Nijhuis Industries NEWS Magazine: Edition 3 (October 2014)

Recent Projects around the Globe

Containerized Solutions2

4 Nijhuis Water & Energy AuditAecomixTM in the Spotlight

Nijhuis Industries

T +31 (0)314 749 000

[email protected]

www.nijhuisindustries.com

NEWS MAGAZINE | EDITION 3 | OCTOBER 2014

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NEWS

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M. HOLTERMANCEO

NIJHUIS INDUSTRIES

Dear customers and business partners,

Thank you for taking the time to read the next edition of Nijhuis News. It is with pride that we would like to provide you with an insight into the exciting developments and successes our teams have achieved. The overwhelming interest in our AecomixTM technology is such an example where our experts have combined some of our leading technologies into a truly sustainable solution. The AecomixTM system treats waste and wastewater in one step reducing the use of chemicals and ope-rational cost compared to alternative solutions. It addresses the requirements of a growing number of global customers to reduce chemical consumption, improve sustainability and reduce operational cost at the same time.

In addition to the design, manufacturing and delivery of systems, turnkey solutions and added-value services we would like to introduce you to our containerized solutions for both municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. One of our answers to the growing demand for clean water is decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse. Nijhuis containerized solutions not only simplify the civil construction, consequently reducing the civil costs and project risk, but also reduce the installation and commissioning time on site as each container is manufactured and pre-assembled and tested at our state-of-the-art facility in the Nether-lands. Our containerized plants secure a minimal footprint and can easily be relocated or extended thanks to their modular design.

Disinfection of process- and wastewater is increasingly important to meet the ever deman-ding requirements and legislation to remove medical residues, hormones and pesticides from wastewater. Nijhuis Ozone Solutions specializes in disinfection of cooling tower water and process water reuse for different industrial applications. It is one of the leading front runners to successfully implement ozone treatment as a very effective and more sustainable alternative to biocides or other chemicals.

Many of our customers recognize the need to find new ways of doing business, but stumble on how to implement a responsible growth model. Our integrated audit solution, developed by NH2OK together with our partners Red Engineering and Veris, offers a comprehensive insight into available efficiency savings and improvement opportunities, mobilizing the design of a market-leading stretch vision and delivery plan across waste, water and energy. Often overlooked, the secret to success and longevity of your sustainability journey lies with your employees. Our creative stakeholder engagement campaigns underpin the change program by building positive sustainability momentum from the ‘inside out’, driving through operational change and inspirational results. We help companies do ‘more with less’ across waste, water and energy by linking people, communities and the environment to accelerate the sustainability journey. In addition to our continuous growth, expansion and desire to help you reduce your life-cycle cost we are looking forward to intensify our dialogue and offer you an even better and more extensive service backed-up with our on-line monitoring capabilities. Our motivated and experienced colleagues and business partners around the world are looking forward to offer you one of our solid solutions and help you achieve and exceed your challenges!

We hope you find this edition inspiring and thought-provoking.

Best regards,

Menno M. HoltermanChief Executive Officer

ACCELERATING THE SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY

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“ We transform environmental

aspirations into real actions and results,

powered by our engagement strategies to deliver an authentic

brand experience, creating long-term

shared value for key stakeholders and

supply chain partners.

CONTAINERIZED SOLUTIONS TO FULFILL FUTURE CHALLENGES

Governments and municipalities, as well as industrial clients are continuously searching for solutions to meet their sustainability requirements, lower their (environmental) footprint, improve human welfare, combine productivity and energy efficiency and ensure minimum life-cycle cost at the same time. These issues continue to pose a challenge to companies and municipalities that strive to meet economical and sustainable goals.

In the municipal market, small villages and towns all over the world are dealing with sanitary challenges. The distance from these villages to the main municipal wastewater treatment plant located in larger cities is often too substantial for their wastewater treatment to be integrated. Treatment facilities in decentralized locations are usually built to cope with the current situation, failing to take future changes into account such as the growth or decrease in population affecting the hydraulic capacity of the treatment plant. Industrial clients on the other hand who are looking to expand their production facility and reduce their environmental footprint, are faced with footprint limitations and capacity issues.

