Page 18 - trends in automation 1.2013
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development. This is also confirmed by
Dr. Eckhard Roos, Head of Process Auto-
mation Management at Festo: “Making
water and wastewater treatment infra-
structure more robust and efficient and
hence significantly improving treatment
requires radically new process design
and advanced automation technology.”
Alexander Riek, who is heading up the
project “Energy self-sufficient auto-
mation of decentralised water reservoirs
in water management” at Festo, shows
how solutions from process automation
can be turned into sustainable solutions
for cities and local authorities. The auto-
mation solution used by the Abwasserver-
band Weißach und Oberes Saalbachtal
is based on regenerative energy in the
form of solar energy and ensures that the
maximum outflow from the stormwater
overflow tanks to the relevant wastewater
treatment plant is not exceeded. Using a
GSM modem, the entire system can be
controlled and monitored from the remote
control centre for the wastewater treat-
ment plant. (Find out more in the article
on page 36).
Another example of successful auto-
mation in the wastewater industry is the
central wastewater treatment plant in
Grésillons, near Paris. Up to 100,000 cubic
metres of wastewater are treated here
every day. Thanks to the automation of
28 biofilters, all filter tank data can be
recorded and monitored, thus permanently
optimising the treatment process.
Pilot projects lead the way
The importance of complete automation
from actuation to process control level
is illustrated by the Chua Chu Kang water
treatment plant in Singapore. Sand-bed
filters are used to purify the water. Gate
valves, linear actuators and the valve
terminal CPX/MPA from Festo are used
for complete process control. The valve
terminals communicate with the higher-
order controller via PROFIBUS.
In most of the 52 African states, water
treatment plant capacity will need to be
significantly expanded in the future.
Festo is already working on-site on several
projects. Among them is Kleinbrak –
a treatment plant for river water. For the
plants in Mossel Bay, near Cape Town,
Metropolitan Solutions –
Hanover Trade Fair 2013
Festo demonstrated how state-of-the-art process automation can optimise
water and sewage technology in metropolises at Metropolitan Solutions at the
Hanover Trade Fair 2013. This standalone trade fair is the most important inter-
national platform for showcasing technical solutions for urban infrastructures
from numerous industries. Festo was there to show its energy-efficient and cost-
optimised solutions for urban infrastructure. Complete solutions and sample
applications with efficient control concepts are opening up new perspectives for
the sustainable use of water.
“Resource and energy
efficiency in water and waste-
water treatment are central
issues that we will have to
address more pro-actively in
the future.”
Dr. Eckhard Roos, Head of Process Automation Management, Festo
