Integrated Wastewater Purification Management (IWPM)


Project website: www.eu-life-iwpm.de


Project title: Integrated Wastewater Purification Management (IWPM)
Project leader: Helmut Wilker (WvW)
Co-operation partner: Wasserverband Wittlage (WVW); Biwater; CTU; Stella
Sponsor: EU Commission (EU Life)
Reference number: Life06 ENV/D/00478-IWPM
Project term: October 2006 - October 2011


Summary

The overall objective of the Project is to demonstrate how wastewater management and treatment technologies can be improved through an innovative IWPM-System, increasing the quality of effluent and reducing costs, in support of EU-Directives on Wastewater, on Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM; EU-Directive 2000/60/EC), and on Flora, Fauna, Habitat (FFH).

The specific objective of the Project is to integrate wastewater purification through a new combination of electronic link (-> remote control) and physical connection (-> biologically activated pipe) of selected sewage treatment plants (STP), in order to integrate their technical capacities and to enhance wastewater purification (as a result of equalised inflow peaks and full utilisation of all existing plant capacities at any time).

To assure maximum reproductivity of IWPM, a transferability analysis shall be delivered for the EU, including the acceding and candidate countries, and for developing and transformation countries.


Project area

The Project area is the area served by the public water and wastewater association "Wasserverband Wittlage" (WVW). It is part of the catchment basin to the Lake Duemmer, a highly sensitive eco system of European importance (Natura 2000, FFH and bird protection zone). Within this area, not only tourism is of social and economic importance, but also agriculture and industries (especially food industry, some factories are among the largest in Europe).

To protect the Lake Duemmer as registered natural habitat, WVW has to meet stringent technical standards in compliance with the EU-Wastewater Directive; the EU-Directive on Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) and the EU-Directive FFH (Flora, Fauna, Habitat). In recent years, large investments have been spent to complete the wastewater collection system. The modernisation and upgrading of sewage treatment plants is partly completed. The municipalities as owners of the WVW and the WVW itself have done their best, and the current EU-effluent standards are fulfilled, which are mainly focused on concentration parameters of organic substances and nutrients (e.g. mg COD/l, mg N/l, mg P/l). As the Lake Duemmer suffers from eutrification, this effort is not enough. The total annual loading of nutrients (kg/a) must be reduced further, not only the maximum concentrations (mg/l).


Technology

The innovation of the Project would be a functional link between selected sewage treatment plants (STP) to realise IWPM - Integrated Wastewater Purification Management. IWPM means that hydraulic flows and contaminants (especially nutrients) are equalised and distributed to an optimum between different STPs, depending on their capacities at any given time. Besides this innovation of the IWPM system, the innovations of the IWPM components have to be considered (BAP, MSBR, FBR -> see Figure 1).


Figure 1 - please click

PCC - pipe connection and control system
including a 16.5 km pressurised 2 x 300 mm twin pipe with 3 bi-directional pumping stations (pipe equipment working with wastewater as well as with liquid sludge), operated as biologically activated pipe reactor with ca. 1,000 m³ [the wastewater in the pipe is enriched with activated sewage sludge to drive the biological hydrolisation (for phosphorus removal) and denitrification for N-removal]. Included is an on-line monitoring and remote control system to steer pumps, valves, aerators etc. for optimum IWPM.

MWP - modified wastewater purification
including activated pre-sedimentation (sludge settlement and sludge pumping controlled to best hydrolisis effect) and the multifunctional sequencing batch reactor MSBR. [MSBR will be operated with great flexibility, according to different inflow situations: (a) As conventional SBR, in parallel to AST + FS (inflow diverted between SBR and AST; outflow SBR goes to post-filtration); (b) As aerated tank (inflow shared with AST, outflow to final sedimentation); (c) In-line, as first biological stage; (d) As equalising tank, biological function less than maximum, but storage of nutrients provided.]

EST - enhanced sludge treatment
including equipment for high rate anaerobic digestion, the biogas utilisation as fuel for a power generator and the FBR (floating biodisc reactor) for decontamination of sludge liquors.