The Nijhuis containerized solutions for the industrial and municipal market provide numerous advantages such as complete pre-assembled plant delivery and minimum on-site installation and commissioning work. Containerized plants can be easily relocated or extended due to their modular design and offer a compact footprint.

Our containerized solutions are applicable to a variety of applications and technologies like physical and mechanical pre-treatment, MBR & MBBR treatment, anaerobic treatment and water recycling systems. Containerized ozone, dewatering, oil & gas slop water and rental systems complete our offerings.

The capacity of these containerized solutions ranges from 2 to 20,000 m3/day, serving 20 to 200.000 people per containerized municipal wastewater treatment unit. The systems are designed to be positioned both below as well as above ground and the modules and equipment are manufactured of stainless steel in different qualities.

CONTAINERIZED OZONE SOLUTIONS - PLUG AND PLAY SYSTEMThe complete plug & play containerized ozone system ensures installation costs are kept to a minimum and the ozone production is up and running in the shortest possible time.

Containerized systems of 60 g O3/h up to 60 kg O3/h can be provided with smaller systems built in a 10ft container and the larger units in 40 ft containers. Safety systems are part of the standard delivery package to deal with unexpected circumstances.

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Containerized plug & play ozone systems contain: • A power supply.• On-site oxygen production.• Integrated cooling system.• Ozone injection. • Online monitoring.

The container itself can be customized with additional features such as doors/windows, hoisting equipment, insulation class, ATEX standards and climate control.

Nijhuis Containerized Solutions:

• FAST TRACK project realization & limited on-site work. • COMPACT footprint, reducing civil works. • WORLDWIDE solution reference base. • RELIABLE technologies, components and materials. • ECONOMICAL lowest possible total cost of ownership. • SUSTAINABLE treatment based on state-of-the-art technologies. • FIT FOR FUTURE requirements: modular and transportable.

Operational costs and profits comparisonIn comparison to traditional solutions (chemical treatment, UASB or digester), the savings on power and chemicals are more than 20%. Operator attendance is reduced by at least 50% and since significantly less equipment is installed, annual maintenance costs are substatially lowered as well (> 50%).

The AecomixTM concept installed at this chocolate factory in the Middle East proved to be a revolutionary and highly innovative solution, especially tailored for food & beverage plants treating wastewasters with high TSS and/or FOG. Additional benefits can be realized when the plant is designed to treat factory waste as well. The concept provides a single step process solution for different substrates with a high removal efficiency (of organic matter) of more than 95% on COD. Since the majority of removed organics is transferred into biogas, a much higher biogas volume is achieved in comparison to traditional routes.

In the event post-treatment is required, this step will be less intensive in comparison to the traditional method because more organics will already have been removed in the AecomixTM process. This results in a smaller footprint and less OPEX for polishing.

Water is a critical resource in the food and beverage industry where increasingly demanding environmental requirements have given rise to new technologies and working practises to create a more sustainable way of treating and recycling wastewater.

Typical (waste)water solutions for these industries consist of multiple treatment steps in order to handle both soluble and solid waste streams. In contrast to the conventional method utilising EGSB and UASB/IC processes in combination with a pre-treatment system, the AecomixTM provides a simple one step solution – treating wastewater and organic waste streams in one reactor. Case Study A typical example of an operating AecomixTM system is a chocolate factory in the Middle East where wastewater and organic waste streams are treated together. The plant treats a volume of approximately 100 m3/day. The wastewater originates from the CIP (cleaning in place) of the chocolate machines.

The customer’s intention was to minimize and save water for cleaning the machines on site, resulting in a lower quantity of wastewater and a higher pollution load. To treat the highly polluted wastewater a pre-treatment system was installed which feeds the water into the AecomixTM producing biogas and reducing COD. Additionally a polishing step with a Nijhuis Biotreater, Sandfilter and Carbo-Pure ensures the expected effluent requirements are met. Spectacular ResultsThe liquid volume of the AecomixTM reactor is 1400 m3. The COD reduction as a result of the AecomixTM is 96-98 % and the methane content of the biogas is 63-68%. The results are above expectation (in design stage) resulting in considerable over-capacity during the post- treatment phase.

