Stuttgart, Germany -- Overcrowded mega-cities without adequate water supplies or sewage disposal facilities, frequent flooding and extreme drought are problems that a new urban infrastructural concept can help solve. It has a flexible, water-saving vacuum sewerage network.

While Germans consume an average of 130 liters of clean water each day, they drink only three. A third of the total amount is flushed down the toilet.

“Water is one of our most valuable resources, and far too precious to waste on transporting fecal matter,” says Professor Walter Trösch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart.

Together with Dr. Werner Sternad of the IGB and Dr. Harald Hiessl of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in Karlsruhe, he designed and created DEUS 21, a decentralized urban infrastructure system. The team won the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize 2007 for this achievement. The jury was impressed by the process engineering used to treat water and the comprehensive approach to effective materials recycling.

“DEUS is an integrated model that looks at water as a commodity all the way from the faucet to the treatment plant,” says Professor Trösch.

A novelty in the scientists’ approach is that they collect rainwater instead of channeling it away unused through the sewers. It is collected separately from wastewater and treated in a modern membrane plant. As the membrane’s pores are even smaller than bacteria and viruses, pathogens can be filtered out. The resultant germ-free water meets German drinking water standards (TVO).

This very soft water flows back into households through a separate supply network, and can be used for showering or for washing dishes or clothes. Residents use less drinking water and save money. Wastewater from the households is then collected in a vacuum sewerage system. It offers the special advantage of being able to ingest shredded kitchen scraps, obviating the need for separate biological waste collection.

The wastewater is transported to a hermetically sealed high-performance reactor containing rotation filters, which consist of porous ceramic microfiltration membranes. These filters remove everything that is bigger than 0.2 micrometers from the wastewater, including the bacteria that decompose organic waste. Any biogas that is recovered can be used to generate power and heat.

Nitrogen and phosphate are also reclaimed from the wastewater and processed to produce high-quality fertilizer. What remains is the purified wastewater which meets the quality requirements of the European directive on bathing water quality. It can be drained away or discharged into a body of water.

The pilot applications in Knittlingen and Neurott have both economic and ecological benefits that are attractive on an international scale. Projects are already being planned in Namibia, China and Romania.

For more information contact:
Prof. Dr. Walter Troesch
Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering
and Biotechnology IGB
Nobelstrasse 12
70569 Stuttgart
Germany
Web site: http://www.igb.fraunhofer.de/

Stormwater "Filter Project" Results Announced

SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- AbTech Industries, maker of the Smart Sponge®, a patented technology that effectively removes pollutants from stormwater, today announced the final results from the Filter Project, a collaborative effort with the Long Island Soundkeeper and the public works office to improve the City of Norwalk’s stormwater management program.

During the two year project a total of 37,976 pounds of trash and debris were removed from the AbTech filters after three rounds of filter maintenance and cleanings, which ultimately prevented the trash from polluting the Long Island Sound.

“The results of the Filter Project is a testament to the value the AbTech Ultra Urban® Filters bring to stormwater management programs across the country ,” said Glenn Rink, President of AbTech Industries. “The City of Norwalk, CT has taken an aggressive stand to clean and protect the Long Island Sound making it safe for the community to enjoy,” he concluded.

The Filter Project was made possible through the support of Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut. With funds provided by the United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the project is the largest federally funded program of its kind. The central component of the strategy involved fitting 275 catch basins in South Norwalk with AbTech Industries’ Smart Sponge® Plus filtration system to catch trash, debris, animal waste, hydrocarbons, oil, grease and bacteria before they enter The Sound.

The Smart Sponge technology is chemically selective to hydrocarbons, and permanently bonds them within the structure to prevent leaching or leaking of contaminants back into the environment. The system passes the EPA’s Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). Once the hydrocarbons are absorbed, the Smart Sponge transforms the pollutants into easily removable solid waste.

In addition to the trash and debris removal, an analysis of the water quality was also performed with results showing the filters effectively destroyed up to 95.9% of E.Coli and absorbed 70.5% of oil and grease.. The Smart Sponge Plus material used in the stormwater catch basins contained an antimicrobial agent that has proven effective against a wide variety of microorganisms. It also acts as a fungi, static, odor, and mildew control.

