Download pdf - WELCOME [d3pcsg2wjq9izr.cloudfront.net]...- High-performance nitrification and denitrification - with suspended and robust carrier-bound immobilised organisms, - for the main stream

WELCOME to BIOCONS

We are your specialists for water preparation and for the treatment of effluent, exhaust gases and sludge. Com-manding over 25 years of experience in the research, development and plant-scale application of solutions for

- Local authorities- Industry- Private households.

We are your partners

- For constructing new plants- For optimising and improving existing plants and providing scientific advice- For treating effluent and waste gas, particularly those containing problematic substances, and- For the immobilisation of microorganisms though BIOCONS carrier, a new type of carrier material.

We will solve your problems!

The optimisation and improvement of biological waste-management plantsthrough the analysis, examination and optimisation of critical processparameters, such as

- Effluent, waste-gas (partial streams, buffering, pre-treatment, etc..)- Biomass (adaptation, selection, immobilisation, etc.)- Process stages- Technology and- Process management- Biological waste-management plants can be- Put into operation more quickly and more efficiently, or- Enhanced to achieve a new, higher and stable elimination performance, and can thus be- Operated with greater cost efficiency.

We offer advice on

- Municipal and industrial plants- Small waste-water treatment plants- The construction of new plants.

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WELCOME

© 2010 by BIOCONSULTING and Engineering Service

Information for local authorities

In contrast to industry and commerce, local authorities municipalities generally have to deal with comparatively readily degradable, albeit fluctuating quantities of waste-water sewage. We offer municipal treatment plants the following innovative, tried and tested proven processes:High performance nitrification

- with suspended and robust carrier-bound immobilised organisms,- for the main stream, the sludge process water or landfill leachate.

Anaerobic pre -/ partial treatment pretreatment of effluent sewage in plants with minimised sludge generation.

Biofiltration of the effluent as after-treatment, using adsorbing, porous carrier surfaces to achieve more stable nitri-fication, remove residual COD, and toxic and suspended substances.

Enzyme-supported sludge digestion, improved exgestion resulting in, less residual sludge and enhanced sewage gas production,

Biological waste-gas treatment – for „lightening speed” treatment desodorating within seconds polluted waste-gas emissions from treatment plants, composting plants and waste warehouses compact trickle-bed reactors with BIOCONS carriers for the protection of staff and local residents.

Among our successful, tried and tested “special tools“ are

- Highly active special organisms (biocatalysts - patented), adapted to tackle the specific problem which operate far more efficiently and quickly than conventional biosludges.- Porous, absorbing BIOCONS carriers for the IMMOBILISATION of special organisms.

Our innovative, compact and cost-effective solutions can be configured for the

- Improvement and expansion upgrading and extension of existing plants and- Construction of new plants.

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LOCAL AUTHORITIES


Compact anaerobic-aerobic municipal treatmentplants with minimised sludge production

The problem

As a by-product, municipal waste-treatment plants generate high quantities of sewage sludge whose disposal is highly cost intensive. However, only around one third is eliminated in today‘s standard sludge-digestion proces-ses.

Our Idea and Solution

To avoid high quantities of sludge, the effluent sewage is fermented by methanising the organic contaminants ana-erobically initially through immobilised microorganisms and subsequently aerobically aftertreated. In the process, the contents of effluent are largely eliminated with much lower sludge production.

Description of Process

In the first anoxic downstream chamber, the organic content of the effluent is subject to hydrolysis and acidifica-

tion. From here, the effluent flows into the plant’s anaerobic reactor and then upstream through a layer of immobi-lised anaerobic microorganisms equipped with biomass attached on absorbing, porous BIOCONS carriers which degrade the „broken down“ organic substances by methanisation. The generated biogas is collected in the upper section of the reactor and utilised released into the environment. The anaerobically pre-treated effluent, 65 to 80 percent of whose organic load has already been eliminated, flows through an overflow into the aerobic reactor, which is aerated by means of a special ventilation aeration system installed on the bottom ground. The residual or-ganic contaminants are then oxidised to form carbon dioxide and the ammonium nitrate is nitrified to form nitrate. The denitrification to molecular nitrogen is effected in non-aerated, oxygen-poor anoxic segments of the activated reactor.The excess sludge produced there, comprising generally only 1/5 to 1/4 of the normal amount, is then separated off into a secondary tank and removed from the plant at regular intervals.The advantages of the anaerobic-aerobic process compared with the aerobic variant:

- Maximum possible elimination performance, with- Higher process stability (through immobilisation)- Higher space-time-yield- Higher elimination performance due to the anaerobic preliminary stage, (AOX, endocrine substances),- approx. 80% less, and better settleable excess sludge, as well as- Lower energy consumption (for aeration and sludge treatment).

