.
In Germany, the usual limit value applicable
for fluoride is 50 mg/l. The requirement of
< 2 mg fluoride/l requires further process
technologies. A relevant procedure (Envochem
Sorp F) has been developed and tested
by EnviroChemie.
Fluoride precipitation through
Envochem ® COL L technology
Wastewaters containing fluorides are usually
treated by neutralisation with lime and
precipitation of fluoride as calcium fluoride
according to equation 1.
Ca(OH) 2 + 2 HF CaF 2 + 2 H 2 O Eq. 1
In practice, final fluoride concentrations of
about 20 mg/l to 30 mg/l can be achieved
with Envochem ® COL L technology. This is
in line with literature results (Image 2).
Envochem ® SORP F process
Envochem ® SORP F is a continuously operating
wastewater treatment process for
cleaning industrial wastewater containing
fluoride based on the deep bed filtration /
adsorption principle. The elimination of
fluoride takes place in a three-stage filtra-
tion unit with automated filters (Image 3).
The filters are filled with various special
filter materials. The final filter material is
doped for optimal adsorption of fluoride.
Image 4 below shows the results of a longterm
run of the Envochem ® adsorption unit.
For more than 120 bed volumes, the incoming
fluoride concentration is reduced to a
constantly low effluent level (almost without
being influenced by feed concentration).
Fluoride concentration in feed and discharge
is shown as a normalised value. A maximum
elimination of more than 75% is reached.
After exhaustion of the adsorption capacity,
a sudden increase in the discharge concentration
can be seen. After regeneration of the
adsorber, effluent quality is re-established.
“Zero discharge” concept
As already mentioned, the production of
solar cells is increasingly being transferred
Fluoride (C F– /C Norm ) [–]
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
Feed filter
Discharge adsorber
Image 7
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Feed volume (VFeed /VAdsorber ) [–]
Modern methods
to countries in which the cells produced can
also be effectively used on account of intensive
solar radiation. In these countries (in
southern Europe, for example), there is often
a severe shortage of water. For this reason,
concepts for water recycling, going as far as
“zero discharge”, are sensible and cost-effective
there.
Such a concept has been devised for a customer.
From river water treatment to recirculation,
a complete process for water
management with “zero discharge” criteria
was developed. The important thing is
knowledge of the production process in order
to be able to close the circuit. The production
in question is a wafer and cell production
system (Image 5). In the case in
question, the wastewater is classified according
to the following criteria:
❙ Sanitary wastewater from the administration
department
❙ Organically contaminated rinse water
from wafer production
❙ Inorganically contaminated concentrates
from cell production
❙ Inorganically contaminated rinse water.
The weakly contaminated rinse water is
treated by means of reverse osmosis after
appropriate conditioning. The permeate is
fed back before the water treatment plant for
high-purity production water. This makes it
possible to save considerable quantities of
water.
The concentrates from the reverse osmosis
as well as all other wastewater are treated in
the chemical-physical treatment plant of the
Envochemâ Col type. Uniform inflow conditions
are important for stable functioning.
For this reason, concentrates (discontinuously
discharged or rejected treatment
baths) are collected separately and then
dosed. The pretreated inorganic wastewater
is then evaporated. All organically contaminated
wastewater is then subjected to an
aerobic Biomarâ type biological treatment.
The cleaned wastewater treated in this way
is prepared using a membrane technology
until it can be used in the cooling tower.
Energy from wastewater
It is possible to produce energy from wastewater
from the production of solar cells, on
Image 4
Further reduction
of fluoride through
adsorption
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
17

INDUSTRIAL WATER Modern methods
Cooling
tower
River
Air
Bleed
Water
treatmant
Sludge
Office
Concentrate
pre-treatmant
Biological
treatment
Biomar ®
Envopur
reverse
osmosis
Complete process for water management Image 5
the basis of crystalline silicon. These cells
currently have the highest efficiency level,
but are more expensive than solar cells produced
on the basis of thin film technology
on account of the raw material silicon and
the more elaborate manufacturing process.
In the course of the entire manufacturing
chain, the first wastewater accumulates during
the sawing of the mono silicon wafers.
The individual thin silicon wafers are sawn
from one mono silicon crystal. The aim is to
produce wafers that are as thin as possible
with a minimum of sawing loss. To cool the
saws and ensure effective cutting, large
quantities of water are used, or else mixtures
of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and silicon
carbide (Novak, 2011). Here the objective of
the wastewater treatment is to keep the water
in circulation and to treat it in such a way
High pure
water production
Water
production
Chemical
Rins water
treatmant
Solids
Concentrate
Chemical
Concentrate
pre-treatmant
Envochem ®
evaporator
Concentrate
Water treatment Production
Waste water treatment
Cell
production
Concentrate
Rins water
treatmant/
Envopur
reverse
osmosis
Image 6
Anaerobic
degradation
of PEG and
corresponding
volumetric loading
that it can be discharged. A particular challenge
is the dissolved PEG, which remains
in the wastewater. Depending on the chain
length, PEG is only biodegradable after a
long retention time. Biodegradability is defined
by means of the total parameter of
biological oxygen demand (BOD5). Here,
biodegradability in 5 days is determined.
For PEG with a greater chain length, the
BOD5 is almost zero, but the value BOD30
is almost 100%; in other words, PEG is almost
completely degradable after a retention
time of 30 days. Municipal sewage treatment
plants, however, are seldom designed
for these retention times or the related high
sludge age. In small sewage treatment
plants, therefore, high loads of PEG are either
not degradable, or not degradable to a
satisfactory degree.
In an initial stage, solids are removed from
the highly contaminated organic wastewater
that has been collected. The chemicalphysical
process of precipitation/flocculation
has proved reliable here. The subsequent
filtrate then contains only the dissolved organic
components. The anaerobic Biomar ®
technology is suitable for biological treatment.
In high performance reactors, the total
parameter COD of the organically highly
contaminated wastewater is effectively reduced
(Image 6).
Besides biological oxygen demand, chemical
oxygen demand (COD) is also used as a
total parameter for assessing wastewater.
The diagram above shows the results obtained
in an EnviroChemie pilot plant. An
elimination range of up to 98 % was
achieved for COD, with a steady rise in
volumetric loading. At the same time, biogas
is produced as an energy source material.
Summary
Energy production from solar energy by
means of solar cells will become increasingly
important in future. This environmentally
friendly technology, however, generates
wastewater with differing contamination
levels, depending on the manufacturing
process.
However, water is becoming an increasingly
valuable raw material. For this reason, toxic
contents must be eliminated and water recovered.
Precipitation and adsorption methods
will be used for this, accompanied by
methods involving the biological treatment
of sewage (anaerobic/aerobic) and membrane
processes for recycling rinse water.
Besides the recirculation of water, the recovery
of valuable materials from the production
process is becoming increasingly important
in order to preserve resources. Here,
EnviroChemie is working intensively on
innovative techniques as part of research
projects.
REFERENCES
/1/ Hartinger, L. (1991). Handbuch der Abwasser und
Recycling-Technik für die metallverarbeitende
Industrie. 2. Auflage, Carl Hanser Verlag München
Wien, (unveränderter Nachdruck 2007)
/2/ Novak, O. (2011). Abwässer aus der Photovoltaikindustrie
und ihr Einfluss auf die Kommunale
Abwasserreinigung. Tagungsband DWA
WasserWirtschafts-Kurs N/5 – Behandlung von
Industrie- und Gewerbeabwasser, März 2011
CONTACT
Elmar BILLENKAMP
EnviroChemie GmbH
In den Leppsteinswiesen 9 | 64380 Rossdorf
Tel.: 06154/699858
E-Mail: elmar.billenkamp@envirochemie.com
18 INTERNATIONAL
2011

ORPU Pumpenfabrik GmbH:
Innovations in
sewage water
The high demands placed on the
purification facilities in wastewater
treatment plants require sophisticated
pump technology.
As water resources decline,
one of the central challenges
is how to treat wastewater.
The situation calls for
efficient solutions in process
technology and plant construction.
To stay abreast of this situation,
ORPU Pumpenfabrik
GmbH has developed and
launched a number of products
over the past five years.
❙ Pumps with cutting system:
ORCUT TES and ORCUT
ES, KM 100 macerator pump
❙ Submersible motor compressor
These high-quality products are
manufactured at the Oranienburg
site, not far from Berlin.
Submersible
sewage pumps
The ORCUT TES submersible
sewage pumps (figure 1), which
employ the tried and tested
cones cutting system, have been
in production since 1995. In
2008, a new generation of these
pumps was launched on the
market. The well-known advantages
of these cutting systems
include (figure 2):
❙ Solid matter is not hacked or
shredded in the wastewater
❙ Pumps do not get clogged or
blocked
❙ The cutting gap can be adjusted
externally
❙ Blockage-free feed to the rotor
The pumps are used primarily
in pressure drainage systems.
This is a cost-effective procedure
particularly suited to rural
areas. The ORCUT TES cutting
system ensures that solid matter
(such as cloths or sanitary products)
is chopped up and removed.
Customers can choose from
three sizes (max. volumetric
capacity 16 m3, max. delivery
height: 38 m).
These pumps are available in
an explosion-proof version
and, as of 2011, in a cost-effective
version without explosion
protection. On the basis of these
submersible sewage pumps, the
dry positioned ORCUT ES
wastewater pump series was
developed for special applications,
such as ship wastewater
treatment plants, and the proven
cones cutting system incorporated
into it.
Triple cutting unit
The new guidelines introduced
on 1 January 2010 for the purification
capacity of ship wastewater
treatment plants required
a new cutting technology concept.
This resulted in a triple
cutting unit (figure 3). This enables
particle sizes with an edge
length of 3 – 4 mm to be cut in
one pump operation. The pump
Image 1
ORCUT TES
submersible
sewage
pump
Image 4
KM 100
macerator
pump
Photos: ORPU
Sewage systems
is designed in such a way that
practically every operating
point within the performance
range can be set. The dry positioned
KM 100 macerator pump
(figure 4) ensures that the purification
process in the wastewater
treatment plant achieves a
high level of efficiency.
Submersible motor
compressor
The TMV submersible motor
compressor is available in three
sizes with protection level IP68.
These are designed for permanent
underwater operations.
These compressors are mainly
used in the ventilation of biological
wastewater treatment
plants.
Image 2
The tried and
tested cones
cutting system
Image 3
Triple
cutting unit
CONTACT
ORPU Pumpenfabrik GmbH
Lehnitzschleuse 11
D – 16515 Oranienburg
E-Mail: info@orpu.de
www.orpu.de
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
19

INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER Research and development
Stefan KURTZ; Felix BILEK; Hans-Jürgen KOCHAN; Peter DENKE
Mine drainage water treatment
in Vietnam
Development and implementation of a method for removing iron
and manganese and for the separation of coal dust.
PROJECT SITE: Vietnam, Province of Quang Ninh, town of Vang Danh (red circle) Image 1
The Research Association for Mining
and Environment (RAME) in Vietnam
– a joint project supported by Germany’s
Federal Ministry for Education and Research
(Bundesministerium für Bildung und
Forschung – BMBF) – is currently setting
up a pilot plant for mine water treatment in
Vietnam. As part of the project’s research
focus on water management and water treatment,
the project partners LMBV International
GmbH (coordination and monitoring),
eta AG (site analysis and facility planning),
and GFI GmbH, Dresden (process development
and scientific monitoring), in collaboration
with the Vietnamese project partners,
have developed an active treatment method
for mine water. The method, adapted to the
project site of Vang Danh and its regional
conditions, is now being implemented on
site.
Site characteristics
North Vietnam’s high- quality anthracite
coal resources are extracted through openpit
mining or underground mining for energy
generation and for export. As Vietnam’s
economy is rapidly growing and in need of
more energy sources, and as coal mining is
a major pillar of the Vietnamese economy
/1/, the expansion of coal mining is promoted
by the government. The concomitant
increase of environmental burdens, such as
the pollution of rivers due to mine water
discharge, are recognised problems in Vietnam
and necessitated for the installation of
mine water treatment plants (MWTP).
In the coal mining district surrounding the
town of Vang Danh in north-eastern Vietnam
(Image 1), anthracite coal is extracted
underground. Mine water, diffused in the
entire mining area as a result of mine drainage
operations in several galleries, currently
still flows above-ground and largely untreated
into the receiving rivers (Image 2),
and from there into Ha Long Bay, which is
a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As part of the project’s multi-year, onsite
monitoring component, the hydro-chemical
characteristics of the various branch currents
of the mine water were identified and
recorded. Based on these findings, the
acidic mine water is iron- and manganeserich
and characterised by a high solid content,
consisting predominantly of suspended
coal dust (visually identifiable in Image 2).
For the design of the plant, the expected
composition of the mixed influent water was
Design water level established from the inflows to the plant
and the mandatory threshold values
parameters
Design water level parameters for the
MWTP [mg/l]
Fe (total) 50 5
Mn (II) 11.4 1
Solid content 1000 100
pH value 5.8 5.5 – 9
defined according to the monitoring results
(see Table 1). The concentrations to be
achieved by the treatment are prescribed by
Vietnam’s statutory threshold values for
industrial wastewater (Table 1).
Moreover, the flow volumes of the mine
water discharge are determined by means of
current meters, salt tracers, and fluorescent
tracers. The monitoring results showed high
daily and seasonal fluctuations for the property
parameters as well as for the flow volumes.
Process development
in Germany
The planning process was accompanied by
extensive laboratory tests and test plant experiments
that were performed and evaluated
at GFI in Dresden /2, 3, 4/. Within this
framework, a pilot-scale MWTP was also
developed (Image 3) and set up for method
testing and the training of Vietnamese
skilled labour. All tests were performed
with site-specific water properties and in-
Vietnamese threshold values for
industrial wastewater
20 INTERNATIONAL
2011
Table 1