"Soundkeeper has been pleased to take the lead with the City of Norwalk in this important project. Polluted run off remains the last great unregulated pollutant entering the Long Island Sound. The results displayed by the Abtech Ultra Urban Filter are just what we were hoping for,” said Soundkeeper, Terry Backer.

“The City of Norwalk has been searching for over a decade for cost effective methods of managing stormwater, which is now the greatest source of pollutants that impact the health and utility of receiving waters such as the Norwalk Harbor and Long Island Sound,” said Hal Alvord, Director of Public Works, City of Norwalk, CT. “The Smart Sponge has proven to be one such method. In addition to removing chemical and biological contaminants, the filters have captured quantities of sediments significant enough to positively impact the dredging needs of our working rivers and harbor. We intend to expand the use of this and similar technologies.”

Using an innovative, analytical melt-down process, a characterization of the various contaminants found in the Smart Sponge media used in this project, documented approximately 50 pounds per filter of total contaminants with the presence of several heavy metals (copper, titanium, zinc). In addition, there was a variety of hydrocarbons, about 32 pounds per filter, (including solvents, oils, and cosmetic product components as well as chemical plasticizers).

Essentially, the installation of the filters prevented the equivalent of an oil spill of more than 1,200 gallons (based on the 32 pounds of hydrocarbons per filter, at 7 pounds per gallon) from entering the Long Island Sound. The City of Norwalk houses an estimated 10,000 drains. If the city were to retrofit the most critical areas, which total approximately 2,500 drains, it is estimated that over 82,500 lbs. of hydrocarbons or approximately 11,800 gallons would have been prevented from entering the Sound.

For more information visit: http://www.abtechindustries.com/

Oxnard, CA -- The EBS filter line now includes an EBS 15,000 on-line and in-line version. Also, now an in-line version of the original EBS 10,000 is available. This automatic filter series is designed to work with various types of screens, is available in 8” to 24” inlet/outlet diameters, and has an electric motor driven self-cleaning mechanism.

The EBS 15,000 screen is taller and wider allowing for more filtering surface area. Its main advantage is head loss reduction. EBS 15,000 in-line version, like the Mega EBS, has structural supports.

EBS Filter Series features
-Self-Cleaning, automatic filtration system
-Flow rates up to 23,350 gpm
-Fine Filtration Degrees: 800 to 10 micron
-Large Filtration Area of up to 6,200 square inches
-Minimum water waste during flushing – less than 1 percent
-Two cleaning methods – brushes or scanners

Typical applications include, seawater filtration, pre-filtration for ultra filtration, reverse osmosis and drinking water treatment.

Now in its fifth decade of successful designing, manufacturing and marketing, Amiad Filtration Systems has established a worldwide reputation. The company is known For its high-quality standards, prompt delivery, and consistent availability of parts. It is renown For unprecedented expertise in its chosen areas of endeavor: sophisticated water filtering equipment, and high-efficiency systems For Irrigation, Industry and Municipal purposes.

For more information contact:
Amiad Filtration Systems
2220 Celsius Ave
Oxnard, CA 93030
Telephone: (800) 969-4055 or (805) 988-3323
Email: info@amiadusa.com
Web site:  http://www.amiadusa.com/

. Eimco Awarded Screening Improvements Project Eimco was recently awarded the contract to supply the screening equipment for the Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility.

Koch's New Puron Submerged Module
Koch Membrane Systems unveiled its new 1500 square meter PURON™ module for membrane bioreactor at WEFTEC.
 

Intelligent Gas Flow Control Valve Introduced Severn Trent is introducing the Capital Controls® Series 70CV3000 Chloromatic™ 3000 Intelligent Gas Flow Control Valve.

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Maintenance Mechanic Wanted - Parker, Colorado

Parker Water & Sanitation is looking for a full-time maintenance mechanic.

Minimum 1 yr. experience in routine operations, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, installation and repair on variety of heavy-duty industrial mechanical and electrical equipment used in water production and treatment, including pumps, valves, HVAC, pneumatics, hydraulics and controllers.

Requires record keeping, tech support and parts acquisition experience. Must be able to obtain Class B CDL with Hazmat endorsement with air brake restriction removed.

Starting range $21.90 to $28.97/hr plus excellent benefit package.

Submit to Parker Water & Sanitation at mreed@pwsd.org
or fax to 303-841-8992.

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