In addition, by virtue of the microorganisms immobilised on BIOCONS carriers considerably more hazardous, endocrine disrupters could be eliminated than in the parallel plant operating with suspended organisms.

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LOCAL AUTHORITIES


Construction of new plants for local authorities

We provide you with technological support in the design of new plants.At the same time, in addition to

- The determination of water quantities and their pollution load- The bio-degradability of the individual strains single streams, or the entire effluent and their- Seasonal fluctuations, or- Future trends

must be considered.

Our objective is the design of

- Customised- High performance- Cost-efficient- Environmentally and user-friendly plants,

which can be flexibly adapted to the production requirements or to the expansion of the production plants.The crucial difference compared to the operation of conventional plants can be achieved through the application of BIOCONS carriers.

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LOCAL AUTHORITIES


Treatment of complex, poorly-degradable industrial and/orcommercial effluent with immobilised microorganisms

The effluent load of individual industrial sites depends upon their particular type of production.Where as the continual production of paper, paints, food stuffs and mass chemicals (alcohols, carbonic acids, sugar, proteins, etc....) usually generates effluent with readily degradable contaminants, multistage manufacturing plants operating intermittently produce complex effluents, particularly if their products must be

- durable, i.e. light and washproof (dyes, optical brighteners, etc..) or biologically active (herbicides, phar maceuticals etc..

which usually contain

- Several classes of substances of varying chemical structure, properties and degradability (usually poorly degradable), and- high salinity, whereby their- composition and concentration is subject to substantial fluctuations

Apart from the chemicals industry, such complex effluent is also produced in other industrial sectors, for example in the:

- Manufacture of chemicals, pulp and paper- Textile finishing and tanneries- Coal refining (coking plants),- Disposal plants (landfills, fermentation and composting plants, the concentrate from emulsion separation plants, sludge treatment, etc.)- Manufacture of petrochemical products

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INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE


Optimisation, expansion and improvement

Biological treatment plants are designed and constructed on the assumption of fixed in-flows in terms of quanti-ties and contaminants. Changes in production capacities, product ranges and regulatory stipulations can usually prompt changes in the quantity of effluent and its composition, in which the original process parameters no longer match optimal efficiency, leading to an overload of the plant’s capacity and a deterioration of the degradation performance.

In such cases, the plant need not immediately be expanded, but rather its performancecanbe modified to suit the new requirements

- after careful analysis of the situation, by implementing the- optimal combination of suitable measures,

which facilitate

- improvements without large-scale investment, or by implementing- minor expansion measures.

The “tools“ we deploy for this are:

- Experimental determination of process parameters- Application of optimised, cultivated microorganisms, whose performance can be considerably enhanced by- Immobilisation on BIOCONS carriers.

Optimisation and improvement of biological waste-management plants

Through the analysis, examination and optimisation of the critical process parameters, such as

- Process stages- Technology and- Process management

biological waste-management plants can be

- Put into operation more quickly and more efficiently, or- Enhanced to achieve a new, higher and stable elimination performance, and can thus be- Operated with greater cost efficiency.

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Construction of new plants for industry and commerce

We provide you with technologicalsupport in the design of new plants.At the same time, in addition to

- The determination of water quantities and their pollution load- The bio-degradability of the individual strains, or the entire effluent and their- Seasonal fluctuations, or- Future trends

must be considered.

Our objective is the design of

- Customised- High performance- Cost-efficient- Environmentally and user-friendly plants,

which can be flexibly adapted to the production requirements or to the expansionof the production plants.The crucial difference compared to the operation of conventional plantscan be achieved through the application of BIOCONS carriers.