AECOMIXTM: THE ANAEROBIC PROCESS FOR COMBINED TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER AND ORGANIC FACTORY WASTE IN ONE SINGLE PROCESS

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To secure our customers optimal service these containerized rentals are connected via our Nijhuis on-line monitoring service with experts at our headquarters in Doetinchem. Our experienced specialists and service engineers are on standby offering advice to resolve any technical or process related issues and optimize the use of the wastewater treatment plant, lowering the total cost of ownership and consequently the operational expenditure.

NIJHUIS CONTAINERIZED RENTAL SOLUTIONS

Due to the high and increasing demands for our containerized rental solutions Nijhuis has invested in four new innovative mobile water treatment plants for the European and American market. These units are based on the famous Nijhuis flocculation – flotation principle and are suitable for flows of 5 to 130 m3 per hour. They can be up and running within a few days.

Upgrading rental containers for oil & gas industry Nijhuis has over 30 years experience in providing containerized solutions to the oil & gas industry and has delivered over 110 installations worldwide. In addition to offering a regular maintenance service based on the running hours of the containerized plant, the rental units can be upgraded or overhauled at our Nijhuis manufacturing facility to meet the latest required standards in the oil & gas industry.

Following the launch of the state of the art Nijhuis AecomixTM technology, Nijhuis H2OK has won the Innovation in Process Efficiency/Optimisation Award at this year’s Anaerobic Digestion & Biogas Industry Awards. A record number of guests attended the prestigious event on the 2nd of July to celebrate the innovative achievements in the UK’s anaerobic digestion industry over the past 12 months.

AECOMIXTM IN THE SPOTLIGHT:NIJHUIS AECOMIXTM TECHNOLOGY WINS AD & BIOGAS INDUSTRY AWARD

Upon receiving the award, Brian Scheffe, Head of Anaerobic Digestion and Industrial Effluent at Nijhuis H2OK, commented:

We are very pleased to receive the award and inform the market place

about the benefits of combined effluent treatment and organic solids digestion.

Providing reduced trade effluent charges and increased biogas yield will enhance

the financial viability of anaerobic digestion across numerous industries,

including the food and beverage sector.

The AecomixTM was also presented during the two day show as part of the ‘Business Case for Onsite Food & Drink’ seminar chaired by Brian Scheffe.

The AecomixTM concept in a nutshellWastewater can be fed directly to the AecomixTM if coarse solids are present that need to be macerated. The (solid) waste streams may need pre-treatment such as shredding, maceration or pasteurisation before feeding them to the AecomixTM. The AecomixTM reactor is a stirred tank, typically fitted with a membrane roof for gas storage. The net which supports the gas membrane also acts as a carrier for bacteria, causing some desulphurisation to occur in the biogas. Gentle mixing and gentle separation preserves biomass and biomass activity. A good solids-liquid separation determines the quality of this type of process. A Dissolved Gas Flotation (DGF) is the ideal process unit as it is robust and at the same time gentle for the treatment of biomass. The clarified liquid is directly discharged or introduced to a polishing step. Due to the high removal rates in the AecomixTM process any aerobic post-treatment is very compact and requires less energy to meet final requirements, especially compared to UASB reactors.

PERSONAL NOTE ABOUT THE

AECOMIXTM

ARIE KLUIT, TECHNICAL MANAGER

“I have been active in the wastewater treatment business for 36 years, of which 29 for Nijhuis. In those years I have been involved in many developments within the company and have seen the changes in the market. To me, the AecomixTM is the best representative of these developments.

The first AecomixTM systems were already developed and built more than 10 years ago. It is greatly rewarding to see how the market is reacting to this new development. Our second place in the Aquatech Innovation award last year was a great result, however to win the ADBA Innovation Award is even better. The AecomixTM is a rather unique and competitive concept to convert organic waste and wastewater in a single concept into biogas and clean water”.

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RECENT PROJECTS

OIL & GAS

SUCCESSFUL INSTALLATION AT COLOMBIA’S LARGEST OIL FIELD Colombia

In August 2014, Nijhuis engineers from the recently opened Latin America office in Bogota, visited Campo Rubiales oil field in western Colombia to support the installation works of the first Nijhuis state-of-the-art flocculation/flotation system (PFR 200 and a NPF200 HX), acquired by Nirosoft.

The area is home to the nation’s largest crude oilfield, contributing roughly to 20% of Colombia’s daily oil production. Startup of the plant and training to operators are scheduled for October 2014.