clude, tests of the pH-value-dependent sedimentation
of hydrosides iron and manganese,
sedimentation tests on the abstraction
of the sludge generated by the treatment
process, and tests of various methods for
removal of the manganese.
The Vietnamese threshold values for pH,
iron, and solid content are to be met with
the standard active mine water treatment
method using aeration, neutralisation, and
Introduction of untreated Image 2
mine water in a stream
the subsequent separation of solid particles.
However, manganese is generally – particularly
in high concentrations such as in this
scenario – much more difficult to separate
from the aqueous substance, whereas iron in
an aerated reaction basin can be separated
in a fully oxidized state from the aqueous
substance at a pH value of 7, the separation
of manganese requires pH values in the order
of 10 (Image 4). However, the quantity
of neutralising agents required to generate
such pH values would make this method
economically unviable as well as counterproductive
with regard to actually treating
the water (Table 1). For this reason, the
treatment method was designed to remove
manganese in both an economically and
environmentally viable manner. /4/.
The results of the tests accompanying the
project showed that at a pH value of around
9 and with an economically reasonable use
of neutralising agents and without a transgression
of the Vietnamese pH threshold
value, some 50% (w/w) of the manganese
content could already be separated through
sorption and pro-rata oxidation from the
aqueous substance.
The remaining 50% (w/w) are subjected to
a complementary manganese removal
method based on the catalytically accelerated
oxidation of Mn(II) in manganese oxide
fixed bad filters.
Procedural adaptation to
Vietnamese conditions
Based on the research results, a treatment
concept was developed for the site of Vang
Danh and adapted to the site-specific conditions
in Vietnam for its procedural implementation:
❙ Climatic conditions in North Vietnam
with frequent torrential rains in the summer
months are taken into consideration
by ensuring the separation of surface water
flows from mine water flows.
❙ The strongly varying mine water properties
and flow volumes are homogenised by
mixing the different inflowing gallery
waters.
❙ To minimise the need for space and to
ensure the secure operation of the process
and control of the plant, modern technology
is used according to German standards.
❙ To minimise costs, the process should be
designed to rely as much as possible on a
minimum number of simple, inexpensive
resources and materials that can be acquired
within Vietnam.
Research and development
❙ To adapt the plant to local conditions and
requirements, the Vietnamese Project
Partners were actively integrated right
from the start in each decision-making
phase of the planning and construction of
the facility.
Technical implementation of
the mine water treatment
plant
TEST PLANT EXPERIMENT: Image 3
Mine water treatment plant at GFI GmbH, Dresden
The MWTP (longitudinal section in Image
5) was designed for a flow volume of 800
m3/h. Its capacity can be expanded, in two
further stages, to 2400 m3/h for a three-level
operation. To prepare for the considerable
increase in the volume of mine water flows
resulting from the expanded mining activities,
the collected raw water is channelled to
the plant via closed pipes. As part of the
system control, the inflow is subjected to an
MID-based flow volume measurement. The
inflow also has a controlled sliding gate as
an emergency stopper, which channels the
mine water during maintenance procedures
or in cases of a high inflow volume on a
pro-rata basis through a bypass around the
plant.
Image 4
Dependency
of Fe concentrations
(total,
dissolved) and
Mn(II) as a
function of the
pH-value in an
aerated reaction
basin at
practice-relevant
residency times
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
21

INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER Research and development
a
b
The mine water flows by gravitation into the
reaction basin, which, with a volume of
275 m3 and a required residence time of at
least 10 minutes, is designed for a capacity
of approximately 1600 m3/h.
At this stage, the pH value is increased to 9.0
by adding a lime milk suspension. The required
hydrated lime is stored in two closed
silos and added to the basin via two separate
dosing stations.
In addition, a controllable addition of oxygen
is provided to the basin by means of
mammoth pumps, which also serve to generate
turbulence and to add the neutralising
agent. In the basin, iron is fully oxidised and
manganese is partly oxidised before being
transformed into insoluble deposits. A further
portion of the manganese content is also
separated from the solution by means of
sorption.
Images 5 a and b
LONGITUDINAL SECTION:
Blueprint of the mine water
treatment plant
For the mechanical separation of its solid
content (coal dust and other sediments), the
water is then channelled, via a plenum, to
the sedimentation unit, which consists of the
following three partial tanks for each
planned phase (each 800 m3/h):
❙ In basin 1, a polyacrylamide is turbulently
added, and a horizontal stirring mechanism
is used to support flocculation.
❙ In basin 2, the maturation of the floc takes
place under a decreased and well controlled
turbulence, generated with a vertical
paddle mechanism.
❙ In basin 3, the suspended solid particles
are separated by means of lamella separators.
The base of basin 3 has scrapers, which,
equipped with sludge pumps, channel the
solid particles to a sludge thickener and then
to a decanter, which ensures a sludge dehydration
of 30 to 40% (w/w) of the solid content.
Groundbreaking ceremony (November 2009) Image 6
22 INTERNATIONAL
2011

The advantage of the sedimentation plant
over the traditional sedimentation basin
(round basin) is that it is considerably smaller,
which minimises construction costs. This
means that there is enough room on the
small area of land available to construct the
rectangular tanks used in the three expansion
stages.
Following the separation of solid particles,
the turbidity-free water is channelled to the
manganese removal stage, consisting of a
group of 20 parallel-connected fixed bed
filters with a filter surface of 100 m2. The
filters are filled with a manganese ore as
filter material in order to catalytically accelerate
the progress of manganese removal.
The dissolved manganese remaining in the
water is catalytically oxidised in the filters,
which have a bottom-to-top through-flow,
and forms solid particles that are then removed
through continual backwashing of
the filters. The separated manganese sludge
is transferred in two alternately supplied and
cleared sedimentation basins, where it can
settle during a residence time of four days.
A bypass constructed as an overflow channels
the water to be treated, which cannot
pass through the manganese filter plant
during maintenance works, around the filter
plant. The drainage of the manganese removal
stage has a sampling chamber for
monitoring and maintenance purposes, and
from which the treated water is channelled
to the discharge system.
The processing equipment described includes
redundat pH, turbidity and c(O 2 )
sensing instruments installed at various locations.
These allow the plant to be controlled
largely automatically and ensure that
monitoring data can be supplied for scientific
analysis during commissioning as well
as for plant monitoring purposes during
normal operations. Other elements of the
plant are an administration and storage
building, lime silos, a flocculation aid
preparation and dosing station, compressors
for the manganese removal and aeration, as
well as areas for the access roads and the
surface water drainage.
Plant construction
Based on the facility planning described and
in close consultation with the German and
Vietnamese project partners, the MWTP is
currently under construction (official start
of construction was November 2009, Image
6). Image 7 shows the construction works
completed by the Vietnamese project partners
in January 2011.
Summary and prospects
So far, experience shows that the planning
processes for international projects managed
in cooperation by both parties, and in
which the local partners are integrated into
the planning and construction operations,
can be expected to take considerably longer
than usual. Frequent person-to-person contacts
and consultations are required. For
these reasons, the different geographic,
cultural, economic, political, and legal conditions
of the partner countries must be
taken into consideration. It cannot be assumed
that decision and planning processes
in the partner countries will proceed in the
same way as they would in Germany.
The project successes achieved so far were
realized thanks to a high degree of flexibility
in the approach and manner of managing
operations by both parties. The MWTP is
slated to be finished before 2011. Measures
for training the future staff are currently in
PLANT CONSTRUCTION: Sludge thickener (front) and sedimentation Image 7
basin (back) of the first expansion stage (January 2011)
Research and development
preparation. Following the completion of
the plant, a commissioning process and a
monitoring of the control of the developed
treatment technology will be performed by
the German and Vietnamese project partners.
The research and development tasks required
for the process development were
financed in part by the Federal Ministry for
Education and Research. The German project
partners thank the Federal Ministry for
Education and Research for its support.
REFERENCES
/1/ Brömme, K.; Stolpe, H.; Möllerherm, S. (2006):
Power to the People. Ein Land reich an
Ressourcen will Kapazitäten ausbauen.
Südostasien Vol. 22, No. 1. Retrieved from:
http://www.asienhaus.de/public/archiv/
2006-1-018Internetversion.pdf
/2/ Kurtz, S.; Bilek, F.; Schlenstedt, J.; Kochan,
H.-J. (2009): Treating mine water contaminated
with iron, manganese and high solid carbon loads
under tropical conditions. Paper presented at
Securing the Future and 8th ICARD,
June 23–26, 2009, Skellefteå, Sweden
/3/ Kurtz, S.; Denke, P.; Bilek, F.; Kochan,
H.-J. (2010): Vor-Ort-Monitoring und Prozessuntersuchungen
in einer vietnamesischen
Grubenwasserreinigungsanlage.
In: Merkel, B.; Schipek, M. (2010): Grubenwässer
– Herausforderungen und Lösungen.
61. Berg- und Hüttenmännischen Tag 2010;
Bergakademie Freiberg. Wissenschaftliche
Mitteilungen, Institut für Geologie, No. 42
/4/ GFI (2011): Exemplarische Behandlung von
Bergbauwässern im Labor- und Technikumsmaßstab
am Beispiel eines Bergbaustandortes in
Vietnam (Vang Danh). Research report issued
for the BMBF (in progress)
CONTACT
Stefan KURTZ (Geol.)
Felix BILEK (Dr. Sc.)
GFI Grundwasserforschungsinstitut GmbH Dresden
Meraner Straße 10 | 01217 Dresden | Germany
Tel.: 0351/4050660 | Fax: 0351/4050669
www.gfi-dresden.de
Hans-Jürgen KOCHAN (Eng.)
eta AG/LUG Engineering GmbH
Dissenchener Straße 50 | 03042 Cottbus | Germany
Tel.:0355/28924–103 | Fax: 0355/28924–111
www.lugmbh.de
Peter DENKE (Geoecologist)
LMBV international GmbH
Knappenstraße 1 | 01968 Senftenberg | Germany
Tel.: 03573/844414
www.lmbvinternational.de
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
23

COMPANY PROFILES
Company address: AWT Umwelttechnik Eisleben GmbH
Querfurter Straße 7
D-06295 Lutherstadt Eisleben
Telephone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Internet:
+49(0) 3475 6336-0
+49(0) 3475 6336-10
info@awt-eisleben.de
http://www.awt-eisleben.de
Managing directors: Hermann Meßmer
Josef Reichenberger
Founding year: 2001
Employees: 100
Annual sales: EUR 10 million
Locations: Eisleben
Product/service
programme:
Sand scrapers
Grease scrapers
Floating matter scrapers
Longitudinal scrapers
Circular scrapers
Flight scrapers
Scraping with shields, pumps, airlift
Core competencies: All types of scraping technology for the
treatment of
Reference
properties:
Your contact
person for sales /
consultancy:
❙ Potable water
❙ Municipal wastewater
❙ Industrial wastewater
Worldwide – more than 2000 installed
systems
info@awt-eisleben.de
+49(0) 3475 63 36-0
Name: ORPU Pumpenfabrik GmbH
Company address: Lehnitzschleuse 11
D-16515 Oranienburg
Telephone:
Fax:
+49 (0) 3301 858-0
+49 (0) 3301 858-103
Management: Dipl.-Ing. Harald Schmidt
Dipl.-Ing. oec. Joachim Kunkel
Founding year: 2006 (originally 1936)
Employees: 26
Sales: EUR 3 million
Products:
Competencies:
❙ Submersible sewage pumps ORCUT TES
for pressure drainage systems with a
max. delivery height of 38 m.
❙ Dry installed sewage pumps ORCUT
ES with special cutting system for use in
sewage treatment plants
❙ Macerator pumps KM 100 to create
particle sizes of 3 - 4 mm. Pumps are used
in sewage treatment plants
❙ Submersible motor compressors TMV for
ventilation of biological sewage treatment
plants
❙ Side channel pumps and complete
domestic water systems
❙ Pumps and ventilation of sewage water
❙ Sewage lifting stations for pressure
drainage systems
❙ Cutting system which has proven itself
a thousand times over for trouble-free
pumping.
❙ Adapted technical solutions of pumps
for special use in ship sewage treatment
plants or biogas plants
Contact: E-mail: info@orpu.de
Internet: www.orpu.de
24 INTERNATIONAL
2011

