Browsing by Author "Maurer, Peter"

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Open Access
Effect of coupling primary sedimentation tank (PST) and microscreen (MS) to remove particulate organic carbon (POC) : a study to mitigate energy demand in municipal wastewater treatment plants
(2023) Lasaki, Behnam Askari; Maurer, Peter; Schönberger, Harald
Particulate Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal is one of the first and foremost steps in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). It is a highly essential step that supports subsequent biological steps to achieve discharge limits. However, the energy demand for subsequent biological steps is significant due to the requirement of physical processes such as aeration. As a part of the project: WWTP of the future, it was expected that by coupling primary sedimentation tank (PST) and microscreen (MS) as advanced primary treatment (APT), around 60 to 70% removal of total COD and more than 90% of total suspended solids could be achieved which can replace such energy-intensive steps. To achieve this, a pilot plant set up including two different types of rotatory drum sieves (8 and 20 μm) was coupled with a PST in the WWTP Büsnau, Stuttgart, Germany, and the efficiency of APT was undergone for deeper investigations. The results showed that applying APT processes is an innovative and robust approach for removing more solids in municipal WWTPs so that retrofitting treatment plants comes true with a marginal footprint. However, the long-term performance of the APT system demonstrated that the system’s ability to remove solids is highly limited by MS capacity and strength of produced flocs/filter-cakes inside the MS against shear forces, which makes it easier for flocs to be detained by MS. Therefore, additional auxiliary steps like flocculation are recommended to be synchronized with APT system to enhance its efficiency. Additionally, applying a middle mesh size sieve, for instance, a 15 μm, along with changing the backwashing regime, could be considered the next alternative.
Open Access
A fundamental study on the extraction of particulate organic carbon from municipal wastewater treatment plants
(2023) Askari Lasaki, Behnam; Maurer, Peter; Schönberger, Harald
In line with the strategy of transforming existing municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) from disposal facilities into systems for using domestic wastewater (WW) as a source of energy and raw materials, a concept consisting of chemical, physical, and biological steps has been set up as a pilot project in WWTP Büsnau, Stuttgart, Germany. The key part of the entire process is based on the use of advanced microsieving (MS) to eliminate remaining particulate organic carbon (POC) (mg/L) from the effluent of the primary sedimentation tank (PST). Therefore, in the primary stages of this project, it was necessary to have a broad vision and a true understanding of the particle size distribution (PSD) of municipal WW. As a novel approach, in the present study, the conventional PSD method was optimized by implementing certain modifications, and the tests were conducted in situ. The modified PSD analyses facilitated in-depth investigations of solid–liquid separation at WWTPs and showed that drying samples in the oven can result in a 20% to 30% deviation in the POC (mg/L) removal results. In addition, the idea of the substitution of PSTs with an MS was supported by the results of this study. It was determined that an MS with a pore size of 45 µm to 63 µm can provide the same elimination efficiency as a PST. Another significant outcome of this study was the introduction of suitable mesh sizes for the MS which were coupled with PST in order to extract the maximum amount of POC (mg/L) from the municipal WWTPs without the addition of any chemicals. The results revealed that up to 90% of the TSS (mg/L) and 70% of the COD (mg/L) can be removed if an MS with a mesh size between 4 µm and 20 µm is coupled with a PST.
Open Access
Minimisation of wastewater emissions from textile finishing industries
(Essen : Vulkan Verlag GmbH, 2019) Krist, Helmut; Konrad, Steffen; Yang, Libin; Qian, Yajie; Zhou, Xuefei; Zarapkar, Bhushan; Ullah, Shafqat; Briani, Filippo; Böhme, Markus; Schönberger, Harald; Maurer, Peter; Waltisberg, Josef; Schönberger, Harald
Wastewater is the most important emission from textile finishing. There are many options to prevent and minimise textile wastewater emissions. Measures and techniques with a focus on wastewater treatment including sludge disposal are presented. However, process- and production-integrated measures are outlined as well.