OIL & GAS NEW DAF SYSTEM FOR TCO Kazakhstan

TCO (Tengizchevroil) requires a bigger and more advanced DAF system for an existing wastewater treatment plant to treat water from an open drainage system including process water from various locations and facilities. The existing plant is no longer dealing with recycled water products but handling water products acceptable for disposal by means of injection. Due to the positive relationship with TCO and successful projects carried out in the past, Nijhuis Water Technology was awarded with the new DAF system project.

FOOD & BEVERAGE NIJHUIS POLAND INSTALLS MBBR SYSTEM FOR BAMA EUROPAPoland

The Nijhuis team in Poland successfully commissioned an innovative and compact wastewater treatment plant for Bama Europa, part of one of the biggest fast food franchises in the world. The system consists of a concrete buffer and MBBR tank backed with a containerized WWTP unit, combining effectiveness, small footprint and short time of work on site in one elegant solution. Nijhuis is proud to be among the first to deliver an MBBR system in Poland working on a full industrial scale.

McCormick Europe Ltd. operates a production facility at their site in Littleborough (United Kingdom), which encompasses two production facilities. The site manufactures sauces and condiments to the food retail and catering industry. NH2OK were awarded the contract for the provision of wastewater treatment plants for both sites, located at the Whitelees Road facility and the New Mills Street facility, for the treatment of all effluent arising from both sites. The selected treatment process for both locations was primary settlement incorporating a mixture of mechanical and chemical separation techniques in order to provide a treated effluent to specification which represents a robust design, and a reduced capital and operating cost.

TWO NEW WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS FOR McCORMICKS UK

Both the Whitelees Road, and the New Mills Street site have wastewater with a similar composition, and treated water requirements for discharge. NH2OK therefore based the process treatment design on the same process principles of filtration, flocculation and flotation with different sized pumps, tanks, and key equipment, to suit the individual sites.

The Whitelees Road treatment plant was designed to treat an average of 284 m3

of effluent per day with an average BOD strength of approximately 6800mg/L and TSS in the range of 900mg/L. Whereas the New Mills Street plant was designed to handle slightly lower strength effluent and a flow rate of approximately 35m3 per day, both plants will achieve a reduction in BOD of >40% and a TSS reduction of >90% providing the client significant trade effluent charge savings.

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OIL & GAS OFFICIAL OPENING JURONG ROCK Singapore The prestigious Jurong Rock Caverns for which Nijhuis designed, built and installed two high rate flotation units and disinfection systems, have officially opened. It is Singapore’s first subterranean cavern storage facility for oil products, located 150m below energy and chemicals hub Jurong Island. The $950 million facility consists of five nine-storey high underground caverns and will be used to store 1.47 million m3 of liquid hydrocarbons.

FOOD & BEVERAGE COMMISSIONING AT CENTRALE LAITIERE IN FULL SWING Morocco

Earlier this year the installation of the wastewater treatment system for Centrale Laitiere in Morocco was finalized and commissioned to enable the system to work in automatic mode. The designed treatment plant includes Aquarake filters, neutralization in an aerated balance tank, flotation with polymer, and a double SBR system with surface aerators and decanter for sludge dewatering. The commissioning was followed up with a second visit to optimize the neutralization system and carry out full French language training for operators.

SEWAGE TREATMENT

SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT FOR UK HOLIDAY PARKUnited Kingdom

NH2OK has supplied, installed and commissioned a new sewage treatment plant and pumping station for Bridge Leisure at Turnberry Holiday Park (Scotland).

As part of the expansion of the holiday park the operator needed to expand and improve its on-site sewage treatment facilities. NH2OK supplied the treatment and undertook the civils, mechanical and electrical installation.

EDIBLE OIL NEW CONTRACT WITH LONG TERM CLIENT EFKORussia

Nijhuis Water Technology has concluded a new contract with long term client EFKO for one of their milk plants.

In cooperation with the local engineering team EFKO’s existing biological treatment plant was optimized with a new pre-treatment system consisting of a flocculation/flotation system and an active sludge flotation unit.

