Cost-effective wastewater treatment

We asked Michael Poonpipat who is Business Development Director, Thailand Industrial, Veolia Water Technologies, to describe the company's wastewater management solutions: Biobed^® Advanced and the AnoxKaldnes^TM Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR), both available to brewery and beverage manufacturers.

Please tell us about the features of the new Biobed^® Advanced anaerobic wastewater reactor.

Biobed^® Advanced is a novel anaerobic granular sludge technology developed by Veolia. A marriage between the Biothane^® Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) and the Biobed^® Expanded Granular Sludge Bed (EGSB) solutions, the innovative reactor combines the star features of both solutions effectively.

Renowned for its high Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal efficiency, and stability in maintaining and producing anaerobic granular sludge, the Biothane UASB is capable of highest performance due to its ability to handle suspended solids. On the other hand, the Biobed^® EGSB is widely known for its high loading rate and small footprint due to its tall reactor design. The combined capabilities of both solutions result in the Biobed^® Advanced Technology often being the choice anaerobic reactor for performing wastewater treatment processes.

How is the reactor different from others?

The Biobed^® Advanced reactor combines the stable and reliable excellent performance of Biothane’s UASB system, with the cost-effectiveness and small footprint of the Biobed^® EGSB technology. Compared to other anaerobic systems available in the market, the Biobed^® Advanced technology requires less investment, less overall operating costs, and less operator attention without compromising on performance. In fact, the advanced reactor guarantees more enhanced performance due to its superior sludge retention characteristics.

Manufacturers are decidedly looking to reduce their business impact on the environment. How does an investment in the Biobed^® technology help companies to achieve their goal?

As companies become more socially and environmentally conscious, they develop corporate agendas and implement new solutions in order to maintain a ‘green’ image. Push factors like the tightening of environmental and local regulations, coupled with increasing water and wastewater challenges such as water scarcity threats and climate change, have also contributed to this emerging trend. For these reasons, companies are facing an urgent need to implement cost-effective wastewater management solutions.

As a leading provider of water and wastewater solutions, Veolia is dedicated to developing and catering the right solutions for our customers’ long-term needs. The Biobed^® Advanced Technology is an ideal anaerobic wastewater technology that combines low operational costs with high reactor performance. By implementing an advanced reactor, companies will be better able to manage their wastewater disposal, in compliance with the various regulations.

Besides the Biobed^® technology, Veolia also has other solutions such as Veolia’s Water Impact Index and the True Cost of Water to help industries improve their water savings and water footprint. Water is fast becoming a scarce resource that companies have to evaluate and manage to anticipate for future water risks. Without access to water, it can become difficult for manufacturers to continue with their production. As an example, the Chinese government has already implemented regulations to reduce the impact of business activities on the environment by disallowing new industrial projects and prohibiting use of fertilizers or chemicals in Miyun County (Probe International, 2011).

AnoxKaldnes is another technology from Veolia. How will it benefit beverage companies?

AnoxKaldnes^TM Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology is a biological solution that is based on the biofilm principle. During development, an active biofilm grows within specially engineered plastic carriers that are suspended in the reactor and kept in motion by blast air injections in aerobic systems, or by stirrers in anoxic or anaerobic systems. The technology utilizes the advantages of both activated sludge and other biofilm systems (e.g. biofilters and biorotors) without being restrained by their disadvantages. The carriers are designed to provide a large protected surface area for the biofilm to grow, while suspension of the carriers in water helps to maintain the optimal conditions for the bacteria culture to grow.

Characterized by its relatively small footprint, the MBBR can achieve up to 70% COD removal and handle extremely high loading conditions without clogging problems. MBBR is a robust process capable of removing organic matter, which makes the technology highly relevant and beneficial to companies in the beverage industry, where the wastewater usually contains traces of organic compounds (e.g. sugars, ethanol, and soluble starch) that are easily degradable and non-toxic.

How long does it take to incorporate these solutions in a beverage facility or brewery?

There are several factors that go towards determining the time taken to incorporate wastewater solutions, like the project size and scope, and existing considerations, for instance, whether it is a greenfield project, or whether is it to retrofit an existing plant.

As a one-stop water and wastewater management solutions provider, Veolia has full capabilities to provide a full suite of solutions to these companies. Our steadfast commitment extends to being present at every stage of the whole process (from pre to post solutions implementation) and we work closely with all our clients to ensure that we meet their desired timelines.

In 2013, we worked with Nestlé to transform its dairy factory in Jalisco, Mexico, to become the company’s first “zero water” manufacturing site in the world. The objective was to treat the effluent from Nestle’s wastewater plant for reuse. We incorporated an advanced polishing system that was inaugurated in late 2014, and the unit produced a filtrate virtually free from solids, enabling Nestle to reuse the treated water for cooling, cleaning, and industrial purposes.

Please update us on the company’s greenfield project with a brewery in China.

Veolia was awarded this project in December 2014 and it has since commenced. This project holds great significance for both parties involved. For the client, this greenfield project is notable because it will be their flagship brewery worldwide. By partnering with Veolia to manage their wastewater, the leading international beer manufacturer demonstrates its active role in managing water and wastewater, even across international boundaries. For Veolia, this marks our first partnership with this globally acclaimed beverage manufacturer in China. Through this project, we were given the opportunity to showcase our capabilities in tailoring first-class water and wastewater treatment solutions for clients who have operations in different continents.