Company address: RSC Rohrbau und Sanierungs GmbH
Fehrower Weg 7 a
D-03044 Cottbus
Telephone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Internet:
+49(0) 355 48 66 8-0
+49(0) 355 87 12 63 or 8712 93
RSC-Cottbus@t-online.de
www.rsc-cottbus.eu
Managing director: Lutz Kretschmann
Founding year: 1991
Employees: 54
Annual sales: EUR 6 million
Locations: Cottbus
Subsidiaries /
branches:
Product/service
programme:
Hoyerswerda
Construction of new gas, water and
wasterwater line systems
Renovation of these systems using various
procedures
Core competencies: Cement mortar lining
Long pipe lining
Short pipe lining, burst lining
Compact pipe (close-fit procedure)
Hose lining, shaft renovation
Reference
properties:
Your contact person
for sales /
consultancy:
130 km relaying up to DN 1400
100 km renovation
Lutz Kretschmann
Company address: Siemens
Water Technologies
Wallace & Tiernan GmbH
Auf der Weide 10
D-89312 Günzburg
Telephone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Internet:
COMPANY PROFILES
+49 (0) 8221 904 0
+49 (0) 8221 904 203
wtger.water@siemens.com
www.siemens.de/wallace-tiernan
Managing directors: Günter Führer, Erik Groß
Founding year: In Günzburg since 1955; a fully-owned subsidiary
of Siemens AG since 2004
Employees: 238 in Günzburg, 12 in Berlin
Annual sales: EUR 34 million (2010)
Locations: Günzburg, Berlin
Subsidiaries /
branches:
Product/service
programme:
Core competencies:
Reference
properties:
Siemens Water Technologies is represented
in 170 locations worldwide. Headquarters
are in Warrendale, USA. Siemens Water
Technologies, Günzburg, is closely linked
with Siemens regional companies in Europe
and the entire world.
❙ Dosing technology for gases, liquids and
dry goods
❙ Process technology: chlorine dioxide preparation
systems, electrolysis systems, UV
systems, membrane systems
❙ Measurement and control systems and
data management products for visualising,
archiving and further processing data
❙ After-sales service
❙ Measurement and control systems
❙ Process technology for water disinfection
such as membrane electrolysis systems,
chlorine dioxide treatment, membrane procedures,
UV systems
❙ Full vacuum gas dosing systems
For case studies please see our homepage:
www.siemens.de/wallace-tiernan.
For example, use of DVGW-certified UV
systems or chlorine dioxide treatment for the
disinfection of potable water in the water
works.
Contact: water.industry@siemens.com
potablewater.industry@siemens.com
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
25

INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER Modern methods
Gesine GÖTZ; Andreas KUNZE, André REINICKE;
Christopher GABLER; Sven-Uwe GEISSEN
Treatment of wastewater
from food
processing industries
Challenges and opportunities
of campaign operation
Whether and how a technical process is
operated will finally be decided by
economic factors. Nevertheless, considering
growing environmental problems, the work
of an engineer should not only be limited
to preparing optimum technical solutions
with minimum costs. Cleverly choosing and
controlling processes result not only in increased
plant safety and reduced costs, but
also in minimised environmental impact. At
the Chair of Environmental Process Engineering
of the Berlin Institute of Technology,
managed by Prof. Sven-Uwe Geißen,
great importance is assigned to a competent
technical education. At the same time, the
Influent raw
wastewater
Process
waste
heat
Grit
chamber
Conditioning
tank
Air
Fine
strainer 1
Fine
strainer 2
Screenings
Activated
sludge tank
Process steam
Biobed ® -
reactor
students are also encouraged to recognise
correlations beyond system boundaries and
to consider these conclusions e.g. in plant
design, which is why study trips are of particular
interest.
In January 2011, students of the “Wastewater
process engineering I” course participated
in a study trip to the company
Obst- und Gemüseverarbeitung Spreewaldkonserve
Golßen GmbH (herinafter referred
to as Spreewaldhof). The company-owned
wastewater treatment plant entered operation
in November 2006 and facilitates the
discharge of the treated wastewater directly
into receiving water.
Micro
strainer 1
Micro
strainer 2
Screenings
Secondary
settlement
Sludge
storage
tank
Mixing and
equalization
tank 1
Mixing and
equalization
tank 2
(optional)
Screenings
utilization
Biogas
utilization
Receiving
Sand filter
water
Irrigation
(optional)
Centrifuge
Effluent
Sludge
utilization
Process flow chart of the Spreewaldhof Image 1
wastewater treatment plant
Company profile and
wastewater characteristics
Spreewaldhof was founded in 1946 and has
been operated as a nationally owned enterprise
since 1951. The company became a
limited liability company in 1990 and, one
year later, was taken over by Karin Seidel
and Konrad Linkenheil. Nowadays, Spreewaldhof
can pride itself in having 180 employees,
250 seasonal workers and annual
sales of approximately € 90 M (financial
year 2008/2009). The business area lies
within the processing of preserved fruits,
vegetables and pickles. The “Spreewälder
Gurken” belongs to the most famous products
of the company. These are very popular
especially in the German market and are
available in many different varieties.
A number of steps in the production of preserves
generate wastewater, for which freshwater
is required at the same time:
❙ cleaning of fruits and vegetables,
❙ cleaning of the jars to be filled,
❙ transporting and filling processes
❙ cleaning of label machines etc.
The limited liability company OEWA Wasser
und Abwasser was commissioned with
the guaranteed supply of water and steam,
the operation of the cooling water cycle and
the wastewater treatment. With over 400
employees, OEWA is a subsidiary of Veolia
Environnement and offers services and
concept solutions in the fields of drinking
water supply and wastewater treatment.
Before the company-owned wastewater
treatment plant was put into operation, the
wastewater produced was discharged by the
irrigation onto the surrounding agricultural
area. Later, the enormous increase of production
and the high peak loads required
the plant’s construction. These days, up to
2,344 m3 wastewater is treated per day and
directly discharged afterwards. The raw
wastewater from the production has a temperature
of 18 to 24°C, a COD concentration
of up to 6,000 mg/l and only small amounts
of phosphate and nitrogen. Notable challenges
for the wastewater treatment are the
broad and seasonal variations of the COD
concentration and of the wastewater flow
rate. Spreewaldhof is processing the fresh
vegetables directly after the harvest, so that
cucumber processing, for example, takes
place from June to September followed by
apple and red cabbage processing. Due to
campaign operation, vast amounts of wastewater,
also potentially containing high inorganic
loads, can occur very suddenly. For
instance, the juice of pomaceous and stone
fruits has COD concentrations of up to
150,000 mg/l, which means that even small
concentrations that arise during process
steps in which the fruit cells aer destroyed
are sufficient to increase the COD concentration
of the total effluent to 6,000 –
9,000 mg/l. Based on the wastewater char-
26 INTERNATIONAL
2011

Partial view of the Spreewaldhof wastewater treatment plant Image 2
acteristics and the given basic conditions,
the process concept shown in Image 1 and 2
was implemented.
Process concept
First, large solids are removed from the raw
wastewater by an aerated grit chamber. With
the help of two fine strainers, each with a
mesh width of 1 mm, and the two downstream
micro strainers, each with mesh
widths of 0.45 and 0.5 mm respectively,
smaller solids are also removed. Now, the
mechanically pre-treated wastewater is
pumped into a mixing and equalization tank
with a holding capacity of 1,500 m3. In this
tank, pre-acidification takes place in preparation
for subsequent anaerobic treatment.
To balance high peak loads, a second mixing
and equalization tank with a volume of
3,000 m3 is available. Afterwards, the
wastewater is heated from approximately
18°C to 35°C using two heat exchangers.
The first heat exchanger is used for recovering
heat from the effluent of the anaerobic
eractor.
Any process waste heat still present is then
used by the second heat exchanger for heating
the wastewater further. If the temperature
downstream of the two heat exchangers
has not reached the necessary treatment
temperature, the wastewater can optionally
be heated with process steam.
In a conditioning tank, the parameters
necessary for the anaerobic treatment are
set. After pre-acidification, the wastewater
has a pH value of between 4.5 and 5, which
can be increased as required by adding
caustic soda. Due to a lack of nitrogen and
phosphorus, urea and phosphoric acid are
added to reach a sufficient degradation of
the organic load as well as trace elements
needed for biomass growth. The wastewater
circulates between the conditioning tank
and the anaerobic reactor with a flow rate of
170 to 240 m3/h.
The anaerobic stage consists of a Biobed ®
EGSB reactor with 850 m3 holding capacity
and a height of 16 m. The wastewater is
evenly distributed on the bottom of the reactor,
which is filled with so-called bacteria
pellets up to a height of approximately 8 to
10 m. The pellet structures that are formed
by the degrading micro organisms have high
stability and sedimentation velocities (30 to
80 m/h). That is why the pellets are retained
in the reactor at superficial velocities from
Modern methods
3 to 6 m/h. The removal of biogas and larger
bacteria agglomerates occurs via the
3-phase seperator installed in the head of
the reactor. Finer particles and individual
bacteria, which are released from the pellets
due to shear forces, are removed from the
system with the liquid phase. The main
COD degradation takes place in the anaerobic
reactor (approx. 80%). The biogas produced
is buffered and used to produce process
heat in steam generators designed for
biogas. The amount of heat produced by
biogas is much higher than the energy,
which is necessary for the optional heating
of the wastewater via process steam. The
COD which is not degraded in the Biobed ®
reactor is reduced further in the following
aerobic step. For this purpose, a two-step
activated sludge tank is applied, which has
a ring-shaped design (Image 3). The highload
zone is located in the centre, from
which the wastewater overflows into the
low-loaded outside zone. Here, floating
plastic carrier material is applied for added
safety during peak loads. In the secondary
settlement tank, the sludge is separated from
the cleaned wastewater (Image 4). The excess
sludge is stored in a tank, thickened and
dewatered by a centrifuge. The dewatered
sludge is delivered to a waste management
enterprise for composting.
The wastewater is discharged directly into
the River Dahme via receiving water trench
E, which means that stringent effluent requirements
apply, especially for phosphate.
Ferric chloride can therefore be added to the
activated sludge tank and the effluent in the
secondary settlement tank.
This has the effect of binding the flocs,
which are then finally removed by sand
filters. The effluent of the wastewater treatment
plant is of very good quality (COD<
Sampling out of the two-stage activated sludge tank with Image 3
floating plastic carrier material
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
27

INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER Modern methods
Secondary settlement tank with scraper installation Image 4
Passavant Geiger GmbH:
Watertechnologies
worldwide
The Passavant-Geiger Group, part of Bilfinger
Berger Facility Services, is one of the
leading technology companies in the water
and wastewater sector with nine locations
worldwide. Through its proprietary products,
Passavant-Geiger is able to cover almost
all process steps relating to water and
wastewater treatment.
The company‘s product portfolio comprises
not only resource-friendly vacuum sanitation
and cost-efficient vacuum sewer systems
technology, but also an extensive range
of sieves and screens, surface and diffused
air aeration systems as well as sludge dewatering
and drying systems, and even includes
software for the optimisation of wastewater
treatment plants. The product range is supported
by a comprehensive service network
for the maintenance and repair of municipal
and industrial wastewater treatment plants.
Under the brand names PASSAVANT ® ,
GEIGER ® and NOGGERATH ® , Passavant-
Geiger GmbH develops and manufactures
machinery and equipment for the treatment
of water, wastewater and sludge at its locations
in Aarbergen, Karlsruhe and Ahnsen.
The portfolio is complemented by an integrated
24-hour service.
Passavant-Intech GmbH in Rimpar specialises
in increasing the efficiency of wastewa-
ter treatment plants and is your competent
partner in all matters regarding process
optimisation.
Roediger Vacuum GmbH in Hanau, also a
wholly owned subsidiary, supplies state-ofthe-art
systems for the collection and transport
of wastewater using negative pressure.
It specialises in vacuum technology for
sanitation and sewerage systems. Maintenance
work and spare parts sales in the area
of landfill gas, digester gas and biogas are
also a part of Roediger Vacuum.
www.passavant-geiger.de
Visit us on the community-stand of
German Water Partnership at the
WASSER BERLIN International 2011
Hall 5.2a – Stand 110
Noggerath Revolving Chain Screen
ensures high reliability and long
service life at little maintenance
requirements.
90 mg/L, NH 4 -N < 5 mg/L, N total < 18 mg/L,
P total < 1.5 mg/L) and can be directly discharged.
Some of the treated wastewater can
optionally be re-used for irrigation of nearby
agricultural areas.
Acknowledgement
The students and colleagues of the Chair of
Environmental Process Engineering would
like to thank OEWA and Spreewaldhof for
an exciting and instructive study trip.
Special thanks are given to Mr Holsten
(Spreewaldhof) for the introductory words
concerning the history of Spreewaldhof as
well as Dipl.-Ing. Tino Schmidt and Dipl.-
Ing. Dirk Loose (OEWA), who not only
explained the wastewater treatment plant
and its characteristics in detail, but also
were patiently answered our questions.
CONTACT
Dipl.-Ing. Gesine GÖTZ
Technische Universität Berlin
Chair of Environmental Process Engineering
www.uvt.tu-berlin.de
Gesine.Goetz@TU-Berlin.de
The Ecoflex ® Aeration Panel guarantees
highest energy efficiency.
With regard to the development and
production of shut-off devices,
Passavant-Geiger looks back to
more than 125 years experience.
28 INTERNATIONAL
2011

Dr.-Ing. Shahrooz MOHAJERI;
Dipl.-Ing. Tamara NUÑEZ VON VOIGT
Integrated water
resources management
in Iran
Isfahan, Iran: Successfully shaping international
technology and knowledge transfer.
The research project “Integrated water
resources management” (IWRM) in
Isfahan, Iran is funded by the German Federal
Government since September 2010. The
objective of the consortium, which comprises
scientists and entrepreneurs, is to facilitate
sustainable water resource management
in the region (which has been badly hit
by water shortages) despite strong competition
for water between agriculture, industry
and urban water management. A range of
technologies and management strategies
that have been tried and tested in Germany
can be applied in the Zayandeh Rud basin.
The practicality – the criteria for successful
technology and knowledge transfer – stands
and falls with the successful adaptation of
these technologies to the specific climatic,
social and ecological conditions. Participation,
public relations, organisation and ca-
pacity development as well as intercultural
competence all play a key role here.
The challenges of water
management in Iran
Increasingly frequent periods of drought
and continuing population growth present
the Iranian water management industry with
major challenges. In 2006, for example, the
population of Iran was around 70.5 million,
almost double the figure it was just 30 years
earlier.
In the last 15 years, this population surge
has been accompanied by massive urbanisation.
Figure 2 shows the continuous increase
in the urban population since 1995, while
the rural population has slumped. As a result,
the ratio of urban to rural population
has completely reversed over the last 50
years. More than two thirds of Iranians now
Resource conservation
live in cities, and their numbers continue to
grow.
Isfahan Province has not been spared this
development. With more than 4.5 million
inhabitants, the most important province in
Central Iran is home to 6.5% of the country’s
total population. This puts it in third
place after Teheran (20%) and Khorasan
Razavi (8%). More than 83% of the population
of Isfahan Province now live in urban
areas, one third of them in the city of Isfahan
alone, the country’s third largest city.
O ver the last decade, the effects of population
growth and urbanisation on water resources
and the water infrastructure systems
have become increasingly noticeable and
continuously pushed up Iranian water consumption.
Between 1998 and 2006, drinking
water consump-tion alone rose by more
than 40% from 3,500 million m3 to around
5,000 million m3.
At 44.5%, the increase in water consumption
in Isfahan Province in this period even
exceeded the national average. The average
per capita water consumption in Iran in
2006 was 250 l/d in urban areas and 170 l/d
in rural areas.
Wastewater disposal
Despite numerous efforts undertaken by the
Iranian government since the mid 1990s, the
wastewater produced by around 80% of the
total population is still disposed of via absorption
wells. In 2006, an average of just
26% of the Iranian urban population was
connected to a sewage system on average. In
ISFAHAN CITY: Low wa ter level of the Zayandeh Rud in January 2011 Image 1
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
29

ENVIRONMENT Resource conservation
rural areas, just under 1% of inhabitants are
connected to a system of this type. However,
the urban connection rate varies greatly
from region to region, and in most provinces
is significantly below the average (Figure 3).
But even in those areas where wastewater is
collected, the necessary wastewater treatment
plants are often lacking (Figure 4). As
a result, only around half of the wastewater
collected in 2006 was purified in a wastewater
treatment plant. The rest is usually
discharged into bodies of water without
treatment, with corresponding consequences
for nature, the environment and water resources.
Due to the special hydro-geological features
of Isfahan Province, it belongs with its connection
rate of 50% to the few Provinces that
are above average. Between 1958 and 1960,
54 km of sewers were laid in the city of Isfahan.
As most of these have barely been
maintained, they must now be renewed
completely.
In the past, with an average wastewater
treatment plant connection rate of 50% – as
high as 80% in cities – Isfahan Province was
a pioneering region within Iran in terms of
wastewater purification. As early as 1967,
Isfahan was one of the first Iranian cities in
which wastewater from 90,000 inhabitants
was purified in a trickling filer plant. Just 15
years later, this wastewater treatment plant
was converted to the activated sludge procedure
and extended to serve 800,000 inhabitants.
A further plant with a capacity of
400,000 inhabitants was later added in
North Isfahan. In 2006, the plant constructed
by Passavant was extended by the
company WABAG to include a further
800,000 inhabitants. Despite these efforts,
a renovation backlog remains for existing
plants, as well as the need for extensions.
Agriculture and industry
As would be expected, the Iranian agricultural
sector is by far the largest consumer of
water. Around 7 million hectares, equivalent
to about half the total area used for agriculture,
is irrigated for farming. An average of
Image 2
POPULATION
DEVELOPMENT
IN URBAN AND
RURAL AREAS,
SOURCE:
Department of
Economic and
Social Affairs,
Population
Division 2007 C
86 billion m3 – or 92.5% – of available water
resources are used for irrigation every year
(see Table 1).
An average 5.5 billion m3 of water is used
for around 240,000 hectares of irrigation
agriculture in Isfahan Province. This means
that in Isfahan Province, about 8% of all
irrigation water is used on just under 5% of
Iran’s total irrigated productive land.
Due to the extreme periods of drought, irrigating
agricultural land has been fully or
partially prohibited in Isfahan and a number
of other provinces for the last few years.
This meant that no water was available for
irrigation in Isfahan Province in 2010. Efforts
to increase the efficiency of agricultural
irrigation by employing innovative irrigation
technologies have not been able to
improve the situation. Instead, they have led
to the continual expansion of cultivated land
and thus to an increase in the amount of
water being exported from the region as
“virtual water” and increased evaporation.
The greatest increase in water demand is
expected to be the result of continuing industrialisation,
even though this process has
so far not reached the expected level in Iran.
In fact, the country’s industrial development
has lost momentum in recent years. Today,
Iran’s industrial demand for water is a mere
1% of the total amount of water used, or
1 billion m3 water per year. However, in Isfahan
Province, the second largest industrial
area in Iran, the share is twice this amount,
and at just under 200 million m3 is around
Water use per sector, 2010 Source: EWRC Table 1
Agriculture Drinking Water Industry Total
Unit billion cbm % billion cbm %
Iran (total) 86 92.5 6 6.5
Isfahan 6.8 92.4 0.4 5.4
2%. Sustainable water management is therefore
a key factor in the economic development
of the region.
Integrated water resources
management in Isfahan
Isfahan Province is one example of the
enormous challenges facing the Iranian
water management industry as a result of a
rapidly growing population, the associated
urbanisation and the increasing effects of
climate change. The Zayandeh Rud flows
through the province and is Central Iran’s
only surface water to flow all year round.
The Zayandeh Rud is the lifeline of Isfahan
Province and provides drinking water for
other cities outside the catchment area, such
as Yazd, which has around 500,000 inhabitants.
Image 3
Sewage
connection rate,
own diagram
Source: NWWEC
30 INTERNATIONAL
2011

Life in Isfahan Province is already shaped
by water shortages and the region is feeling
the effects of climate change; in the last ten
years, this has manifested itself in particular
in the form of increasingly frequent and
longer-lasting droughts. In the catchment
area of the Zayandeh Rud, which originally
carries a lot of water, this – coupled with the
growing demands described here – has resulted
in strong competition for water and
the related ecological consequences for the
river and the Gav Khuni salt lake into which
it flows.
The salt lake is protected by the Ramsar
Convention and is an important winter
habitat for migrating birds as it provides the
birds with unique ecological conditions half
way along their journey between North and
South Iran. Winter bird counts have recorded
more than 15,000 birds including
flamingos, grey geese, ducks and numerous
other species of waterfowl. An estimated
minimum inflow of 70 million m3/a is
required to maintain the vital activities of
the salt lake. In recent years, only half this
amount has been reached.
The joint project “IWRM in Isfahan” –
funded by the German Federal Ministry of
Education and Research – is designed to
meet this challenge. Its aim is to develop a
viable IWRM concept for Isfahan Province
in cooperation with those responsible from
the agricultural, industrial and water management
sectors. This involves analysing the
various demands of user groups and existing
conflicts of interest and developing concrete
water management tools to aid those responsible
when making decisions.
The planned water management tools comprise
two components: one of the tools allows
water resources to be electronically
simulated using the WBalMo software
program. The other tool allows socio-eco-
Project management
Knowledge
map
nomic influences to be analysed and possible
scenarios to be developed. The combination
of these two tools is expected to give
new impetus to the region’s future water
management concept. In order to develop
these tools, the project was designed as follows
(Figure 5).
In the initial project phase, the five sector
modules (agriculture, urban water management,
industry, tourism and nature) will
collate, structure and analyse the necessary
information on the various water user
groups. The results will then be processed
and integrated into four cross-sectoral modules
(knowledge map, organisational development,
participation and capacity development)
as well as public relations. The project
Image 4
Water treatment
plant
connection rate,
own diagram
Source: NWWEC
Water management tools
Organization
development
Resource conservation
Partcipation
concept & public
relations
Capacity
building
Project design Image 5
management integration module coordinates
the interdisciplinary and intercultural cooperation
and drives integration in the context
of an IWRM process. The IWRM process
is aimed in particular at integrating the
various sectors and spheres as well as developing
and implementing new technologies
and management instruments.
Successful technology and
knowledge transfer
The urgent need to develop and expand
sustainable water Resources management in
Iran and other growth countries in the Near
and Middle East opens up a range of market
opportunities for German companies in the
water and environmental sectors. In contrast
to a technical plant such as a wastewater
treatment plant or water works, a successful
IWRM process requires the integration, i.e.
inclusion and cooperation, of the individuals
and institutions involved in water management
in the region. In an area such as the
Zayandeh Rud, where the discrepancy between
water availability and demand is ever
increasing, the question arises of how the
extremely divergent institutional interests
and logics can be focussed and brought together
on a conceptual level. Only by obtaining
the support of relevant individuals
and institutions for the IWRM process it
will be possible to transfer the technical and
non-technical innovations from Germany to
the target countries.
Intercultural competence is also needed if,
for example, the lack of familiarity with the
living conditions in the catchment area, inadequate
knowledge of the roles that researchers
and consultants are expected to
play, language barriers, cultural differences
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
Agriculture
Urban water
management
IWRM process
Industry
Tourism
Nature
Project management
31

ENVIRONMENT Resource conservation
or differing methodical approaches and
specialist routines are to be successfully
overcome.
It is precisely with regard to these challenges
that, at the beginning of the project, the German
IWRM consortium was able to prioritise
and demonstrate the specific strengths
of the team. The consortium’s financial and
institutional independence from regional
individuals and institutions, combined with
the research nature of the project, makes the
German team an acceptable partner for all
sides. All this was only made possible by
involving all key decision- makers from the
various sectors in the project development
phase.
The development and content-related structure
of the cross-sectional modules are even
more important for ensuring that the project
is accepted by the Iranian partners. The
public relations integration module addresses
both the general and the professional
public. By means of a professional PR concept,
those responsible for the various sec-
tors are to be regularly informed of the results
of the project. The content and aims of
sustainable water management are also to be
explained to the populace, who will also be
motivated with practical recommendations
for action.
One initial milestone in this respect was the
coverage in 2011 by Iranian television and
more than ten regional and national newspapers
when activities commenced in the region
being investigated.
The growing interest and the necessary support
for the IWRM process will be collated,
structured and channelled in the participation
module. This ensures both that the
project outcomes are communicated to and
used by the individuals and institutions, and
that the differing interests are taken into
account.
To ensure sustainable implementation of the
project outcomes, the organisation development
integration module will address the
issue of how responsibilities and water resources
controls will have to be reorganised
in future. The process will investigate and
redefine the political and legal relations at
both national and regional levels.
To support th e IWRM process and promote
the use of new technologies, the knowledge
map and capacity development integration
modules include the systematic and userfriendly
integration of the available information
from all sectors into an Internetbased
map, as well as the development and
increase of the level of regional knowledge.
Experience from the project currently underway
in Isfahan indicates that the modules
described here make a key contribution to
the success of the IWRM process, in which
German water management companies can
bring their technological advances and expertise
to bear.
CONTACT
Dipl.-Ing. Tamara NUNEZ VON VOIGT
E-mail: iwrm@inter3.de
www.iwrm-isfahan.com
Keller AG, Winterthur:
Accurate level measurements
Keller AG für Druck messtechnik
offers probes to
monitor groundwater levels
and filling levels in tanks that
can be used under a wide range
of conditions. Depending on
requirements, these probes
provide fully autonomous operation
or they can be used
with an integrated data logger,
wireless transmission (GSM),
an ambient pressure-compensating
capillary or a separate
absolute pressure sensor; additional
options include integrated
temperature measurement,
etc. Depending on the
sounding tube, probe diameters
of 16 mm and 18 mm up to
22 mm are available.
Thanks to its diameter of only
16 mm, the DCX-16 can be
used in locations where every
millimeter counts (e.g. for
sounding tubes with small diameters).
The pressure sensor
is welded into the logger housing.
Type DCX-16, which is
screwed in position and is fully
watertight, operates as an autonomous
battery-powered
data collector with an absolute
pressure sensor. In shallow
DCX-Data Loggers Image 1
water, a second logger (barometer)
can be used for separate
recording of the barometric
pressure on the surface.
The fully-welded DCX-18
(diameter: 18 mm) is designed
as an autonomous level logger
for low-cost, long-term meas-
urements of level and temperature,
with rechargeable accumulator-type
batteries. The
microprocessor electronics
compensate for linearity and
temperature deviations by the
pressure sensor, achieving a
further increase in the accu-
racy of the pressure and
tem perature signals. Different
operating modes, with an absolute
pressure sensor or an
overpressure sensor with a
pressure-compensating capillary,
can also be supplied for
the DCX-18.
Type DCX-22 AA level loggers
(diameter: 22 mm) register
and compensate for fluctuations
in the local barometric
pressure with a watertight air
pressure sensor that is fitted on
the top end of the sounding
tube. These devices are resistant
to conditions of use in a
damp environment, and will
not even be damaged by brief
flooding.
The efficient electronic equipment
registers the signals from
the high-precision pressure
and temperature sensors, corrects
linearity or temperature
deviations according to a
mathematical model, and then
records the values to the internal
memory.
For standard operation, the
built-in battery has a lifetime
of 10 years.
www.keller-druck.com
32 INTERNATIONAL
2011

WILO SE:
Optimisation of an
wastewater treatment
near Heilbronn
Modern mixer and pump technology ensures reliable
and economical operation.
The Eisbiegel wastewater
treatment plant forms part
of the company Heilbronner
Versorgungs GmbH (HVG) and
is responsible for treating the
sewage from the city and its surrounding
area. Problems encountered
with the mixers pur-
chased in the 1990s made it
necessary to replace them with
economical and reliable submersible
mixers. At the same
Object report
The Eisbiegel wastewater
treatment plant in Heilbronn
was built in 1967.
Extensive renovation
work started in the 1990s,
and in the interim period
modern operation of the
wastewater treatment
plant has been
implemented. Image 1
time, this measure led to the
overall efficiency of the system
being improved significantly.
The Eisbiegel wastewater treatment
plant has been operated by
Heilbronner Versorgungs Gesellschaft
mbH since 2005 and
is located in the Neckar industrial
district. On average, it collects
21 million cubic meters of
untreated sewage and rainwater
annually through a network of
mixed water sewers extending
over 500 km. The total daily
treatment capacity of the Eisbiegel
wastewater treatment
plant corresponds to the amount
of sewage generated by up to
500,000 population equivalent
units. The untreated sewage
comes from private households
and industrial companies both
in the Heilbronn municipal area
and in several outlying towns
and communities. Eight activated-sludge
tanks 130 m long,
69 m wide and with a water
The Eisbiegel wastewater treatment plant receives the amount of sewage generated
by up to 500,000 population equivalent units every day from the city and its
surrounding communities. The sewage is treated in eight activated-sludge tanks. Image 2
wwt-international.com wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
33

WASTEWATER Object report
A total of 32 submersible mixers are used in the activated-sludge tanks of the Eisbiegel wastewater treatment
plant (four in each basin). Image 3
depth of 9 m are operated in
order to hold and treat this
amount of sewage. Pressurised
aeration is undertaken by disc
aerators, and each basin is
equipped with four submersible
mixers.
In view of the advanced age of
the wastewater treatment plant
built in 1967, and the fact that
the waste from an increasnig
number of adjoining communities
was being discharged into
the wastewater treatment plant,
modernisation of the plant became
an urgent requirement at
the end of the 1990s. As a first
step – and undertaken by the
former operator – the sewage
treatment facilities were overhauled
between 1996 and 2000.
Furthermore, two new gas storage
facilities were built in 2004
in order to allow the methane
gas generated from the sewage
sludge to be stored efficiently.
The gas obtained is used for
generating electricity for use in
the plant, thus allowing about
50% of the wastewater treatment
plant's electricity requirement
to be met. The digestion
tanks are currently being overhauled.
Teething troubles
with unreliable mixer
technology
However, the existing mixers
gave rise to massive problems
only a short time after the sewage
treatment facilities had been
overhauled. The two-bladed
submersible mixers bought new
in 1999, which had been principally
selected due to their low
acquisition costs, proved to be
both unreliable and uneconomical.
Inadequately balanced
propeller geometries resulted in
significant loadings and regular
failures of the submersible mixers
– a situation that could not
be tolerated for long from an
economic perspective. Moreover,
there were problems with
the lowering devices. These
were too small for the basin
depths of 9 m, and became
twisted out of shape as a result
of the mechanical loadings.
Even providing additional stabilisation
measures did not lead to
a satisfactory result, indeed it
merely exacerbated the difficulties
with the maintenance and
repair work that was necessary
in any event. The repeated disruptions
in the operation of the
plant made it necessary for a
large proportion of the existing
submersible mixers to be replaced
over the past few years.
Replacement mixers
for optimised operation
In its search for alternatives, the
city of Heilbronn initially considered
various strategies and
measures for obtaining replacements
and financing these purchases,
including a contracting
model. In the course of the new
planning procedure, contact
was established with the pump
specialist, WILO SE, and an
initial agreement was reached
for a partial replacement of the
existing mixers.
WILO SE is one of the world‘s
leading manufacturers of pumps
and pump systems for heating,
cooling and air-conditioning
technology, as well as water
supply, sewage treatment and
disposal.
At its site in Hof, the central hub
of the company's global activities
in the Water Management
segment, Wilo produces an extensive
range of exceptionally
high-performance, energy-efficient
pumps and systems for
public water supply, sewage
disposal and wastewater treatment
plant technology. The
main products include particularly
energy-efficient submersible
mixers. Four Wilo submersible
mixers were first used on a
trial basis in one of the eight
34 INTERNATIONAL 2011

activated-sludge tanks in the
Eisbiegel wastewater treatment
plant in 2003. They were tested
under comparable conditions
against four existing submersible
mixers. New lowering devices
were installed at the same
time.
Durable configuration
with optimised flow
Submersible mixers from Wilo
are characterised by features
such as exceptional reliability in
operation and smooth running.
For example, a specially backward-curved
blade geometry
contributes to this, because it
gives the propeller a self-cleaning
effect. As a result, no longfibre
dirt particles are able to
adhere to the blades. The improved
geometry, use of tougher
materials and an optimised
propeller arrangement mean
that the rotors are subject to
only minimal wear and have an
optimised flow. Their increased
reliability results in much lower
maintenance costs.
Furthermore, the three-blade configuration
of Wilo "Megaprop"
submersible mixers has proven to
be optimally suited for use in activated-sludge
tanks, and has also
been installed in the Eisbiegel
wastewater treatment plant. These
are slow-turning submersible
mixers with a design that has
particularly favourable flow
properties. The three-blade
structure means that pronounced
flexural loadings on
the propeller are reduced. These
can be caused by factors such as
asymmetrical inflows or density
fluctuations in the fluid, and can
give rise to expensive follow-on
damage to the unit and its builtin
accessories.
The lower loading on individual
blades in three-blade submersible
mixers means that they are
exposed to less stress overall,
and therefore they operate with
lower levels of vibration. As a
result, their service life is longer
and they help to ensure that the
fluid is mixed more homogeneously.
Convincing results
thanks to modern
mixer technology
Within a very short time, the
more robust design and the spe-
cial geometry of the new submersible
mixers, combined with
the sturdier lowering devices,
proved to be a major advantage
in the Eisbiegel wastewater
treatment plant. There were no
downtimes due to damage, and
moreover, the three-blade pro-
pellers with their optimised
flow characteristics achieved a
significant reduction in energy
consumption.
As a result, the HVG not only
reduced its maintenance costs
compared to the initial status,
but also its energy costs. Experi-
Object report
It was possible significantly to reduce the costs of electricity consumption and
maintenance by using new Wilo "Megaprop" submersible mixers and installing
sturdy lowering devices. Image 4
Ongoing problems with the two-blade submersible mixers purchased only in 1999
led to the decision to replace the units in a rolling programme. These two-blade
units proved to be unsuitable for the basin geometries and dimensions of the
Eisbiegel wastewater treatment plant. Image 5
ence shows that these two cost
factors represent the lion's share
of life cycle costs of a unit – procurement
and start-up costs on
the other hand only about six
percent. In view of this situation,
energy-efficient and reliable
operation can enormously
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
35

WASTEWATER Object report
The new three-blade submersible mixers with optimised flow properties used in the
Eisbiegel wastewater treatment plant ensure that the fluid is homogenised optimally
and efficiently, whilst running smoothly and with great reliability. Image 6
improve the overall efficiency
of the system.
Wilo submersible mixers improve
efficiency by around ten
percent compared to the models
that they have replaced. The
large propeller diameter and
low rotation speeds make it possible
to achieve enormously
high thrust values at the same
time as having a low power
consumption. Their modular
set-up means that the submersible
motor, gear unit and propeller
can be precisely adapted to
the required performance data
and basin geometries. The use
of highly economical asynchronous
motors, which are in line
with the new European energy
efficiency class IE3 for asyn-
chronous motors, as well as
frequency converters for infinitely
variable adaptation of the
hydraulic output to the load
status delivers an additional reduction
in the units' energy
consumption.
Operational reliability
and energy saving
Regular operation was restored
in the facility's activated-sludge
tanks equipped with Wilo submersible
mixers and proved so
convincing for the operators of
the wastewater treatment plant
that they invested in additional
modern mixers. The outstanding
results of the test phase
prompted the decision to launch
a rolling programme of equip-
About WILO SE
WILO SE with headquarters in Dortmund, Germany, is one of
the leading manufacturers of pumps and air-conditioning technology
for water supply, sewage and drainage systems. Wilo
is represented by almost 70 subsidiaries all over the world
and employs about 6,000 people. Its turnover in 2009 was
€ 926 million.
ping other activated-sludge
tanks with new submersible
mixers from Wilo as well. As a
result, 24 out of the 32 submersible
mixers were replaced by
new units over the subsequent
years.
This not only significantly improved
plant operation, but also
delivered a marked reduction in
energy costs. Energy consumption
before the replacement was
running at 1.61 W/m3 of sewage,
and was cut to 0.78 W/m3 due to
the conversion measures.
This represents a reduction of
0.83 W/m3 which amounts to a
saving of 52,000 Euros per year,
assuming an energy price of
approx. 0.15 €/kWh.
Plant optimisation
with new recirculation
pumps
In 2006, positive experience
with the newly purchased slowrunning
submersible mixers
prompted HVG to replace the
four recirculation pumps used in
the sewage treatment process
with Wilo units as well. These
feed micro-organisms back into
the purification cycle.
The propellers of the recirculation
pumps have optimised flow
properties and are self-cleaning,
wich allows for highly energyefficient
operation. At the same
time, sewage and activated
sludge can be pumped very
gently by a special blade design.
These pumps are produced according
to a modular principle
and are optimally adapted to the
requirements of the Eisbiegel
wastewater treatment plant. The
motor, gear unit and propeller
are combined in such a way as
to ensure operation is as gentle,
efficient and reliable as possible,
as well as allowing the operating
costs to be optimised
further.
Conclusion:
Operation improved,
costs lowered
Its investments in more efficient
and reliable mixer and pump
technology has allowed the
HVG to significantly reduce the
operating costs of the Eisbiegel
wastewater treatment plant. The
robust configuration of the submersible
mixers and the sturdier
lowering devices have rendered
downtimes and complicated
maintenance procedures a thing
of the past, thereby significantly
reducing the costs of maintenance.
Furthermore, the three-blade
propellers with their optimised
flow properties compared to the
old mixers produce a significant
improvement in the homogenisation
of the fluid in the activated-sludge
tanks, and above
all they perform more reliably
in operation. In addition, using
the latest motor and control
technology has resulted in the
mixers operating with optimised
efficiency and a significant
reduction in energy consumption.
CONTACT
WILO SE
Nortkirchenstraße 100
44263 Dortmund
Tel.: 0231/4102-0
Fax: +49 (0) 2 31 / 41 02-7575
E-Mail: wilo@wilo.com
www.wilo.com
36 INTERNATIONAL 2011

Aerzener Maschinenfabrik GmbH:
Variable speed
rotary blowers
Blowers for wastewater treatment
systems with a maximum pressure
of 0.7 bar (10 psi)
To ensure the flawless operation
of a wastewater treatment
plant, an optimum supply
of oxygen is essential. In Bad
Reichenhall, Southern Germany,
the oxygen flow was first produced
by two turbo compressors
but, due to old age and a revised
aeration system concept, they
were replaced in 1999 by two of
Aerzen’s frequency-controlled
rotary lobe blowers. This was
the first time that demand-based
air supply was possible. The
ideal solution was not achieved
until 2009 when a third variable
speed blower from Aerzen’s
new Delta Hybrid series was
installed. After several years of
field trials under extreme conditions,
this series is now the
perfect combination of a compressor
and blower and offers
the advantages of both technologies.
Thanks to its wide pressure
and flow ranges, the Aerzen
Delta Hybrid offers groundbreaking
possibilities for posi-
tive and negative pressures, requires
some 15% less energy,
needs only minimal maintenance,
and has a longer life span
than any previously known rotary
lobe blower system. In addition,
it is an excellent alternative
to the turbo compressor.
With Aerzen’s three variablespeed
rotary machines, the
sewage treatment plant in Bad
Reichenhall can now adjust the
air flow to meet the demand for
dissolved oxygen, which makes
it especially economical to operate.
The small 1999 units are
used alone or together during
low-load periods, and the bigger
Delta Hybrid is used during
high-load periods.
The sewage treatment plant in
Bad Reichenhall was entered
operation in 1981 and was designed
for a population equivalent
of 58,000. The plant uses a
mechanical-biological-chemical
process with targeted nitrification,
biological phosphate
elimination, and chemical phosphate
precipitation. In the threestep
treatment process, coarse
solids are filtered out, material
heavier than water such as sand,
gravel and grit is separated, and
grease accumulated on the surface
is skimmed. The actual
biological treatment takes place
in the second stage, in the aerated
activated sludge tank. Microorganisms
perform a thorough
cleaning process in the
basin where they feed on the
waste as a source of energy
and for reproduction. Extensive
technology is necessary so that
these organisms may find the
optimal conditions in the basin.
This process, which would normally
last several weeks, is accomplished
in just a few hours
under controlled conditions of
a wastewater treatment plant.
This is an example of how technology
can assist nature that
would not have the strength to
purify so much human wastewater.
This shows the importance
of a precisely controlled
introduction of oxygen into the
activated sludge tanks.
From turbo compressors
to Aerzen
The oxygen flow was first produced
by two turbo-compressors
and then continuously
blown into the aeration basin
through ceramic diffusers. A
frequency-controlled rotary
lobe blower from a third manu-
Object report
facturer was purchased in 1994
to help control the flow of oxygen
more accurately. However,
this blower did not meet expectations
and was downgraded to
a spare redundant machine a
year later.
The renovation of the sewage
treatment plant in 1995 incorporating
nitrification and denitrification
processes required different
aeration management.
The air flow could no longer be
continuous but had to be ad-
Wastewater treatment in Bad Reichenhall (left) Image 1
justed constantly based on demand.
In addition, the oxygen
was no longer introduced into
the aeration basin through ceramic
diffusers but through
membrane diffusers. According
to Bad Reichenhall’s plant manager,
Markus Schmied, “this
major change in the aeration
process had to be matched by
corresponding change in the
technology of oxygen production
and supply”.
It is for this reason that the two
1981 turbo compressors were
exchanged with two identical
Aerzen frequency-regulated
rotary lobe blowers. A 1994
blower from another manufacturer
survived as a redundant
system until 2009. The Aerzen
blowers are still in operation
and provide an air flow ranging
from 1,200 to 2,500 m 3 /h (700
to 1,500 cfm). “After the renovation,
our new approach required
not only a demand-based supply
of oxygen in the aeration tanks,
wwt-international.com wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
37

38
WASTEWATER Object report
but also a wider operating range.
We achieved this target for the
first time in 1999 with Aerzen’s
frequency-controlled blowers”
explained the manager.
Bad Reichenhall’s sewage treatment
plant has a fully automated
aeration control system that is
divided into a number of sections,
each with electrically operated
valves and panel aerators.
The aeration of each section is
controlled individually to meet
the actual amount of oxygen
required based on the ammonium
or nitrate concentration.
Since the aerator plates may
only be subjected to a well defined
maximum pressure, the
necessary air flow can only be
varied through a change in the
aeration surface and/or aeration
time. This continuous adjustment
of the air flow to meet
oxygen demand was achieved in
1999 when Aerzen’s two demand-based
frequency controlled
rotary lobe blowers (air
delivery of each blower ranging
from 1,200 to 2,500 m3/h) (700
to 1,500 cfm) were commissioned.
Today, during low-load
periods with minimal influent,
a single unit can complete the
task. During high-load periodes,
the second unit is automatically
switched on and the two units
work together in parallel. The
units have since completed
about 30,000 operating hours
(May 2010) and, according to
Markus Schmied, continue to
operate without any problem
whatsoever.
Until 2009, the 1994
blower of another make was
kept for redundancy. This unit
had never met the operators’
expectations and caused significant
maintenance costs. It was
finally replaced in 2009 by a
third variable speed positive
displacement machine from
Aerzen: the new Delta Hybrid, a
worldwide new and unique concept.
Aerzen Delta Hybrid
– A Global Novelty
The Delta Hybrid series from
Aerzen is a unique and innovative
concept. Conventional rotary
lobe blowers typically
achieve pressures of up to 1 bar
(15 psi). Single-stage screw
compressors designed for higher
pressures (from 2.0 to 3.5 bar g
– 30 to 50 psig), while very efficient,
are “an overkill” and the
investment “too costly” for low
pressure applications. However,
treatment plants in need of low
pressure systems tend to use
blowers and those in need of
high pressure systems use screw
compressors. It is here that Aerzen
successfully makes its
mark. The company has built
rotary blowers since 1868 and
oil-free screw compressors
since 1943. The new oil-free
compressing Delta-Hybrid series
optimally combines the
benefits of both technologies.
The new Delta Hybrid series
was designed for all applications
where air and neutral
gases need to be compressed up
to 1.5 bar (22 psig) such as in
sewage treatment plants, in the
chemical industry, in power
plants or for the pneumatic
transport or unloading of powders.
This new rotary lobe
compressor series has been successfully
tested for three years
in a variety of applications under
harsh conditions in Aerzen’s
customers’ plants. We now
con clude this extensive field
testing phase by declaring the
Delta Hybrid market ready. All
of the field test units were continually
monitored by Aerzen’s
remote control. The new Delta
Hybrid is presently available
within the following range:
❙ Flow rates: 10 to 70 m 3 /min
(350 to 2 500 cfm)
❙ Applications: for air, positive
pressure or vacuum operation
❙ Pressure range: 0 to 1.5 bar g
(0 to 22 psig)
❙ Vacuum range: up to –0.7 bar
g up to 21" Hg.
Aerzen’s new Delta Hybrid can
be easily tailored to meet specific
needs and, although on a
par with turbo blowers in terms
of efficiency, has the significant,
additional benefits offered
by positive-displacement machines.
❙ A very attractive price-value
ratio, well below the investment,
energy and maintenance
cost of a comparable turbo or
screw compressor
❙ Compared with a turbo compressor,
the Delta Hybrid
shows only minor changes in
performance under varying
inlet temperatures (summer or
winter) or pressures.
❙ Significantly improved energy
efficiency and energy
savings of up to 15% compared
to equivalent conventional
systems.
❙ Low maintenance and service
costs.
❙ Robust bearing design (rated
for 60,000 operating hours
even at maximum load).
❙ Low air-outlet temperatures
thanks to excellent efficiency
and heat management, compact
design, belt drive, automatic
belt tension with motor
hinged plate, side-by-side
setup, front operation, oil
check and refilling during
operation, low noise level,
optional control AS300 AERtronic,
and suitable for outdoor
installation.
❙ Very wide flow control range
(25 – 100%) and easy to use
and operate.
Need-based
oxygen production
This new Delta Hybrid unit has
been supplying oxygen to the
sewage treatment plant in Bad
Reichenhall since 2009. Because
of its very large performance
range of 1,200 to its peak
of 5,000 m3/h, the maximum
performance
capability has been doubled
from that of the 1999 installed
machines. However, the unit is
only running to its capacity of
4,000 m3/h, the maximum possible
throughput of the aerator
panels. The Delta Hybrid alone
is utilized during periods of
high oxygen demand. During
periods of low demand, a small
unit (with a range of 1,200 to
2,500 m3/h) is used alone or in
conjunction with one small unit.
As Markus Schmied remarks,
“by using a need-based oxygen
supply system, we can always
reach an optimum dissolved
oxygen level in the aeration basin.
Since each unit is operating
in its ideal power range while
efficiently converting energy,
the plant can be operated in the
most economical way. In addition,
the new Delta hybrid consumes
15% less electrical energy.
We also assume that the
maintenance interval lies at approximately
16,000 o.h. and not
at 5,000 as was common in the
smaller units from 1999, which
is why we are constantly able to
Oxygen production Image 3
INTERNATIONAL 2011

A GLOBAL NOVELTY: Delta Hybrid Image 4
offset maintenance costs. With
the new Delta Hybrid, we always
have ample air supply,
even during maintenance intervals”.
After the initial rough cleaning
process, the influent water flows
through the activated sludge
tank where the actual clarification
by bacteria and microorganisms
takes place (see diagram).
The basin is divided into
several zones where oxygen is
either not introduced at all, only
as needed, or constantly. Dissolved
oxygen sensors provide
information on the actual condition
in the basin based on which
the aeration air flow is automatically
adjusted at a constant
pressure of 0.7 bar (10 psi).
❙ When enough oxygen has
been provided, only one of
Aerzen’s variable speed blowers
from 1999 operates continuously.
❙ When the oxygen content is
too low, aeration sections that
were at a standstill are supplied
with air, and those that
are operating constantly receive
more air. The Delta
Hybrid commissioned in 2009
is the sole air supplier and
higher demand can be met by
starting a second, smaller
unit.
Through the increased supply of
oxygen from the Delta Hybrid
blower, the amount of oxygen
once again reaches its ideal
value. The adjustable speed
blowers maintain this target
value in parallel operation. The
maximum pressure capability of
the aerator panels determines
the maximum air flow, and the
larger unit automatically shuts
Oxygen flow into the wastewater treatment Images: Aerzener Image 5
Object report
down and is taken off the grid
when the ideal DO value is exceeded.
Here again, one of the
small units takes over air flow
production.
The blue curve in Chart 1 illustrates
the operation of the new
Delta Hybrid between the 28
April and the 6 May 2010. It
demonstrates the flexibility of
the Delta Hybrid, its ability to
respond to fluctuating demand,
and its high efficiency in economically
providing the oxygen
needed in Bad Reichenhall’s
wastewater treatment plant. The
Delta Hybrid is designed to
operate between 25 Hz and 50
Hz and 2,300 and 4,700 m3/h
(1,350 and 2,760 cfm) respectively.
However, the performance
is currently capped at 40
Hz and at a maximum output of
3,700 m 3 /h (2,180 cfm). The blue
curve in Chart 1 shows an activity
period of several hours to
several days, interrupted only
occasionally for various lengths
oftime. During this active
phase, the blower runs in part at
full load with a peak limit of
3,700 m3/h (2,180 cfm). On the
other hand, thanks to its needbased
frequency regulation, the
chart shows that the blower occasionally
operates for several
hours at a time at partial load.
Quick pay-off
“We have been working with
Aerzen’s rotary blowers for over
10 years now. The units worked
so reliably that we could virtually
‘forget’ them once they
were installed”. The essential
criterion of a sewage treatment
plant is the cost of the energy
consumption to generate the
dissolved oxygen. Energy costs
in the long run are clearly much
higher than the initial investment.
Therefore it pays off
to invest in an energy-saving
blower.
As Mark Smith declares, “this
particularly applies to the new
Delta Hybrid that requires up to
15% less power than any previous
model“.
CONTACT
Aerzener Maschinenfabrik GmbH
Reherweg 28 | D-31855 Aerzen
Tel.: +49/ 5154/810
www.aerzener.de
wwt-international.com wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
39

ENVIRONMENT Resource conservation
Prof. Stefan KADEN; Bertram MONNINKHOFF
Management of the
water resources in
China
China’s water resources: this article reflects
more than 15 years of experience in research
and practice.
Examples of research and technical projects
for sustainable water management
are shown on the basis of a general analysis
of water management problems and against
a background of climate change and a
chronological description of the path followed
by WASY GmbH (now DHI-WASY
GmbH) in penetrating the Chinese market.
The article concludes with a critical, but
opti mistic summary of the experience
gained to date.
Water management
problems in China
The extraordinary economic growth over
the past two decades exposes China’s water
management to enormous challenges. The
following are of particular significance:
❙ A constant increase in water shortages can
be seen at a regional level. The available
water quantity is not sufficient for covering
the (constantly growing) water demand,
and groundwater resources are being
diminished.
❙ The frequency and extent of high water
events and their economic consequences
are increasing both on a large scale and at
a regional level, particularly in urban
centres.
❙ Contamination of the surface water remains
an acute problem, even if considerable
efforts were made in recent years in
the construction of wastewater treatment
plants and the closing of extremely environmentally
damaging companies.
❙ A regional problem in coastal areas is that
of salt water intrusion resulting from overuse
of the groundwater resources.
❙ A widespread “dormant” problem is the
contamination of the groundwater resources
by industry, landfills and agriculture.
People frequently resort to the nonsustainable
use of lower-lying water-bearing
strata.
It is extremely likely that the problems mentioned
here are worsened by climate change,
in addition to the rise in the sea water level
for the coastal regions resulting, from a
water-management perspective, in major
brackish water zones in surface waters and
groundwater salinisation.
Climate change will probably also have
consequences with regard to the quality of
aquatic ecosystems, including increased
eutrophication in lakes, such as Taihu lake
in south-eastern China. The effects naturally
differ widely due to the size and geographical
diversity of the country. Table 1
gives an overview of this.
Two examples are given here to show the
problem in greater detail.
Example of Beijing
With more than 15 million inhabitants,
Beijing is one of the largest urban centres
in the world. However, there is less than
300 m 3 /a of water resources available per
inhabitant.
By way of comparison, this figure is around
2,200 m 3 in China as a whole, and around
9,000 m 3 for the rest of the world. Around
two thirds of Beijing’s water supply comes
from groundwater.
This results in heavy overuse of the groundwater
resources, and the groundwater level
has been continuously sinking for many
years as shown in Image 2.
The main consequences are as follows:
❙ vulnerability of the urban water supply
❙ growing pressure on the use of the surface
water resources, which are also scarce
❙ danger of ground subsidence
❙ negative repercussions on ecology and the
environment.
In the past, the Guanting and Miyun dam to
the north of the city were the sources of
drinking water with surface water. For many
years now, it has not been possible to use the
Guanting dam due to the poor quality of the
water.
In addition, the inflow into the dam (originally
around 50 m 3 /s) has declined to around
5 m 3 /s on average. This is caused by the in-
40 INTERNATIONAL
2011

