Advanced Respirometry for Biological Wastewater Plants

Enva technical experts work with municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants to diagnose root cause performance problems in Biological Activated Sludge Systems. We provide health checks, toxicity studies and pilot plant services utilising the state-of-the-art Surcis BM-Advance2 dual respirometry system and our inhouse laboratory capabilities to diagnose issues promptly whilst minimising disruption to plant operations.

Respirometry can be an informative tool to assess pre-treatment processes, effluent toxicity and biodegradation potential of waste streams and as a technique for the monitoring, modelling and control of an activated sludge process. Oxygen consumption is directly associated with biomass growth and substrate removal; Respirometry seeks to measure and interpret biological oxygen consumption under experimental conditions.

Advanced technologies such as our Surcis BM-Advance2 dual respirometry system additionally incorporate sensors to measure conditions of temperature, pH and ORP which have a critical influence on the organics and nitrogen treatment.  

Our team can provide proven technologies and products for onsite treatment, as well as an array of offsite treatment options for problematic streams. We also work with our customers to identify any changes to plant or process which would improve performance and efficiency. 

We support plant operators, maintenance engineers, environmental and engineering consultants on WWTW across many industries, including, municipal, pharmaceutical, agricultural, chemical and petrochemical. We understand the biological process depends on the nature of the wastewater but also on the nature of the activated sludge micro-organisms and their bioactivity.

Enva can support your biological wastewater process perform optimally, please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Contact our team | BM Advance2 | Data Analysis Examples

The activated sludge process is a means of treating municipal or industrial wastewater, using aeration and a micro-organism biomass, to remove biodegradable organic compounds. Many factors affect the performance of an activated sludge process, for example;

  • Nature, biodegradability and toxicity of the substrate to be treated
  • Consistency of influent
  • Food to Micro-organism Ratio (F:M)
  • Presence of Nutrients such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus and trace elements
  • Operating parameters, e.g. dissolved Oxygen, pH, temperature
  • Plant and equipment capacity and design

In most plants there is ongoing monitoring of key parameters such as DO, pH, COD/BOD, N, P etc through various stages of the process. This is important as it provides an overview of the fundamentals of the operation. However, in many cases the ‘fundamentals’ appear correct and yet the plant is not performing as it should. This may be an issue with toxicity or biodegradability of a particular component of the wastewater. Particular micro-organisms may be inhibited more than others, for example Nitrifying bacteria.

Enva offer a reliable diagnostic service for determining the root causes of inhibition within a biological wastewater process. 

Contact our team | BM Advance2 Respirometer | Data Analysis Examples

The BM-Advance2 Dual respirometer augments our laboratory capabilities for wastewater. Manufactured by Surcis, specialists in the field of respirometry and biological studies in wastewater treatment, the equipment scientifically measures the Oxygen Uptake Rate of a sample under a range of conditions.

Traditional studies focus on a narrow area, such as nitrification inhibition in one specific set of conditions. The BM-Advance2 allows for the study of multiple issues across multiple operating conditions, in a highly controlled and verifiable environment, bringing Pilot Plant Studies to a new level. Applications include:

  • Identifying components of wastewater which cause inhibition or poor performance
  • Assessing the biodegradability of wastewater
  • Understanding the effects of varying operating parameters, such as pH, temperature, DO, organic loading and nutrient levels
  • Assessing the oxygen requirements under differing conditions, identifying opportunities for energy savings
  • Optimising conditions for Nitrification and Denitrification
  • Assessing the value of bio-augmentation and supplementation
  • Achieving compliance through better knowledge of your processes.

Enva can support your team optimise the performance and efficiency of your wastewater treatment plant through root cause diagnostics.

Contact our team | BM Advance2 Respirometer | Data Analysis Examples

Our experience in wastewater treatment means that we work with our customer's on an individual case-by-case basis. We look at all factors that influence the performance of the wastewater treatment plant, helping to solve ‘Macro’ issues such as loading, nutrients, key operating parameters and further drilling into the ‘Micro’ issues of respirometry, inhibition and toxicity.

Our work with you would include;

  • Initial assessment and overview of your wastewater process, the waste streams that feed the plant, the current results and known issues that you wish to resolve
  • Selection of ‘suspect’ wastewater streams which may be causing issues for the micro-organism population
  • Agree a sampling and analysis programme with you to ensure that a representative study is carried out
  • Daily collection of samples as required
  • Carry out the required Respirometry and other microbiological studies in our laboratory
  • Regular updates on progress
  • Draft report and discussion with you on findings
  • Final Report with full detail on all results, interpretation and conclusions

Enva can provide proven technologies and products for onsite treatment, as well as an array of offsite treatment options for problematic streams, as required.

Contact our team | BM Advance2 Respirometry | Data Analysis Examples

Respirometry is the measurement and interpretation of the biological oxygen consumption rate under well-defined experimental conditions. Because oxygen consumption is directly associated with both biomass growth and substrate removal, respirometry is a very useful technique for monitoring, modelling and control of the activated sludge process.

Respirometry is crucial in the design, research and management of a wastewater treatment plant. The results obtained can be used to assess the exact requirements for the plant in order to optimise the efficiency at the lowest capital and operating costs.

This may benefit communities where there is increased demand on the local wastewater treatment plant to assess plant capabilities, evaluate current wastewater treatment plants for a productivity assessment and assess industrial effluent treatment capacity within a municipal plant.

Contact our team | BM Advance2 Respirometry | Data Analysis Examples

Contact

 

Privacy