Innovative technology for the treatment of municipal and industrial waste water and process waters (INNOWATEC)

Status

completed

Summary

Increasing costs for wastewater treatment and discharge and an enhancement of environmental awareness are only some reasons, which led and lead to the development of innovative technologies in order to optimise the industrial water management. A sustainable water management requires technological solutions by internal optimisation measures and technological adaptations of existing wastewater treatment systems to enhance the operational efficiency in an economical and ecological way. Concepts and technological solutions are in demand, which guarantee a high flexibility of wastewater treatment systems under operating conditions and which allow an adaption of existing systems without extensive constructional works and investments.

Therefore, the project aimed at the examination of the applicability of a technology, which allows the efficient input of gases into fluids. As an alternative to conventional systems, this technology was determined for different applications within the industrial and urban water management. The operational possibilities are ranging from measures to an optimised oxygen input within biological wastewater treatment systems, to measures for neutralisation and pH adjustment and to measures for the elimination of pathogenic bacteria in the wastewater. Therefore, laboratory and pilot test were made in connection with the modular assembling of the technology, concerning tests for the efficient input of oxygen, for the improved saturation of the dissolved oxygen, for the improved degradation of organic substances by using bioactive substances, for the neutralisation by CO2 gassing and for the bactericidal effect of CO2. On the basis of these tests the benefits in comparison to conventional technologies were evaluated and process parameters of large scale systems verified.

By the reason of a high radial acceleration of the fluid, the evaluated technology showed an efficient gas distribution within hydrous systems. When inserting oxygen over the technology into the fluid, the availability of this oxygen is given by fine distributed gas bubbles and over oxygenated water. Furthermore, the technology showed a potential possibility for the neutralisation of alkaline process water by inserting CO2 over the technology into the fluid. Main advantages compared to the neutralisation over mineral acids can be seen by the reduced salt contamination and by the avoidance of hyperacidity of the system because of the flat neutralisation curve.

Project management

DI Christoph Brunner
JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
Institut für Nachhaltige Techniken und Systeme

Project or cooperation partner

• DI Hitzfelder & DI Pillichshammer ZT - GmbH
  Salzburger Straße 23, 4840 Vöcklabruck
  www.hipi.at
• Fritzmeier Ges.m.b.H.
  Abteilung Inocre Umwelttechnik
  Grüne Zeile 63, 4600 Wels
  www.inocre.com
• J.S. EnviTEC Umwelttechnik GmbH
  Steinhüblstraße 1, A - 4800 Attnang - Puchheim
  www.jsenvitec.at

JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
Institut für Nachhaltige Techniken und Systeme
DI Christoph Brunner
Elisabethstraße 16, 8010 Graz
Tel.: +43 (316) 876 - 2413
Fax: +43 (316) 8769 - 2413
E-Mail: christoph.brunner@joanneum.at
Web: www.joanneum.at/nts