Resource Efficiency – Research Projects

CASE STUDY

Resource Efficiency: Research Projects

Bioaugmentation

AVRIO were appointed by an international company to source and collaborate with suitably scaled organisations within Ireland and the UK on several bioaugmentation research projects.

The company and their products have a proven track record internationally, however, do not have a proven track record within Ireland, the UK and greater Europe. To this extent, they required AVRIO to help them acquire a proven track record in these locations.

Specific projects involved sourcing suitable candidates, collaborating with such candidates, agreeing terms and conditions for the project and managing the project as a whole in collaboration with product suppliers.

The project specifics involved implementation of significantly advanced bioaugmentation products into biological wastewater treatment systems with an end goal of achieving wastewater treatment cost savings through reducing sludge production with a performance target range of ten percent (10%) to twenty percent (20%) sludge reduction.

AVRIO operational staff had the responsibility of making incremental changes to each WWTP process to achieve the best performance. The product suppliers assisted in making required recommendations of which would alter sludge wasting rates, recycled return rates and mass under aeration in the aeration systems that would increase MLSS. Corresponding benefits of better settling using the technology enhanced the settling characteristics; thus, allowing for new optimal setpoints for process control and performance outcomes.

Monitoring of treatment benefits also included covering, COD removal efficiency, ammonia reduction, oxygen demand, clarifier sludge blanket height, better settling characteristics and effluent quality for total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand and ammonia along with several others.

Under the management of AVRIO staff, the project ran extremely smoothly over a period of six months, with the project concluding sludge reduction rates of between 12% – 29%, increased sludge settleability and further reductions over a range of other physicochemical parameters in over a total of six industrial wastewater treatment plants. Additional savings included reduced sludge disposal costs, reduced chemical usages and costs thereof and an overall better quality of effluent.