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• GE’s Water & Process Technologies Providing ZeeLung* and ZeeWeed* Membranes to Schilde Wastewater Treatment Plant;
• With Upgrade, Plant Will Meet New Total Nitrogen Removal Regulations within Existing Footprint.
Needing to meet new total nitrogen removal requirements while remaining in its existing footprint, Flanders’ wastewater treatment company, Aquafin, chose to upgrade the Schilde Wastewater Treatment Plant by means of a unique combined solution of GE's ZeeLung* Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR) and ZeeWeed* membrane bioreactor (MBR) technologies. The plant, located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, will be the first in Europe to use the new ZeeLung MABR technology.
GE’s Water & Process Technologies offers a hybrid system in which 50 percent of the wastewater is treated by ZeeWeed 500D MBR, and the remaining flow of 8 million liters per day is treated by a conventional activated sludge system. Adding ZeeLung MABR to the plant will enable improved total nitrogen removal in the conventional activated sludge stream.
The plant was originally designed for the treatment of 28,000 population equivalents (both hydraulic and biologic capacity). The actual load of the Schilde Wastewater Treatment Plant has, however, gradually increased to 35,000 population equivalents. Therefore, in 2015, biological treatment capacity was increased by extending membrane capacity of the MBR (so it can handle more flow) and installing post-denitrification sand filters on the effluent of the conventional activated sludge system.
“Using ZeeLung and ZeeWeed together for the expansion of the Schilde Wastewater Treatment Plant will allow Aquafin to complete the upgrade with minimal modifications and with no need to build new tankage. Additionally, they will be able to meet the new annual total nitrogen removal consent,” said Alain Mineur, CEO, Kamps.
The Schilde Wastewater Treatment Plant is the largest municipal hybrid MBR system in Flanders, and the upgrade is being completed by KAMPS SA. After the expansion is complete in the first quarter of 2017, the plant will have 65 percent total nitrogen removal.
“Water & Process Technologies’ hybrid solution of ZeeLung and ZeeWeed was about meeting an effluent specification within the plant’s existing footprint. The Schilde Wastewater Treatment Plant needed to be upgraded to increase its nutrient removal ability, and by using ZeeLung, the plant will have lower energy consumption,” said Kevin Cassidy, global leader, engineered systems GE’s Water & Process Technologies. “The project is the first application of our new ZeeLung technology in Europe.”
ZeeLung MABR technology is a simple solution that allows municipalities to achieve nutrient removal and/or capacity expansion in existing tank volumes while significantly reducing energy consumption. It employs an innovative gas transfer membrane to deliver oxygen to a biofilm that is attached to the membrane surface. Immersing ZeeLung cassettes into mixed liquor increases the inventory of biomass in a treatment system thereby intensifying the biological treatment process. Oxygen is delivered to the biofilm by diffusion through the membrane, which reduces the energy required for oxygen delivery by up to four times compared to conventional aeration.
About Water & Process Technologies
With operations in 130 countries and employing over 7,500 people worldwide, GE’s Water & Process Technologies applies its innovations, expertise and global capabilities to solve customers’ toughest water and process challenges. It offers a comprehensive set of chemical and equipment solutions, as well as predictive analytics, to enhance water, wastewater and process productivity. Water & Process Technologies strives to enable customers to meet increasing demands for clean water, overcome scarcity challenges, strengthen environmental stewardship and comply with regulatory requirements.
About GE
GE (ge.com) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry.
*Trademark of General Electric Company; may be registered in one or more countries.
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