WASTE TO VALUE CONTAINERIZED CHP PRODUCES GREEN ENERGY OUT OF WASTE Burkino Faso

Nijhuis is delivering a containerized combined heat and power installation to FasoBIOgaz in Ouagadougou, Burkino Faso, to produce green energy out of waste. One of the main goals of the biogas plant in Ouagadougou is to become an independent profit centre. The total system consists of a mix tank, lagoon digester, press separator, containerized CHP and a flare. The digestate from the digester is separated by a press separator into a solid and a liquid fraction.

The installation can handle 12,000 tons of slaughterhouse waste, 9,000 tons of by-products and 8,000 tons of organic waste per year. The containerized CHP will produce approx. 6,000 kW/h per day and has the possibility to expand, depending on the available biomass and space. The project is currently under construction.

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Nijhuis & W+B treated Azomures’ requests with

professionalism and greatattention to detail.

The Nitrogenous Fertilizer Plant AZOMURES is committed to build a new wastewater treatment plant and has awarded Nijhuis and Dutch engineering company Witteveen+Bos the contract for this large, ambitious project to help meet strict discharge requirements. Technical Director at Azomures, Mr. Aurel Botezan, explained: “One of our current objectives is to become a ‘green’ company. In the light of this aspiration, Azomures intends to build a new biological wastewater treatment plant to discharge clean effluent into the river”.

The Nijhuis solution To fulfill the wishes of Azomures, Nijhuis designed a system with a pumping station to transfer the water 3,5 kilometers from the Azomures plant to the Aquaserv site. Here the wastewater will be collected in two parallel biological treatment systems consisting of several pre- and post-denitrification and nitrification tanks in which production water, and eventually wastewater from a nearby brewery, will be fed to ensure optimal treatment.

Challenges

As stated by Mr. Botezan “the project started with

a feasibility study that highlighted the best solution for us. The study was prepared by Witteveen+Bos, who demonstrated a high level of involvement and professionalism in achieving all the necessary tasks”.

The large amount of wastewater provides an interesting challenge for Nijhuis and W+B to design a WWTP with a small footprint within the available plot of land. Azomures was searching for a robust design based on the lowest possible OPEX.

CLEAN WATER FOR LARGEST FERTILIZER PLANT IN ROMANIA

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The two companies will provide a complete turnkey solution directly next to the Tîrgu-Mures municipal treatment site, Aquaserv. Due to the large amount of wastewater and the available footprint, Azomures decided to outsource the operation of the plant to Aquaserv.

Why Nijhuis and Witteveen+Bos Mr. Aurel Botezan explained that, “After an extensive and deep evaluation of all proposals, Azomures chose the most attractive solution and awarded Nijhuis and Witteveen+Bos the EPC contract. Other reasons for choosing Nijhuis and Witteveen+Bos include: • The solution is a suitable technology for the Azomures wastewater characteristics. • The type of wastewater is familiar to Nijhuis & Witteveen+Bos. • The number of Nijhuis & Witteveen+Bos references & commercial terms. • The scheduled project realization time. • The possibilities for future development. In addition to the design and technology chosen, the extensive experience and reputation of both Nijhuis and Witteveen+Bos to realize this kind of complicated and large-scale project in a timely manner has been very important”.

This plant is quite similar to the Sunrise Poultry Kill plant in Lethbridge, Alberta that Nijhuis installed several years ago.

The installation will commence in early 2015.

Nijhuis H2OK has developed a specialist capability providing water, waste and energy audits for the food and beverage market. The company’s in-house expertise and experience in providing consultancy services for food, beverage and industrial projects has been brought together to offer a bespoke service for its clients.

The aim is to complete the capabilities currently provided by Nijhuis Industries in providing a total solution by being engaged to evaluate the client’s existing operating processes and determine the water, wastewater, heat and energy use of a specific site.

improve efficiency, reduce cost and create value.

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Nijhuis announces third meat processing plant for Dunn-Rite Foods Canada

Nijhuis is pleased to announce the commencement of a third meat processing plant with Sunrise Farms. The new plant near Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) will be a Dunn-Rite Foods plant. Sunrise Farms, the parent company to several Canadian meat processing plants, has put its trust once more with Nijhuis to deliver a state of the art system to meet the required demands.

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Following this, options can be identified to improve efficiency, reduce cost and create value and engage with both senior management, staff and the supply chain in driving through improvements. This can then lead to the seamless design, supply and installation of any identified solutions together with operational and maintenance support.

