“Making water and wastewater treatment
infrastructure 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
automation 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 automation solution used
by the Abwasserverband 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
treatment plant. (Find out more in the
article on page 34).
Another example of successful
automation in the wastewater industry is
the central wastewater treatment plant
in Grésillons, near Paris. Up to 100,000
cubic metres of waste water 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
international 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
wastewater treatment are
central issues that we will
have to address more
proactively in the future.”
Dr. Eckhard Roos, Head of Process Automation Management, Festo