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BIOCONS-carrier / Biological processes

Biological processes with suspended and/or immobilised special organisms

- Anaerobic pre- and after-treatment of effluent with minimal generation of sludge.- High-performance nitrification and denitrification - with suspended and robust carrier-bound immobilised organisms, - for the main stream or partial streams.- Biofiltration of effluent as after treatment, via adsorbing, porous carrier surfaces to achieve higher stability of nitrification, removal of residual COD, hazardous and suspended substances.- Biological waste-gas treatment – for „lightening speed” treatment of contaminated gas emissions from treatment plants, composting plants and warehouses for waste in compact trickle bed reactors with BIOCONS carriers for the protection of staff and local residents.

Biological waste-gas treatment – for „lightening speed” treatment of polluted waste-gas emissions from treat-ment plants, composting plants and waste warehouses compact trickle-bed reactors with BIOCONS carriers for the protection of staff and local residents.

Among our successful, tried and tested “special tools“ are

- Highly active special organisms (biocatalysts - patented), adapted to tackle the specific problem which operate far more efficiently and quickly than conventional biosludges.- Porous, absorbing BIOCONS carriers for the IMMOBILISATION of special organisms.- Many years’ experience in the development and optimisation of bioprocesses

Our innovative, compact and cost-effective solutions can be configured for the

- Improvement and expansion of existing plants and- Construction of new plants.

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BIOCONS CARRIER / BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES


BIOCONS - Carriers

BIOCONS carrier: adsorbing, porous carriers for the immobilisation of biomassThe biodegradation of contaminants is the result of ”microbial team work“ by special organisms, whereby

- Such “specialists” tend not to form fast settling flakes, which- Often leads to their being washed out of the reactor, which- Substantially diminishes the degradation performance and stability of the bioprocess

An efficient retention of organisms in the bioreactor avoids such undesirable effects. Among the most efficient methods for the maintenance and improvement of the reactor performance is e.g. the IMMOBILISATION of the BIOMASS.

- This involves the “retention” of microbial cells on firm surfaces, together with the formation of biofilms.- This leads to an increase in- the degradation performance and process stability, through- enhanced stability of the organisms despite the impact of fluctuating temperatures, pH-values and inhibi tors, as well as- Lower sludge production. The success of the IMMOBILISATION of microorganisms essentially depends upon the characteristics of the so-called carrier material.

“Ideal” Carrier Properties Responsible for 1. Rapid wettability Homogenous medium 2. Effective water-binding Maintenance of bioactivity 3. Fast colonisation Immediate application 4. Binding of inhibitors Avoidance of degradation inhibitors 5. Internal porosity Enhanced protection of the biofilm 6. Good mass transfer Higher reaction velocity 7. Good fluidisation properties Lower energy consumption, higher mass transfer

All these requirements are met by BIOCONS carriers, - An adsorbing (contains up to 50 wt.% activated carbon) and - porous carrier material, a synthetic foam coated with activated carbon. The advantage of deploying BIOCONS carriers lies in its ideal characteristics, which ensu-re that- The surfaces of the carrier material are colonised by the key microorganisms within one of two hours,- Enabling them to better resist adverse external influences,- The degradation-inhibiting substances are bound and rendered harmless,- ioprocesses attain their maximum efficiency more rapidly and can remain stable.

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Areas of application

The biological treatment of

- Municipal effluent,- Industrial effluent and- Contaminated groundwater (in fluidised bed reactors, Fig. 2), as well as contaminated soils and- Waste gases with carrier-bound microorganisms.

The carrier is also deployed – among other applications – in the following biological degradation processes: for example, in the case of:

- Nitrification- Poorly degradable substances- Inhibitory pollutants · Unfavourable sludge properties

BIOCONS carrier can be applied in

- Fluidised bed reactors, with 10 to 15 vol.% loading- Fixed bed, as well as “expanded bed“ - reactors with 20 to 70 vol.% loading

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Technical Data of BIOCONS carrier

Form: Cuboids Würfel

Block density (kg/m³): ca.50 75 - 100Bulk weight (kg/m³) ca. 20 40 - 50Material density (g/cm³ ) 1,04-1,1 -Loading 10-15 vol. % > 50 %Ideal reactor type Fluidised bed Fixed bed Excess sludge removal Aeration sufficient Aeration

Settling velocitya) Without biomass colonisation, W50 (m/h) ca. 50 -b) With biomass colonisation, W50 (m/h) ca. 70 -

Cultivated special cultures for biodegradation

The biodegradation of pollutants, which among other things, also contains substituted organic compounds, takes place - analogously with chemical synthesis - in several stages and involves the “cooperation” of several different types of microorganisms (mixed culture). At the same time, each strain is responsible for the conversion of specific molecules and substitutes. The absence of key strains can leads to only partial degradation or even to an interruption in the degradation process, particularly when degradation products are created during such a multistage reaction, which can inhibit the other strains. If the strains responsible for the individual degradation stages and their properties are known, it is possible to deliberately create, cultivate and to feed either continually or in batches, into the bioreactor a defined mixed culture for the biodegradation of a specific compound and its derivatives.

This method is based on the

- Cultivation and permanent availability of- Mixed cultures, containing important, and - known organisms in the microbial, flocculent sludge or bioreactor.

Using this process, “problematic” chemicals and products were successfully degraded in various technical and pilot plants designed by us.- Municipal effluent,

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BIOLOGICAL WASTE-GAS TREATMENT INTRICKLE-BED REACTORS USING BIOCONS CARRIERPolluted and odorous waste and exhaust gases can be removed most cost-effectively through biological treatment.High-performance biological waste-gas treatment plants are required to fulfil several tasks:

- Rapid adaptation of the microorganisms to the hazardous organic compounds (chlorinated hydrocarbons, amines, mercaptane, etc.),- Neutralisation of the biologically formed acids HCl, HNO3 or H2SO4,- Good supply of the biomass with nutrients,- At low energy consumption.

These requirements can be readily met with the support of moder

- TRICKLE-BED REACTORS, through- ADAPTED, SPECIAL BIOMASS,- IMMOBILISED with adsorbing, porous BIOCONS carriers

Adsorbing, porous BIOCONS carriers

- Weigh dry only approx. 30 bis 40 kg/m³,- Absorb over 250 wt.% water (very important for bioactivity!),- Suffer no loss of pressure,- Rapidly bind special organisms and the substances to be degraded,- Rapidly achieve maximum performance very quickly,- Last for over 10 years.

In a trickle-bed reactor equipped with the BIOCONS carrier, a rapid and intensive exchange of substances takes place,in which the pH value can be slightly adjusted and the biomasscan fed with nutrients.

Functioning of the Bio-Trickle-Bed Reactor

The exhaust gas is fed into the lower section of the trickle-bed reactor using a ventilator and then through the BIOCONS carrier filter bed which has been colonised with highly active special microorganisms. In the process, the gaseous pollutants on thesurface of the carriers is adsorbed and immediately biologically mineralised (degraded) by the microorganisms.

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SERVICES AND PRODUCTS

Operation of a trickle-bed reactor


BIOCONS carrier

The biological degradation of poorly-degradable contaminants by special mixed cultures

Due to their high elimination performance and cost-efficiency, the biological treatment of ”substrates“ (effluent, waste gas and sludges), is among the most widely-applied processes.At the same time, depending on the origin, type and quantity of the contaminants, and process conditions, sub-stantial differences in regard to the speed of the degradation and the elimination performances can be observed.Whereas the treatment of similar substrates containing contaminants (alcohols, sugar, etc.) proceeds relatively quickly and smoothly in terms of quantity, the biological treatment of complex, poorly degradable (also referred to as “persistent”) substrates (larger, substituted molecules, salinity, fluctuating composition) is often problematic, because the persistence of a chemical substance does not only depend upon its structure, but to a large degree, on environmental factors such as

- pH-value,- Temperature,- Salinity,- Electro-chemical potential,- Availability and concentration of the substance,- Presence of additional substrates and- Presence of degradable-relevant microorganisms

Xenobiotica*-degrading activities occur widely in the microbial world – under the right conditions.Even with adapted organisms, a stable biodegradation of xenobiotica over a longer period of time can be guaran-teed in continually operating systems under special, optimum conditions.A further advancement in biological systems for the biodegradation of xenobiotica is achieved through the “de-sign” of active, mixed cultures (biomass) specially tailored for the specific situation.This method is based on the cultivation and guaranteed, continual availability of cultures specially adapted to con-taminants in the microbial flocculent sludge, or the bioreactor.This relatively new method encompasses the preparation, manufacture and application of active, specialised “star-ter cultures” for addressing specific environmental problems.

