26 January 2010
STULZ-PLANAQUA takes ozone system in operation for the elimination of trace elements from hospital waste water.
STULZ-PLANAQUA supplied and took in operation a complete ozone system with a capacity of 2 × 200 g O3/h for the waste of the decentralised MBR sewage plant (membrane invigoration) of the Waldbröl district hospital. The purpose is to remove trace elements such as hormones, drug residues, endocrine substances, etc. from the effluent stream of the hospital with a maximum of 46 m³/h.
The trace elements or micro-pollutants in the sewage are from various sources. It concerns, for example, pharmaceuticals, hormonally active substances, drug residues, pesticides and industrial raw materials. It can be toxic and pose a risk to the aquatic ecosystem. The elimination efficiency of conventional waste water treatment technologies for trace elements is insufficient. Increased elimination rates are available with membrane bioreactors (MBR). This technology was already implemented for the waste water of the Waldbröl district hospital. For further removal of pharmaceuticals and diagnostic agents pilot tests with the treatment technologies, ozone, activated carbon adsorption and nanofiltration / reverse osmosis have been conducted by the Institute for Environmental Engineering of the RWTH in Aachen in collaboration with the Waldbröl hospital and the engineering firm Pöyry. This lead to the ozone treatment of the sewage treatment plant effluent emerging as the technically and economically most suitable solution.
The ozone system supplied by STULZ-PLANAQUA consists mainly of the following system components:
- Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) for the production of pure oxygen from ambient air, consisting of compressor, refrigeration dryer, air tank, PSA unit and oxygen tank.
- Ozone generator including ozone injection system (injector system in partial flow operation)
- Reaction vessel (conversion of permeate tank of the MBR sewage treatment plant to the reaction tank)
- Residual ozone remover including compressor
- Auxiliary units (refrigeration unit, pipelines, extensive metrology, etc.)