Nijhuis H2OK works in the UK with two partners to complete the full scope, Red Engineering who are Heat and Energy Consultants and Veris (previously branded as Wastesolve), who are experts in Resource and Waste management. Nijhuis H2OK are currently commissioned alongside Veris in providing audits across sites for Tulip Foods in the UK, who are part of Danish Crown. The initial audits on 3 sites that have been undertaken have identified a number of areas where significant efficiencies would result from the installation of equipment and improvements to operating practices.

PROUDLY PRESENTING . . . WATER & ENERGY AUDITS

Water is a critical resource in the poultry industry where increasingly demanding environmental requirements have given rise to new technologies and working practises to create a more sustainable way of operating poultry processing plants. This includes process optimization, treating and recycling wastewater and recovery of valuable resources.

The sustainable poultry processing concept is based on broad experience and application know-how within the global poultry industry to meet increasingly demanding sustainability requirements.

The concept aims to lower the TCO of poultry processing plants and minimize the environmental footprint.

SUSTAINABLE POULTRY PROCESSING PLANT DESIGN

High quality valuables recovered out of the waste and water generate revenue from by-products, like fat from flotation sludge and fertilizer from the biogas plant. Energy costs are reduced due to the heat production on-site while energy production can be used for private or commercial purposes.

The technological solutions are developed by multidisciplinary, specialized teams combining the experience of the Nijhuis global engineering and research teams based on state-of-the-art technologies and a wide range of tailor-made services.

FLOTATION FAT RECOVERY SYSTEM - CREATING VALUE OUT OF WASTEWATER It is well-known that during the process of cleaning wastewater from high fat content effluent (produced in a bacon factory for example) solid-fat needs to be separated from the wastewater. The flotation-sludge generated during the cleaning process usually confronts customers with high disposal-costs. One of the solutions to reduce disposal costs and create revenue out of flotation-sludge is separating the valuable fat from the sludge.

NIJHUIS INNOVATIONS

How to separate flotation-sludge?Heating the mixture allows the material, that consist of three layers, to separate. The three layers can be separated by gravity separation, however, this does not provide a thorough separation of solids and fats. More advanced mechanical separation techniques are required to guarantee a thorough separation of all three layers and substantially increase the yield of fat.

Usage of recovered fatThe separated fat obtained can be used for various technical purposes such as fuel for steam boilers or biofuel, however, the fat is also a trade-commodity with high value. In general every m³ of flotation-sludge will yield approximately 50 kg of valuable fat.

How to use the water and separated solids?The separated water can be sent back to a wastewater treatment plant, whereas the separated solids-proteins can be utilised as material to feed an anaerobic digester, utilising the solids for composting and/or ingredients for fertilisers.

Nijhuis solutions do not only provide customers with a solution for their wastewater but also help eliminate costly bi-products and turn them into valuable end-products, creating value out of wastewater.

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Micro pollutants are substances that conventional municipal treatment systems cannot remove before discharging to surface waters. These substances are residues of pharmaceuticals, hormones and pesticides that cause risks to health and the environment. Research in Germany has demonstrated that ozone is a viable solution to fully remove these micro pollutants without the use of chemicals. The institute IUTA in Germany is a bridge between laboratory research and practical implementation of ozone technology on site.

Christian ter Horst and Marcel Oonk from Nijhuis Ozone Solutions visited the German city of Duisburg which has taken a leading role in the field of environmental research and challenges. They met Dr. rer. nat. Jochen Türk from the IUTA (Institut für Energie- und Umwelttechnik e.V., Institute of Energy and Environmental Technology). An interesting discussion followed about the approach of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the IUTA in the municipal and industrial wastewater industry and the possibilities of applying ozone technology. Dr. rer. nat. Jochen Türk has been working at the IUTA for over 10 years where he is involved in bio- and environmental monitoring work and responsible for techniques like ozone to remove micro pollutants from water. The chemical and biological characteristics of wastewater play a major part in his research work. Dr. Türk came in contact with Nijhuis Industries during the recent IFAT show in Munich. The ozone generator at the Nijhuis Industries booth was literally his first point of contact with our company. Dr Türk, could you tell us what the IUTA is doing and how it tends to operate? “IUTA is a private institution with its own management. The institute is working on a project by project basis funded by a variety of governmental (NRW, Germany and EU) and