Groundwater subsidence and groundwater tapping in Beijing Image 2
tensive use of water in the Guanting watershed
(Yongding river, provinces of Shanxi
and Hebei).
Province of Shandong
With over 80 million inhabitants, the province
of Shandong – located in the east of
China – is one of the country’s most economically
important provinces. As Image 3
shows, there is a deep conflict between the
available water resources and the demand
for water here as well. The Figure shows
how the water demand and availability has
shifted over time due to the climate.
One consequence of this is overuse of the
groundwater resources (for agricultural irrigation)
with an increase in salt water intrusion
from the sea. The latter further reduces
the availability of groundwater. Image 4
shows an example of salt water intrusion
into the groundwater from the coast.
Water availability and water quality are already
limiting factors for further economic
and social development in China. In light of
the continuing growth in the population of
China, the rise in prosperity, the conflicts
between urban and rural development as
well as the dynamic economic growth, the
problems shown here are more likely to
grow worse. In China, mega projects such
as water transfer from Jangtse in the south
to the arid north are seen as a solution.
However, there are increasing concerns here
too, regarding the huge expense and the extremely
poor quality of the water. There is
even a project aimed at pumping desalinated
sea water from the Chinese sea into the
deserts in western China, across a distance
of around 3,000 km (Berliner Zeitung,
3 March 2011).
The sustainability of such projects is questionable.
In our view, the development of
Resource conservation
Region-specific water management effects of climate change in China, modified in accordance
with GERMANWATCH (2007) Table 1
Region
Share of total area
of country in %
Share of population
in %
Share of economic
output (GDP) in %
North-east 8 8 10 Average to low
North 7 24 25 Average to high
Vulnerability class Effects on water management
Ground and wind erosion, desertification,
occurrence of natural disasters, water shortage
Wind erosion, desertification, regular droughts and floods,
water shortage
North-western China 42 9 6 High
Wind erosion, desertification, drought, sandstorms,
water shortage
Eastern China 3.5 13 24 Low Floods, typhoons, water shortage, ground water salinisation
Central China 7.08 18 13 Average to high Ground erosion, droughts and floods, heat waves, water shortage
Southern China 8 10 13 Average to low Rise in sea level, typhoons, coastal floods
South-western China 24.42 15.7 9 Average to high Ground and wind erosion, droughts and floods
genuinely sustainable and integrated water
resources management is a necessary prerequisite
for keeping the problems under
control in the long term.
Overview of 15 years of project
and market work in China
WASY GmbH (now DHI-WASY) has been
active in China for more than 15 years. The
starting points were the appointment of a
Chinese scientist to the company (1995, Dr
Junfeng Luo, now project manager for
groundwater modelling) and a six-month,
postgraduate research internship of a scientist
from HOHAI University (1995, Li Zhijia,
now Professor).
This resulted in initial considerations regarding
the “conquering” of the Chinese
market, with the focus right from the start
on research and development, consulting
and software sales in keeping with the
WASY orientation.
1500
mg/l
1000
CL
1390
617
500
275
138
0 1150 2200 3250 5300
– contents (Longkou 2)
m
Rise in the chloride Image 4
concentration in relation to the
distance from the coastline,
Shandong province
Image 3
Water demand
and availability in
a coastal area of
the Shandong
province
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
CL –
Distance from sea to inland
41

ENVIRONMENT Resource conservation
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Federal State of Brandenburg
Trip to China by Dr. Stolpe, Minister President of Brandenburg,
with trade delegation
2nd trip to China by Dr. Stolpe, Minister-President
of Brandenburg, with trade delegation; business delegation,
Zhengzhou/Beijing
Tianjin conference „Securing Water Resources in Major Towns
and Cities in the new Millennium“
3rd trip to China by Dr. Stolpe, Minister-President
of Brandenburg, with trade delegation; decision on
Brandenburg support for Guanting Project
Trip to China by Minister-President M. Platzeck with
trade delegation; handing over of monitoring car within
the framework of the Guanting Project
China-based activities of WASY GmbH (DHI-WASY) Image 5
The first trip to China in 1998 was a key
event. The following key points can be mentioned:
❙ an already relatively highly developed
urban infrastructure
❙ widespread poverty in rural regions
❙ water shortages and environmental pollution
❙ huge thirst for knowledge
❙ major need to catch up with regard to
modern water management solutions and
technologies.
“Hurrah, we’re coming” – if only things
could be this easy! The road to concrete
projects and sales proved to be much more
difficult than anticipated. A stroke of luck
came in 1997 when the German state of
Brandenburg launched activities aimed at
penetrating the Chinese market. These involved
a number of trips undertaken by the
Minister President, trips in which we also
participated. An outstanding result of this is
the Sino-German technical project “Technical
solutions for guaranteeing Beijing’s
water supply from the Guanting reservoir”
(see section on Beijing’s water supply from
the Yongding watershed). Around the same
time, we secured access to the BMBFsponsored
Sino-German projects.
Image 5 shows a rough, and naturally incomplete,
chronological overview of our
China activities.
At the same time as the project work, a
software sales system was set up, particularly
for our groundwater simulation system
FEFLOW ® (FEFLOW ® is a registered trademark
of DHI-WASY GmbH). The fact that
- participation
- participation
- participation
- participation
Federal Ministry of Education
and Research, accounting
management and overheads
analysis project
Small technical projects financed by China
Appointment of Chinese employee
Federal Ministry of
Education and Research
Olympia Project
Federal Ministry of Education
and Research, IWRM
project, Shandong
Federal Ministry of Education
and Research project,
Guanting drainage area
1st China trip
including Nanjing HOHAI
Launch of software sales
Technical
Guanting
Project
Diagram of rain water management in a pilot plant Image 6
42 INTERNATIONAL
2011
1995
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Source: BWA Beijing
Detail of the FEFLOW ® model for the demonstration region of Image 7
Tian Xiu Garden

the Chinese government has a dedicated
programme (“934 project”) to promote the
importation of high technologies, particularly
in the water sector, was of benefit to us
here.
The large number of simultaneous activities
made it necessary to have an on-site presence
in China (since 2004, Jinghong Tian,
now PhD). The planned creation of a dedicated
representative office in China was
abandoned in 2007 with the integration of
WASY GmbH as DHI-WASY into the international
DHI Group. DHI is represented in
Shanghai through its subsidiary, DHI China.
We are currently working on two BMBFsupported
research projects in China and in
software sales.
Examples of projects
Sustainable water management
in Beijing
As already shown at the start, the Beijing
metropolis is facing major challenges from
a water management perspective. One of
these problems is rain water management.
This means controlling heavy rainfall while
also making the best-possible use of rain
water as a source of enrichment for the
groundwater. With this goal in mind, a Sino-
German joint project called “New concepts
of rain water management in urban areas”
was developed between 2000 and 2004.
This project was managed by the University
of Essen (Prof. Geiger) in Germany and by
the Beijing Hydraulic Research Institute in
China. Details about the results of the project
can be found in Geiger et al. (2008) /3/.
WASY GmbH managed subproject 6: “GISbased
information system and analysis of
groundwater development by quantity and
quality”.
One of the initial goals was to test the possibility
of enriching groundwater with rain
water in pilot plants, and, drawing on this,
to identify how this could potentially benefit
the whole of Beijing. The cohesive cap rock
near the surface in many parts of Beijing
proved problematic for enriching the
groundwater, as did the irregular distribution
of precipitation with few heavy rainfalls
in summer. Sink holes and shaft wells (with
a cover layer < 6 m) were the only techniques
which were suitable for enriching the
groundwater.
In the plan, enriching the groundwater was
regarded as a possible end link in a chain of
sustainable rain water management measures.
A diagram of the entire system is
shown in Image 6.
Using a FEFLOW model, different variants
for optimum design of the seepage plants
were examined. In the end, two well systems,
each with four wells were planned:
one system in the south and one in the north
of the region. The wells are positioned in a
Resource conservation
Investigation area for Guanting project Image 8
Water Experts Berlin-Brandenburg e. V.
Technical Project Guanting Reservoir and Yongding River
Sediment problems
Guanting Reservoir
Eco-technical solutions,
pollution control GR
Heituwa wetland,
raw water treatment
Guanting project partners and their allocation to subprojects Image 9
star-like shape around a distributor shaft
located in the middle. They were operated
in cooperation with the Chinese partners.
Image 7 shows details of the FEFLOW ®
DMT – Potsdam Company
for Geotechnics and
Environmental Technics
Ltd.
Monitoring
Institut fpr Applied
Freshwater Ecology
Ltd.
Improving water quality
downstream GR
WASY GmbH
Institut fpr Water
Resources Planning ans
Systems Research
Project coordination
model for the demonstration region of Tian
Xiu Garden.
An automated monitoring system for identifying
the infiltration power was developed
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
43

ENVIRONMENT Resource conservation
View of the wetland in Heituw Bay Image 10
(Voigt Ingenieure GmbH/BWA Beijing, photo: Kaden, 2007)
Image 11
Huangshuihe
watershed
A reservoir cascade to enrich the ground water Image 12
Photo: Dr Luo, DHI-WASY GmbH
and installed. The main principle of the
(quantitative) monitoring concept is that the
water level in each of the planned shafts is
continuously measured using SEBA ® dippers.
If the water levels between the last two
successive chambers (distributor shaft and
sink hole) are known, the throughflows between
these two chambers can be calculated
using a vortex valve from UFT; the seepage
rates can then be calculated on this basis as
well.
Regionalisation of the results for Beijing
only revealed a total infiltration potential of
around 63 million m 3 /a. Juxtaposed with
this is an estimated water demand of around
1,700 million m 3 /a. Enriching the groundwater
by means of rain water is therefore
only a limited solution to the water deficit
problem. Coupled with this is a series of
further objective and subjective problems
with regard to acceptance of this:
❙ the effects enriching the groundwater are
not visible
❙ due to the irregular distribution of precipitation
in Beijing, relevant enriching of
the groundwater can only be achieved
during the summer months
❙ enriching the groundwater with rain water
requires a wide range of decentralised,
and possibly expensive, technical solutions.
It is obvious that these supply problems can
only be mastered by means of a bundle of
measures, e.g. saving water, using grey water,
river bank filtration and re-using wastewater.
Appropriate tests were used in the
joint project. Holistic assessments of this are
documented in Kaden et. al. (2006) /5/, for
example.
Due to different mentalities and perspectives,
working with the Chinese project
partners was not always easy. Extended
training and project visits of Chinese employees
to the German project partners were
very productive.
There is no doubt that this project, under the
management of Prof. Geiger, University of
Essen, succeeded in developing an understanding
for, and an ability to use, a modern
rain water management system in the Chinese
partners. Appropriate methods are now
standard procedure for the Beijing Water
Authority.
During preparations for the 2008 Olympic
Games in Beijing, the Chinese government
planned on making wide-ranging improvements
to the environmental situation in the
region. A central role in this was played by
two large artificial lakes within the park
which were to be completely supplied with
wastewater which had been treated.
2008 Olympic Games project
Following the above-mentioned project, the
joint project “Sustainable water concept and
its use in the 2008 Olympic Games” was
44 INTERNATIONAL
2011

