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Public swimming pool with biofilter in Neustadt (Dosse)

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International Covid-19 dialogs held with WSSPs

14.05.2021

"Am Palmsberg" WWTP (40,000 p.e.) Denitrification stage optimized and energy saved

The Abwasserverband Saale-Lauer, operator of the wastewater treatment plant built in the late 1970s (city of Bad Neustadt an der Saale, Lower Franconia), is optimizing the wastewater treatment plant and adapting it to the stricter environmental requirements. Priority has been also given to the stability of the cleaning performance and energy efficiency.

AKUT was commissioned in 2018 to identify expansion and optimization options for the wastewater treatment plant. Several modules were developed, of which the fluidic optimization of the denitrification basin was practically and successfully completed at the end of 2020.

Among other measures, the inlet and the circulation of the denitrification stage had to be hydraulically optimized. In the medium term, an expansion of the treatment plant is also planned, which is increasingly reaching its loading limits. Reconstructions from previous years were subjected to a weak-point analysis, which aimed at stabilizing the effluent quality and achieving a more energy-efficient operation.

The denitrification stage was found to operate below optimum cleaning performance.  The cause was identified as inadequate hydraulics in the inlet area. Furthermore, sludge accumulation occurred in the basin due to unfavourable flow guidance and non-optimal agitators.

In 2020, the closure of the old distribution channel and the adaptation of the threshold structures were implemented in accordance with the hydraulic calculation carried out by AKUT, so that the entire water flow and the entire return sludge is now routed through the denitrification stage.

In order to improve the circulation behaviour of the wastewater and to avoid the previously observed sludge deposits on the basin bottom in the future, concrete elements calculated and manufactured for the application were embedded in the longitudinally divided structure and the existing corners in the basin were optimally designed.

The newly installed, slow-running propeller agitator, the thrust of which is adapted to the different recirculation and sludge return feeds as required, results in energy savings of 50% compared with the previous agitators.

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"Am Palmsberg" WWTP (40,000 p.e.) Denitrification stage optimized and energy saved

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Project start "Lake Victoria Basin Integrated Water Resources Management"

01.06.2020

International Covid-19 dialogs held with WSSPs

Since the spread of Covid-19 worldwide it has become one of the few certainties that meeting hygienic standards is one of the most effective forms of prevention. Thus, for users of water and sanitation services, the continuity of water supply becomes more than ever a major public health issue. But the pandemic puts Water Supply and Sanitation Providers (WSSPs) at risk and challenges.

AKUT has a vast experience in international cooperation in Latin America, where it has worked on projects in cooperation with GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)  consulting for WSSPs. Recently, AKUT has opened a new office in Kampala, Uganda, where it is expanding its activity also in Africa. Therefore, AKUT decided to support the WSSPs in this challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our initiative of knowledge exchange through Webinars in response to the pandemic for WSSPs has already been carried out in Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. These webinars are part of the ongoing GIZ activities. AKUTs Latin American experiences have inspired our Kampala office. The African continent has been able to benefit from these webinars too thanks to the cooperation between GWP (German Water Partnership), AfWA (African Water Association) and BMZ (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung).

The webinars aim to present concrete measures and good practices in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic in a practical way. Speakers from WSSPs present their practical experience and through the final question and answer session a beneficial exchange of knowledge is achieved between all participants of the webinar. Some sessions have had simultaneous translation on two channels for the presentations of foreigners. The sessions are recorded and participants receive a draft pandemic response plan document along with the presentations made so that knowledge and lessons learned can be disseminated.

Our initiative has brought the necessary tools for WSSPs to respond effectively to the pandemic, protecting their employees and ensuring the continuity of their services. The success of these webinars is a result from  close cooperation between all parties in the sector. We hope that the high level of motivation and cooperation shown will lead to a rapid response in the water and sanitation sector to the challenge of the pandemic globally.

For further information on Webinars and support in this matter contact: Romas Radtke.

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Mobile TOC measuring station for process optimization

20.02.2020

Project start "Lake Victoria Basin Integrated Water Resources Management"

In the presence of the Secretary General for the East African Community (EAC), Liberat Mfumukeko, the starting signal for an integrated water resources management programme in the Lake Victoria catchment area was given on 14 February 2020 in Kisumu, Kenya. The project, coordinated by the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the EU.

A joint venture of the companies Consulting Engineers Salzgitter (CES), AKUT Umweltschutz Ingenieure Burkard und Partner and MIBP Consulting Engineers as Project Implementation Consultant (PIC) was commissioned to implement Lot 2 of this programme. In this context, AKUT is responsible for the management of the High Priority Investment (HPI) “Kampala Nakivubo Channel”. The Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) is responsible for the contract.

Expectations for the multisectoral project with a total volume of EUR 31.9 million (duration until February 2023) are high because the development of Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater reservoir in the world, is highly alarming in terms of water quality, biodiversity and climate change impacts. Locating the project under the umbrella of the multilateral EAC supports regional cooperation in the region. By developing a “Water Framework Directive” – here following the European approach – the programme aims to reverse the recent negative trend and instead achieve “significant improvements” in water quality. More than 45 million people will benefit from this. To this end, new regulatory standards for discharge parameters are to be developed. In four “High Priority Investment Projects” in Kisumu (Kenya), Kampala (Uganda), Mwanza (Tanzania) and Kigali (Rwanda) concrete measures are planned which promise a considerable reduction of inflowing COD, nutrient and pollutant loads into the lake. One goal is also to develop new site-specific solutions/ technologies on a model basis, which can be implemented in the medium term at other locations in the Lake Victoria catchment area.

AKUT will focus on planning and implementing measures around the Nakivubo Channel, the largest discharger from the Kampala metropolitan region into the Inner Murchison Bay of Lake Victoria. In this context, a feasibility study for a constructed wetland for the treatment of 45,000 m³/day (both sewer water and sewage treatment plant effluent) will be examined and updated. Other variants and process combinations are also being examined in order to implement selected solutions in the next step.

In February 2020 AKUT opened a new branch office in Kampala, Uganda. Since 2005, AKUT has been continuously present with various projects in East and South Africa. With the office in Kampala, AKUT now has its first independent presence on the African continent. This is in connection with an expansion of the activities in the East African region. Our many years of experience in advising water and wastewater utilities are also in increasing demand in East Africa.

The expertise of AKUT lies in the development of locally adapted technological concepts (constructed wetlands, retention soil filters, small wastewater treatment plants, clarification ponds, SBR systems, novel sanitation systems ECOSAN, water loss reduction, measures for surface water remediation, renaturation, biogas plants, renewable energies, agricultural irrigation, multisectoral Nexus programmes) as well as in institutional consulting (development cooperation, SDG achievement, consulting on water tariff systems, capacity building, support in organisational development, social environment management, etc.). AKUT acts in a network with international and local partners.

At this year’s AfWA ICE 2020 (African Water Association International Congress and Exhibition) from 24th to 27th February in Kampala, AKUT can be found on the joint stand of the German Water Partnership (GWP) in Hall 1, B7-B8 & C14-C15. We are looking forward to your visit.

Contact: Romas Radtke

Press release: Programme-Launch.pdf

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