an economical perspective, the team will work out a commercially sound solution to suit. Current research topics include trace analysis using LC-MS, as well as the development of oxidative procedures for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment”. What is the working procedure in your district when it comes to the design and installation of municipal plants? “Usually the operator of the wastewater treatment plant contact an engineering company or research institue to carry out the initial stages of the project. They will investigate and undertake a feasibility study to determine the type of technology that offers the best solution. NRW and Baden-Württemberg (another district in Germany) are more progressive

in adopting new technologies for the reduction of micro pollutants in wastewater and process water as opposed to other more conservative districts in Germany. At the moment NRW is very keen to use technologies like ozone and to introduce them to other districts in Germany”.

”“In 2011 the Duisburg WWTP

got its own ozone installation.

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INTERVIEW DR. TÜRK (IUTA): OZONE TECHNOLOGY IN GERMANY

industrial sponsors. One main point of focus of our projects is to collaborate with the industry out there in order to transfer academic knowledge into new or improved products and industrial processes. Our strength lies in special projects because of our in-house skills and knowledge - we are not a standard laboratory. We have more than 140 employees and the IUTA provides ca. 2400 m² of office and laboratory space and ca. 4000 m² of pilot plant area for our research activities”.

How are these projects carried out? “We are always searching for new developments and products to tackle environmental problems. IUTA takes a leading role during the research phase of the project and usually invites 3 - 4 different companies to discuss different solutions. If the best proposal makes sense from a technical as well as

OCTOBER OCT 23-24 Fat & Oil Conference (Russia) OCT 27-29 Cheese Processing Technology Forum, Torun (Poland)

EVENTS/CALENDAR

NOVEMBER

NOV 5 Hoseasons Conference (Cardiff, United Kingdom)

JANUARY

JAN 12-14 NW Food Processor Expo Portland (USA) JAN 26-30 International Production & Processing Expo, Atlanta (USA)

Does this mean that the NRW is focussing on acquiring a ‘greener image’? “NRW covers a large industrial area known as the Ruhr catchment (Ruhrgebiet) where a certain strategy is applied to reduce micro pollutants in the water. Since January 2012 the area has been highlighted as a ‘green zone’. In 2011, the Duisburg WWTP got its own ozone installation. It was a big challenge to turn that into a good working WWTP but after some modifications the installation works fine now. The installation was an interesting pilot project, not only for the city but for the whole district. The water quality in NRW has improved significantly in the last few years because of the reduction in micro pollutants.

The communication with the municipalities and the water industry takes place in close coordination with NRW. At the moment, various tools and references are being promoted to establish a greater awareness about activated carbon and ozone technology for treatment plants. We are attending various national and international events as well. I also believe that something can be done on

a larger political scale to place more focus on ‘being green’ and to inspire and engage people”.

And what about the German industry, what is the general attitude towards removing residues from wastewater? “Wastewater is an important theme for a lot of companies and ozone is an interesting solution to remove final residues from water. Normally, companies start with a feasibility study of the selected system. With pasteurization lines for example, they are very willing to think about chemical free disinfection and the removal of pesticides with ozone. I expect that as we continue to develop more cleaning techniques, the number of decentralized WWTPs will go up as well. Disinfection is an important topic around the world”.

So does that mean there will be more focus on disinfection and ozone technology? What do you think about the general attitude towards the use of ozone in Germany? “To come back to our WWTP and ozone installation in Duisburg: it is important to continue to

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communicate with the local community about the use of ozone and what ozone is. Initally, they were a little sceptical but later on when people started to see the advantages we noticed a major change. It is all about communication and I am excited to see what the future will bring in the ozone industry”.

Conclusion Especially in the food industry for disinfection, pasteurization or sterilization lines ozone is an interesting solution to ensure bacteria free products and guarantee food safety. The presence of heated water and product spills in process water is an ideal environment for bacterial growth. Ozone removes bacteria with the added advantage that hazardous biocides or chemicals are no longer required in the process. On a smaller scale ozone is also used for swimming pools in Germany. Ozone treatment is a highly innovative and interesting technology to achieve numerous sustainable and economical goals, leaving no chemical residues in the water.