DSS IWRM Shandong (according to Geiger, 2006) Image 13
Groundwater measuring station for online quality monitoring Image 14
supported by the BMBF and carried out by
MOST China from 2004 to 2007 (follow-up
project up to 2010). WASY was in charge of
overall coordination and the subproject G6
“Integrated monitoring and information
management”. In addition to the involved
parties already mentioned above, the German
project partners also included the
University of Essen (Prof. Geiger), TU
Berlin (Prof. Jekel), GeoTerra (Dr. Wilhelm),
Obermeyer (Mr Bauer) and Institut
für Angewandte Gewässerökologie GmbH
(Dr. Vietinghhoff).
The Chinese partners were the University of
Tsinghua (INET, Prof. Zhao Xuan, Chinese
project coordinator), the Beijing Drainage
Group and the Beijing Hydraulic Research
Institute. The goal was to deal with individual
aspects of sustainable water management
as well as to develop an integrated
concept, taking the Olympic Park as an example
here.
The wide range of tasks was subdivided into
several topic areas. Building on the detailed
recording of the planning bases, these topics
covered everything from the use of watersaving
domestic technologies in the Olympic
Village and modern techniques of
wastewater and rain water treatment Ernst
& Sperlich (2007) to flood and erosion
protection and the creation of water systems
in the Olympic Park. A manual for decision-
Resource conservation
makers on sustainable water management in
urban areas as well as a video were created.
Image 1 shows a view of the Olympic stadium
(“bird’s nest”) as well as a map of the
site.
Carrying out this joint project was extraordinarily
complicated. The planning and
construction of the Olympic Park was subject
to the highest political supervision. The
detailed planning and construction were
awarded to different investors, for whom
cost-effectiveness was of the utmost importance.
Up until the time when contracts were
awarded, detailed planning data were not
available for reasons of fair competition.
However, it was possible to incorporate
conceptual and technical solutions into the
overall water management concept thanks
to our very good contacts with the Beijing
Water Authority. It is worth noting in this
regard that the water bodies in the park were
not filled with treated wastewater (as had
been planned) but with pure water during
the Olympic Games. This was due to safety
reasons.
Technical solutions for Beijing’s
sustainable water supply from
the Yongding watershed
In order to guarantee sustainable water
management in the capital city, Beijing, it
was specified in the “Plan of Beijing´s Water
Resources Sustainable Utilization in Early
21st Century” that, from 2000 onwards, the
water quality of the Guanting dam, and
hence of the Yongding river in its lower
course to Beijing, would be drastically improved.
For information about the investigation
area, see Image 8. These problems have already
been dealt with in the first section.
The project “Technical solutions for Beijing’s
sustainable water supply from the
Yongding watershed” was created as a Sino-
German joint venture. The Beijing Water
Management Authority was the Chinese
partner (project coordinator: Prof. Duan
Wei). On the German side, companies and
universities based in Brandenburg/Berlin
were involved as part of the Water Experts
Berlin-Brandenburg e. V. cooperation association
(cf. Image 9).
There were extremely high expectations on
the Chinese side. Once they had been developed,
solutions were implemented quickly
and with minimum bureaucracy. The project
is still regarded as an exemplary project by
the Beijing Water Authority. The vast majority
of the plants are still successfully in operation
today. Image 10 shows the artificial
wetland at the inflow to the Guanting dam.
Another result of the project was the handover
2005, in the presence of the Brandenburg
Minister President M. Platzeck, of a
fully-equipped mobile laboratory which had
been developed as part of the project.
wwt-international.com INTERNATIONAL
45

ENVIRONMENT Resource conservation
MIKE 3: Model tests on the Huangchengji bridge Image 15
The limits of Chinese bureaucracy revealed
themselves here. The vehicle was imported
as air cargo for the above-mentioned handover.
Following the handover, it took the
Water Authority more than one year to officially
import the vehicle through customs
and have it licensed by the police. As is the
case for all trucks (the vehicle was regarded
as a truck), the vehicle was licensed for traffic
purposes but only for use at night! Even
though the problem has now been solved,
the vehicle is only used for special purposes.
Integrated water resource
management in the coastal region
of the province of Shandong
The river catchment of the Huangshuihe
(1,034 km2), Image 11, in the north-east of
the province of Shandong with its 64 km
coastline offers a very good example of
water conflicts which have arisen due to a
rapidly growing population, industry and
agriculture and uncoordinated water management
measures, and which can only be
solved by means of integrated water resources
management (IWRM).
Overuse of the water resources results in
significant water management and agricultural
problems due to salt water intrusion
into the groundwater. The development of
industry and agriculture – the main source
of income for the population – is severely
restricted due to water shortage, and the
contamination has consequences for ecology
and the population’s quality of life. As
part of the BMBF’s IWRM support programme,
the joint project “Sustainable water
resource management in the coastal area
of the Shandong province PR China” was
supported by the Chinese Ministry of Science
and Technology (MOST) and the
BMBF on the basis of a preliminary study
(managed by Prof. W. Geiger, University of
Essen). The project came to an end in December
2010 and was coordinated by DHI-
WASY GmbH. For more information, see
http://www.bmbf.wasserressourcen-management.de/en/304.php.
The goals are as follows:
❙ integration of social, economic and environmental
aspects
Supported projects
The following projects are/were supported
by the German Federal Ministry of
Education and Research (BMFB):
❙ Sino-German joint project “New concepts
of rain water management in urban
areas”; subproject 6: “GIS-based
information system and analysis of
ground water development by quantity
and quality”, ref. no.: 02WA 0051
❙ Joint project: “Sustainable water concept
and its use in the 2008 Olympic
Games”; subproject G6: “Integrated
monitoring and information management”;
overall coordination of joint project,
ref. nos.: 02WA0526 and 02WA
1013
❙ Joint project: “Sustainable water resource
management in the coastal area
of the Shandong province PR China”,
subproject C: “Planning method and
monitoring system for sustainable measures”;
overall coordination of joint project,
ref. no.: 02WM092
❙ Joint project: “Guanting-Sustainable
water and agricultural land use in the
Guanting watershed under limited water
resources”; subproject 2: “Water
quantity management”; ref. no.: 02WM
104 (see also http://www.bmbf.wasser
ressourcen-management.de/en/606.
php )
❙ integrated analysis of groundwater and
surface water (quantity and quality)
❙ optimisation of the water supply for the
entire watershed.
The German project partners are Institute
for Ecological Economy Research, Berlin,
Institute of Hydrology, Water Resources
Management and Environmental Engineering
at Ruhr-University Bochum, Regierungsbaumeister
Schlegel GmbH & Co.
KG and Prof. W. Geiger.
The Chinese project partners are the Water
Management Authority of the province of
Shandong, the Water Authority of Longkou,
the Shandong Water Conservancy Research
Institute, Jinan (Prof. Zhang Baoxian, Chinese
project coordinator) as well as Shandong
University and Shandong Normal
University. Scientific coordination is the
responsibility of Prof. W. Geiger, UNESCO
Chair in Sustainable Water Management,
Beijing / Munich.
The project area has two special features: a
reservoir cascade to enrich the ground water
(Image 12) and a subterranean groundwater
dam to prevent salt water intrusion from the
sea.
A DSS designed to help optimise measures
for sustainable water management is being
developed as part of the project. The structure
of the DSS is shown in Image 13.
Particular attention is also being placed on
improved monitoring in the project. In a
previous rough analysis, weak spots were
identified in this regard. They mainly affected
the recording of groundwater levels
and water quality parameters – particularly
of relevance for salt water intrusion into the
groundwater body. Three new measuring
stations have now been planned and constructed
together with the Chinese partners
in accordance with requirements (cf. Image
6). The measuring stations are fitted with a
solar-operated multi-parameter radioprobe,
which continuously measures five parameter
values (including conductivity) and transmits
them daily to a website (developed by
UGT GmbH). The Mobile Monitoring Shuttle
was developed by UGT with Grundwasserforschungszentrum
Dresden e.V. for the
purpose of mobile sampling, and made
available to the Chinese partner (MMS,
developed by NAN UGT). The samples can
thus be taken free of convection and with no
pressure.
A further weakness lies in the insufficient
recording of flow quantities. Of particular
concern is the lack of flow data for the
largest tributary in the project area, the
Huangchengji. In order to remedy the situation,
a measurement system was designed in
consultation with the Chinese partners. This
system is to be installed at the point just
before the tributary flows into the main
river. The high sediment rates, the irregular
waterbed and the heavy fluctuations in flow
46 INTERNATIONAL
2011

COMPLEXITY AND DIVERSITY:
Yin and Yang Image 16
rates (sometimes as low as zero) are problematic
here. A bridge was identified as a
suitable measurement point. However, it has
13 outlets which cannot all be measured
separately (both for technical and also primarily
cost reasons). A flow measurement
system (OTT ADC) was installed on one
bridge outlet. In order to see the relationship
between the measured (partial) flow and the
total flow, 3D hydraulic numerical simulations
were performed using the MIKE3
software (MIKE by DHI). For more information,
see Image 15.
Conclusions
It is difficult to be on site in China, but it
would be a bad idea not to be there. Going
to China entails a high outlay. So far, we
have visited the country more than 50 times.
Some further thoughts on this issue:
❙ Cooperation agreements which have been
concluded and letters of intent (usual outcome
of visits) are generally worth nothing.
We have many of these, and were initially
very proud of them, but then realised
that they are of no value to us unless they
are secured financially.
❙ It is (relatively) easy to find project partners
for Sino-German research projects.
The project supporter in question (BMBF,
possibly the EU, and MOST) may cause
difficulties here. It must be mentioned at
this stage that we have always received a
huge level of support from the BMBF and
its project managers in this regard.
❙ When carrying out research projects, the
provision of data is always a major problem.
In addition to distinct data protection
issues in China, the fact that the institutions
(people) who own the data practically
regard the data as their own property
contributes to this.
❙ It is difficult to obtain direct orders for
planning services financed by China, unless
these form part of complex construction
services (frequently financed by the
World Bank or the ADB). The reason behind
this is the (still) not freely convertible
currency, the good level of education of
the Chinese and the still comparably high
salaries of German engineers. With regard
to possible individual projects, it is to be
expected that the know-how which is
passed on is used by the Chinese themselves
in follow-up projects.
❙ The above points show that permanent,
cost-effective project work in China is
only possible with a branch, a company on
site and Chinese employees – with all the
familiar cultural problems and risks.
❙ The change of generations in administration,
research and practice which has been
taking place for some years now, and the
generally very good level of education
(frequently obtained abroad) lead to a
level of expertise which also meets international
standards. The “learning phase”
is coming to an end; the Chinese are becoming,
or have already become, partners
or competitors.
❙ One problem still seems to exist – a distinct
tendency towards sectoral thinking
and acting. It is easier to implement a new
system, e.g. for transferring water, than to
develop and implement a multi-disciplinary,
holistic concept.
❙ When a project has been approved, planning
must take place quickly. The speed
in carrying out projects is much higher
than is usual (and possible) in Germany.
❙ The sale of high-tech systems and software
is possible and the Chinese are happy
to purchase such products. However, cases
of wanting the product but not actually
using it arise again and again. Naturally,
one must always be aware of the possibility
of plagiarism here. For example, one
can purchase the DHI-WASY Software
FEFLOW on line for just a couple of hundred
euros. However, authorities and facilities
in particular have developed a very
good philosophy of not purchasing counterfeit
copies of this kind. Naturally, this
is much more difficult when it comes to
equipment and like.
❙ All the Chinese people with whom we had
dealings were friendly and pleasant. Frequently
going for meals together constituted
a social and culinary highpoint, even
if some of the food and drink such as
snake, scorpion and the powerful schnapps
Maotai took some getting used to, particularly
for German eyes and taste buds.
A good understanding of the Chinese philosophy
of life is offered by the 36 stratagems
(war ruses), which stretch back to the
Song Dynasty at the start of our millennium,
and which form part of the school curriculum
in China. Just one of these stratagems
is quoted here:
❙ Stratagem 12: Take the sheep in hand as
you go along. This means: seize the opportunity.
Achieve maximum performance
with minimal effort.
Resource conservation
(http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/36_
Strategeme#Strategeme_in_China).
Let us conclude with an image of Yin and
Yang (Image 16). There truly is nothing
which can better illustrate the complexity
and diversity of China and its people.
REFERENCES
/1/ Ernst, M., A. Sperlich, et al. (2007):
“An integrated wastewater treatment and reuse
concept for the Olympic Park 2008, Beijing.”
Desalination 202(1–3): 293
/2/ Geiger W. F. et al., 2006: “Evaluation and
indicator system for sustainable water
management.” in: 1st UNESCO/UNEP Training
Course on Sustainability in Water Management
for urban and rural development,
23–27 June, Shanghai, China
/3/ Geiger, W. et al. (2008): “Joint Sino-German
Project: Sustainable Water Management in Urban
Areas; Flood Control and Groundwater Recharge,”
Forum Siedlungswasserwirtschaft und
Abfallwirtschaft Universität Duisburg-Essen,
vol. 33, ed. Wolfgang F. Geiger,
Shaker Verlag Aachen 2008
/4/ GERMANWATCH, 2007: “China und der globale
Klimawandel: Die doppelte Herausforderung”
http://www.germanwatch.org/klima/klichi07.pdf
/5/ Kaden, S., Monninkhoff, B., Kernbach, K. (2006):
“Storm Water for Groundwater Recharge in
Beijing: Opportunities and Limits, ERSEC Water
Workshop Proceeding, Sustainable Water
Management: Problems and Solutions under
Water Scarcity”, International Conference,
Beijing, P.R. China, 6 - 8 November, 2006
/6/ Monninkhoff, L., Kaden, S., Geiger, W. F., Nijssen,
D., Schumann, A., Hirschfeld, J., Schägner, P.,
Würzberg, G., Reil, S., Zhang, B. “Overall-
Effective Measures for Sustainable Water
Resources Management in the Coastal Area
of Shandong Province, Huangshui River Basin,
Sustainable Land Use and Ecosystem
Conservation”, International Conference,
4–7 May 2009, Beijing, P.R. China,
UNESCO, ERSEC, pp. 263–278
/7/ Zhang, B., Geiger, W., Kaden, S., Kutzner,
R., Wang, Z. “Overall-effective Measures for
Sustainable Water Resources Management
in the Coastal Areas of Shandong Province, China,
Case Study: the Huangshuihe River Catchment of
Longkou City”, Journal of Ocean University of
China (Ocean and Coastal Sea Research),
30 October 2006, vol. 5, no. 4,
pp. 339–344
CONTACT
Prof. Stefan KADEN
Director General
Bertram MONNINKHOFF
Head of Water Resources and Environment
department
DHI-WASY GmbH
Waltersdorfer Strasse 105 | D-12526 Berlin
www.dhi-wasy.de | www.dhigroup.com
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water wastewater technology special issue 2011
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