Wastewater treatment plant during operation
The wastewater treatment plant of the Fidel Dreher company was equipped with state-of-the-art technology and the highest quality standards. Because the biogas plant is adjacent to a residential area, attention was paid to odor prevention and noise protection during planning.
For many companies, a wastewater treatment plant is the be-all and end-all. The company Fidel Dreher processes fruit into fruit juices, concentrates and purees. The company, based in the Lake Constance region, produces around 136,500 m³ of wastewater per year from the processing of apples, which was previously treated using an aerobic biological treatment process in batch operation and indirectly discharged via a municipal wastewater treatment plant.
Due to production expansions, the existing wastewater treatment plant was to be expanded. The aim was to switch to continuously operated wastewater treatment in addition to the extraction of biogas from the wastewater to be treated. In line with Fidel Dreher's company philosophy, the new plant was equipped with state-of-the-art technology and the highest quality standards.
In addition to a Biomar AHPx anaerobic high-performance reactor with an innovative gas discharge system, the entire plant was equipped with fieldbus technology and a dedicated remote access system was set up on two separate servers. Remote operation of the plant as well as information and alarm management via e-mail and SMS is possible via the remote access system.
The separate servers allow physical separation of control and data recording and thus the greatest possible system security in the event of a server failure.
Limited space
One challenge in the construction of the plant was the extremely limited space available. The conversion and new construction was therefore to be carried out during ongoing operation. Old plant components first had to be dismantled before new plant components could be erected on the same site. In order to ensure safe treatment of the wastewater at the same time, the new plant was built and commissioned in three construction phases within a period of only seven months.
The plant control system was permanently adapted to the changing conditions during this period.
Bordering a residential area
"Due to time constraints, hydraulic commissioning with clear water had to be dispensed with," explains an employee of Fidel Dreher. "The warm commissioning was therefore carried out directly with original wastewater during operation. It was completed successfully and according to our specified schedule."
The entire plant has been in operation for a good year. It consists of pretreatment of the wastewater via drum screen and flotation. This is followed by biogas production and COD degradation of approx. 90 percent in the anaerobic Biomar AHPx high-performance reactor.
Before being discharged into the sewer system, the wastewater is treated to the required indirect discharge quality via an aerobic activation stage with sludge separation. The biogas obtained is treated via desulfurization and drying. It is used in the plant for steam generation as well as via a CHP plant for the generation of energy and heat.
Because the wastewater treatment plant is directly adjacent to a residential area, special attention was paid to odor prevention and noise protection during the planning phase. Thus, all of the extracted exhaust air is treated via biofilters. Low-noise components such as sound-insulated fans and a sound-insulated gas flare were used during construction. In addition, the supply and exhaust air system to the technical building is soundproofed.
You can find more about complex, running wastewater plants (during ongoing operation) under
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