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Bavarian Innovation Award on Wastewater Treatment 2016

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Natural systems + engineered water treatment processes in the focus of AquaNES

12.07.2016

First African Biogas Forum

AKUT was prominently represented at the 1st African Biogas Forum in Nairobi.

The “African Biogas Forum” aimed to promote and support the sustainable development of the biogas sector in Africa, particularly Kenya. The Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Hon. Keter and the Deputy German Ambassador H.E. Deru launched the Forum. The event was supported by GIZ and the initiative “Renewables – Made in Germany” whose mission is to provide information upon the performance, efficiency and reliability of German renewable energy industry.

At our exhibition stand our Kenyan colleagues presented AKUT´s range of services in the areas of biogas, sewage and development cooperation. Additionally, our employee Mr. Dipl.-Ing. Romas Radtke gave a lecture about our various Kenyan projects: from the domestic small biogas plant via school energy stations with anaerobic digestion, wastewater treatment (aerobic / anaerobic) to industrial biogas plants, for example Kericho. The focus of his presentation was placed on the economics of small biogas plants and semi industrial biogas plants under the given economic conditions. He concluded that the production of biogas at most medium-sized farms with waste quantities of 5 to 15 tons per day was not economically feasible with the current fed-in tariffs. Exceptions to the rule are cases were the treatment of sewage / waste is in the foreground as biogas merely constitute an additional advantage here.

As a participant in the panel discussion “Biogas solutions”, Mr. Radtke presented various custom tailored solutions for AKUT´s customers illustrating our slogan “Customized Concepts for Environmental Technology”. Since 2006 AKUT is active on the Kenyan market. Intensive demand for an adjustment of the feed-in tariff for electricity from biogas has been emphasized. A working group of members of the biogas industry and customers is in charge to find solutions concerning this. The required increase to 15 US cents per kWh will allow a variety of projects that are not financially viable until now. Currently the market is limited only to customers with both: high volumes of waste and high energy demands as well. Through an appropriate feed-in tariff it will become more reasonable to produce power from biogas for the general market.

At the same time it became clear that the benefits of biogas in particular towards solar PV are not adequately addressed and promoted by policy makers.

It has been pointed out that compared to other Sub-Saharan African Countries the Kenyan market is already well developed – despite all limitations.

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First African Biogas Forum

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Live demonstration at IFAT 2016 – Siphon and new concepts for aged stabilization ponds

12.06.2016

Natural systems + engineered water treatment processes in the focus of AquaNES

Starting in June 2016 our latest research project will investigate the benefits of various combinations of engineered treatment steps with constructed wetlands. In order to analyze additional elimination of trace organic compounds in the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant a pilot plant is going to be built at the wastewater treatment plant Schönerlinde (Berlin) in collaboration with Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin (KWB – Berlin Centre of Competence for Water) and Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB). In this case an upstream ozonation stage will be combined with two different types of constructed wetlands. This combination has the objective to eliminate and reduce those persistent pharmaceutical residues which – without additional pre-treatment in wastewater treatment plants – would pass subsurface and surface flow treatment wetlands.

The project is part of a European research network named AquaNES. 30 partners in 10 countries will investigate on different focuses. Next to wastewater treatment systems the recycling of waters for drinking purposes through bank filtration and groundwater recharge are main components.

At the same time innovative measurement methods for quick detection of E.coli and antibiotic resistances shall be applied within the project. With new assessment methods and the development of decision-making tools including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Ecosystem Services Analyses (ESA) planners and operators shall be supported.

At the first project meeting of all AquaNES participants, Valérie Bénard, Project Officer in the Environment & Resources Unit of the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), pointed out that high expectations are related to the project. After the ambitious and more than a year lasting procurement procedure with the identifier “Water-1b-2015” for innovative demonstration and pilot plants in the program Horizon2020 only 8 out of 160 proposals have been awarded and will be realized. The total budget of this project is going to be 10.7 million EUR, 73 % sourcing from public funding. The project is coordinated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wintgens, Institute for Ecopreneurship at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.

Results of all sub-projects will be disseminated within the next three years (project timeframe until May 2019) in different publications which shall lead to broader application of best practices in the water sector.

AKUT is assigned to elaborate guidelines and manuals for planning and operation of well-functioning combinations of engineered wetlands with technical systems. Pilot plants of other partners are located in Rheinbach (Germany), Packington (England) and the Greek islands Antiparos and Thirasia.

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Sewage gas utilization in Mexico

18.05.2016

Live demonstration at IFAT 2016 – Siphon and new concepts for aged stabilization ponds

From May 30 to June 3, 2016, our customers and business partners have the opportunity to meet us personally on the world`s leading fair for environmental technologies in Munich.

You find our exhibition booth in hall A 5 at the joint area of “Berlin Partner for Business and Technology” (booth No. 227/326). We are happy to present our latest products and innovations regarding treatment, recovery and drainage of rainwater and of wastewater from various sources (municipal, domestic and industrial). Once again this year’s focus is put on adapted, decentralized and small scale solutions in urban and rural areas.

A special highlight will be the live presentation of a self-priming siphon. This siphon works through hydraulic elevation (floating and sinking) without any external energy demand. A reliable start of a cycle doesn’t require auxiliary constructions and the siphon is designed for big amounts of potentially highly polluted sewage. This product may be an essential component of ideal solutions, e.g. in the reinforcement of sewage pond systems.

In order to fulfill latest requirements for the treatment of combined sewage most applied solutions are highly complicated in technological terms. The combination of a robust constructed wetland for combined sewage (regarding DWA-A 262, draft version 2016) with this siphon leads to optimized hydraulic efficiency whilst cleaning performance ranges from good to highly satisfying results. This solution makes it possible to comply with high requirements for the treatment of combined sewage. AKUT has developed this solution as an alternative to expensive and laborious network separation as the conventional solution for this challenge.

In case you are interested in these or similar, simple, cost-efficient and therefore (in the long run) sustainable solutions, we are happy to consult you at our corner booth No. 227/326 in hall A5.

We offer consultancy about our broad range of services, including the generation and capture of biogas out of domestic wastewater or organic substrates, energy saving and energy input of electricity and heat into semicentral grids, SBR technology as an upgrade of pond systems and last but not least sustainable sanitation systems (e.g. ECOSAN or NASS: DWA-A 272). You may feel free to arrange an appointment with us at IFAT beforehand. In this case we can issue entrance tickets to visit our stand. Contact us for appointments and tickets: 0049-30-52000950

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