Optimization Services
In Germany, both the construction of new sewage treatment plants and the adaptation of existing sewage treatment plants to the state of the art are largely completed. The focus of interest is now on operation and operational optimization. The public debate is primarily about the efficient use of the available energy, while operators are primarily concerned with cost aspects while complying with legal requirements. In this case, disposal security while complying with monitoring values takes precedence over the goal of cost savings. There is often uncertainty about optimization with regard to safety considerations. Under the motto "never change a running system", optimization is assumed to mean that cost savings come at the expense of operational safety and, above all, the safe compliance with monitoring values. However, this is in stark contrast to the experience from operational optimizations that have already been carried out. The goal of optimization is to use resources efficiently, eliminate operational problems and increase operational safety. This goal can be proven to be achievable, as can be seen from our references.
We would be happy to help you save money too. A wealth of data is certainly collected and documented at your sewage treatment plants too. Only if this data is analyzed in a targeted manner can crucial information for optimization be obtained. We support you in implementing operational optimization:
- Review, evaluation and assessment (plausibility check) of the available data
- Systematic analysis of the current situation (energy, process engineering)
- comparison with guideline and ideal values
- Calculation of potential energy savings
- limitation of the energy optimization potential
- Derivation of sensible measures (operational, mechanical)
- success control
You can find a selection of our previous projects on the topic of operational optimization under References Submenu Operational optimization
Energy transition and water management
Ever since the federal government phased out the use of nuclear energy and the energy transition that this initiated, the water industry has also been facing new challenges. As the largest energy consumer in municipalities, the energy use of sewage treatment plants, and increasingly also of waterworks, is in the public interest. The water industry is not exempt from the sustainable development of energy supplies. On the one hand, its contribution consists in reducing its own energy consumption, e.g. by using the latest technologies, intelligent control strategies and sensible process changes. From a process engineering point of view, the wastewater industry is undergoing a rethink , away from energy-intensive aerobic sludge stabilization (high aeration effort with simultaneous sludge stabilization in the aeration tank) towards energy-efficient anaerobic sludge stabilization (digestion) with or without the use of digester gas. On the other hand, the water industry will generate its own energy to a greater extent in the future. This is possible by using energy from waste materials in wastewater treatment. Thanks to the development of improved technologies (e.g. micro gas turbines) and co-fermentation options, gas production from sewage sludge and subsequent electricity generation can now be economically implemented from as little as 10,000 PE. The use of wastewater heat also makes an economically viable contribution to energy supply, taking into account the framework conditions, thanks to increasingly sophisticated technical solutions. By using waste heat, e.g. from the sewage sewer system, to heat buildings, up to 60% of CO2 emissions can be avoided compared to conventional heating systems. The sensible use of innovative technologies therefore also makes a contribution to reducing the "carbon footprint".
Promoting energy efficiency
In order to underline the importance currently attached to energy efficiency and resource conservation in the field of wastewater treatment, the Federal Environment Ministry created the funding priority "Energy-efficient wastewater plants" in 2010 as part of the environmental innovation program. The projects carried out in this context impressively demonstrate the potential for innovation in the field of water management.