* Xenobiotica (poorly degradable substances) are synthetically manufactured chemical substances which lend the chemical structure of substances and their substitutes a resistance to biodegradation, or persistence vis á vis nature.

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Enzymatically enhanced sludge digestion

The core process in the treatment of municipal sludge is the digestion, i.e. anaerobic fermentation. The efficiency rate of this process, which takes some 20 to 30 days, is however, unsatisfactory and impairs its cost-efficiency.

The reasons for this mediocre digestion efficiency lie, in the first instance, in the composition and properties of the sludge. Due to the high hydrolysis stability of the microbial cell wall, and the undiluted constituents of the cellulose fibres, hydrolysis can only proceeds very slowly - as a result of which only mediocre digestion rates are achieved, despite the long digestion period.

Enzymes are bio-catalysts, which when added in small quantities, can substantially influence the direction and speed of bio-chemical reactions. Biocatalytic hydrolysis can operate up to 100 times quicker and considerably more selectively than acid or alkaline catalytic reactions.

Practical trials, in which the selected enzymes were continually fed to the raw sludge, led to substantially improved digestion, up to 12 to 18% higher biogas production and correspondingly less residual digested sludge.

In addition to the optimised performance, the enzymatically achieved increase in degradation and the higher production of digestion gases also led to enhanced cost efficiency of the sludge treatment, with the following key features:

- Less digested sludge - TR (residual sludge) leads to a lower demand for conditioning agents for sludge dewatering (lime or polymer flocculation agents) and to lower sludge disposal costs (for landfills, agricultural and thermal disposal),- Quicker and more efficiently dewatered sludge permits lower energy consumption and a longer operations lifespan of the dewatering facility, and ultimately- Higher sludge gas quantities lead to a better energy balance of the digestion process.

This provides for possible annual cost savings of between 1.0 to 1.5 € per resident/year.

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Consultancy / Service

Remedying special environmental problems, such as the biological elimination of nitrogen, pesticides, CHCs, etc.., requires

- Specialist expertise, and- Practical experience with the concrete problem,

which are not available in every company.These are required for the

- Inventory and correct assessment of the problem,- Negotiations with the relevant authorities- Compilation and evaluation of problem-solving concept and in the- Realisation of the project

Environmental technologies boast, in comparison to other production processes,a number of essential special characteristics:

- Fluctuating water and waste-gas quantities and loads, and- Fluctuating composition of the “raw materials”,- Whereby the “end products“ should be produced in a consistent quality.

Due to these specific characteristics, disposal processes cannot simply be transferred, but have to be “custo-mised“, i.e.

- Usually the foundations of the process have to be experimentally revised on a case by case basis,- The process must be redesigned.

The transfer of existing problem solutions is only possibleon a limited scale and risky

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Errors can be avoided by planning and by conducting practice-driven environmental R&D projects aimed at determining the optimum process conditions. Decisive for the success of such R&D projects is the compilation of a an effective work schedule. The expenditure for such trials “up front” usually amount to only to a fraction of the total investment costs, yet the basic data yielded offers much more planning security and can save up to 40% of the total investment costs. Consequently, such trials and their results are practi-cally indispensable in remedying the problem.


17 © 2010 by BIOCONSULTING and Engineering Service

CONTACT / IMPRINT

BIOCONSULTING and Engineering Service · E-Mail: [email protected] · web: www.biocons.org

RALF LOHOFF Managing Director

Tel.: (+49) - (0)89 92333115 Fax: (+49) - (0)89 92333111 E-Mail: [email protected]

JÜRGEN WASKOWIAK Marketing & IT

Mobile: (+34) - 617 519 475 E-Mail: [email protected]

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BIOCONSULTING and Engineering ServiceCarl-Zeiss-Ring 4D-85737 Ismaning - Bavaria

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