News


Energy from effluent

October 2015 News

Veolia Water Technologies South Africa has been awarded the contract to design, build and operate South Africa’s first Biobulk wastewater treatment facility. The plant, owned by Distell in Stellenbosch, will be ready for commissioning in March 2016. On commissioning, a 10-year BOT (build, operate, transfer) agreement comes into force.

Distell has three operational sites in the Stellenbosch area – Adam Tas, Van Ryn and Bergkelder. Over the last four years, Distell has developed its Green Plan to install a common anaerobic water treatment facility that will lower the COD (chemical oxygen demand) load in the outfall to the municipality, harvest the energy in the wastewater and lower the overall cost of effluent treatment.

The selected Veolia Biobulk CSTR (Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor) technology is a green technology and is a robust and proven process that treats industrial effluents with significant amounts of suspended solids. It is the anaerobic equivalent to the conventional activated sludge digestion system. Following an anaerobic suspended bacteria treatment process, the majority of the soluble and solid organic content, measured in COD, is converted into biogas. The Biobulk can be operated as a once-through system or, alternately, biomass can be returned after a clarification stage. The key to the Biobulk design is the manner in which the reactor vessel is mixed and the design of the degassing stage prior to clarification. The biogas is a source of renewable energy and converted into steam for the Distell site.

“The Biobulk system,” says Jaco Oosthuizen, technical manager industrial, Veolia Water Technologies, South Africa, “represents a long term capital savings investment. It brings with it an operating cost saving whereby solids in the effluent need not be removed; they can be converted to biogas (energy) in the reactor.” The effluent in this plant will be treated by the Biothane Biobulk Anaerobic Digester, the heart of the plant. Ancillary equipment includes storage buffer tanks, clarifiers, the centrifuge, boiler and biogas flare. First, the digester reduces the effluent COD content by 94,1%. Next, a clarifier removes suspended solids, in turn followed by Veolia Hydrotech drum filtering for tertiary treatment. This ensures the total suspended solid (TSS) concentration is less than 150 mg/l.

The 10-year BOT contract will enable Veolia to assume full ownership of the plant’s functions for the agreed period. This will ensure an appropriate transition from Veolia’s commissioning teams to its operations team. “Once the plant has been commissioned it will be handed over to our Operations & Maintenance division in the Western Cape. This division will perform all operations and maintenance functions for 10 years,” Oosthuizen explains.

Veolia is mandated to deliver the specified quality of water; carry out ongoing mainten-ance; and ensure the plant’s operating performance is in accordance with set objectives. For this project, Veolia will treat 1000 m³ of effluent per day with an organic load of 8,6 tons COD per day. The treated water will be discharged to the municipal wastewater works. During the process of anaerobic digestion, COD is converted into biogas, which will be transferred from the Biobulk, directly to the biogas boiler. The final effluent discharged to the municipality will contain less than 500 kg COD per day and the suspended solids concentration will be less than 150 mg/l.

“Another advantage of having a BOT contract in place,” Oosthuizen points out, “is that the client pays a set monthly fee for the water treatment.” Veolia finances the plant, which means it retains its interest in the plant. “This ensures the plant remains in peak condition – and we also produce biogas for resource recovery. It is a win-win for both parties.”

Veolia’s operation and maintenance personnel, along with Veolia engineers from Biothane Netherlands, who developed the Biobulk solution, will form part of the commissioning team. Veolia’s operational personnel will be trained, via on-the-job coaching and theoretical training modules, to take over full plant responsibility.

Oosthuizen is of the opinion that Veolia’s pricing structure; the operating cost benefits accrued by the client; the income from the additional biogas produced; and the fact that Biothane Netherlands has extensive experience in anaerobic treatment, are the drivers for being awarded the BOT contract. “Distell took careful consideration of offers on the table,” he concludes, “and with this bold step into green technologies, we feel really proud to be part of such a dominant player in the market place.”

For more information contact Jaco Oosthuizen, Veolia Water Technologies, +27 (0)21 871 1877, [email protected], www.veoliawaterst.co.za





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

New Würth Elektronik location in South Africa
News
A new Würth Elektronik branch has opened in Brackenfell, Western Cape. The location operates under the name Wurth Electronics South Africa and will serve local customers, as well as being responsible for markets in Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia.

Read more...
John Thompson and BECS partner to deliver biomass energy solutions
News
John Thompson, a division of ACTOM and South Africa’s leading provider of industrial energy solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with Berkeley Energy Corporate Solutions, a specialist developer and supplier of biomass energy projects. Together, the companies aim to accelerate the deployment of reliable, renewable steam solutions to industrial customers across Africa.

Read more...
Academy pumps out the next generation of experts
News
KSB Pumps and Valves has invested in a specialised training centre designed to equip internal and branch staff and certified partners with in-depth knowledge of KSB products and systems.

Read more...
Celebrating the power of diversity in the engineering sector
News
The engineering sector has historically been a male-dominated field, and to a large extent it still is. However, this is changing, and the shift is gaining significant momentum as more women begin to take up leadership roles, spearheading innovation and driving inclusive growth.

Read more...
Fifteen years of promoting innovation and supporting engineering excellence
RS South Africa News
RS South Africa is celebrating 15 years of promoting innovation and supporting engineering excellence through DesignSpark, its pioneering online engineering platform.

Read more...
From the Editor's desk: What happened to the metaverse?
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) News
One of the most interesting technical crashes in recent years is the metaverse. As recently as 2022, it was white hot, with massive hype led by Meta. Even Bill Gates was saying that in two to three years ...

Read more...
Omniflex celebrates 60th anniversary
Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists News
Remote monitoring specialist Omniflex is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Read more...
Nidec adopts Siemens Teamcenter for electric motor development
Siemens South Africa News
Siemens Digital Industries Software has announced that Nidec Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer and distributor of electric motors, has adopted Teamcenter X software from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to achieve innovative motor development and supply to set new industry standards, including automotive.

Read more...
Yaskawa Southern Africa and Sol-Tech advance industrial robotics training
Yaskawa Southern Africa News
Yaskawa Southern Africa has announced a strategic collaboration with Sol-Tech, a private vocational training institution based in Pretoria, to strengthen technical education in industrial robotics and support the development of future-focused talent for South Africa’s evolving manufacturing sector.

Read more...
Building skills and sharing knowledge for growth in Africa
SEW-EURODRIVE News
As a leading provider of drive and automation solutions across the continent, SEW-EURODRIVE recognises that local insight and on-the-ground capability are critical to delivering effective sustainable results. The company continues to invest in people development and technical training within its network of African subsidiaries and partners, supporting the long-term growth of its customers and the broader industrial ecosystem.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved