ACTIFLO® CARB Combined solution for phosphorus and emerging contaminants removal
Goncalves, A. – SIAAP-DDP
(free)
One of the next technical and scientific challenges for the sewage industry will relate to the contamination of the effluents by pharmaceutical residues: hormones, anti-cancer drugs and other therapeutic classes (antibiotics, hypertensive medicines or antidepressant). Thus, even if the legal requirements do not impose quality targets for that type of molecules, the SIAAP (Syndicat Interdépartemental pour l’Assainissement de l’Agglomération Parisienne) is already working on improving the knowledge of the effluent contamination levels and above all of the efficiency of the treatment processes relating to those residues. In that context, the SIAAP in collaboration with OTV has been testing the efficiency of a tertiary treatment process: the Actiflo® Carb (Veolia Eau). This tertiary settlement process is using the active carbon adsorption capacity (Powdered Activated Carbon, Norit) on the micro pollutants, which are removed with the extracted carbon. This process can be combined to chemical oxidation at the inlet of the PAC reactor. Trials have been performed on a mobile Actiflo® Carb unit, with a treatment capacity of 50 to 100 m3/h, installed on the residual urban water treatment site of Seine Aval (Achères, Yvelines,
treatment capacity: 1.7 million m3/day – 6 millions inh/eq) at the outlet of the biological treatment.
The study, performed between April and October 2013, mainly aimed at testing the capacity of the process to remove the micro and macro pollutants in order to identify the key factors for exploitation and design, to assess the technical and economical data, but also:
- Assess the performances of the process developed by OTV for different types of micro pollutants that can be found in treated wastewater before its discharge to the environment.
- Gather information about design, functioning characteristics, health and safety aspects related to the use of PAC, consumables (fluids, chemicals …) and treatment rates.
With Phosphorous removal up to 95% with the appropriate dose of coagulant, the Actiflo® Carb pilot has achieved removal rate between in excess of 80% for 7 key micro pollutants while a Powdered Activated Carbon dose of 15mg/l was applied. The information obtained from the pilot will then be used to design full-scale installation plant at the SIAAP.
