OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D)
INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER
Implementation of
treatment tests
of industrial wastewater
on a laboratory scale
Analysis and simple treatment tests of industrial wastewater
Industrial water and wastewater technology often requires treatment tests to be carried out on a laboratory scale for process engineering reasons or regulatory requirements, as process engineering and/or system engineering design parameters are not available in the required quality. The experimental tests in the laboratory for ion exchanger processes are usually carried out as column tests in the downflow in accordance with an investigation program that may be adjusted on the basis of interim results. The samples obtained during the tests are analyzed. During the evaluation and documentation of the tests carried out, the design parameters required for the design of the process and system technology are also determined where necessary. When recirculating rinsing water and/or treating partial (wastewater) streams or when post-cleaning the treated wastewater, meaningful results can already be achieved with the help of laboratory tests that enable the upscaling process. In some cases, however, it is advisable to secure this process via an intermediate step with a pilot or technical centre system. For the monitoring of process-relevant individual steps, the required measurement technology and/or the analysis methods to be used can be defined on the basis of the test results.
When inspecting existing systems, the capacity of the ion exchangers used is tested according to standardized procedures and allows the current state of the system technology to be assessed and provides information on any deficits that may still need to be verified through targeted treatment tests.
Depending on the application, it may already be sufficient to determine one parameter, e.g. a monitoring parameter for industrial wastewater treatment in accordance with the German Wastewater Ordinance (AbwV), which is relevant for discharging the treated wastewater into the municipal wastewater treatment plant (indirect discharge). If this parameter has been complied with, documentation of the value is sufficient. If an in-house inspection is not possible, this can also be carried out externally by DECKER.
Consulting and R&D projects Industry Waste water
When using a (new) treatment procedure in the ion exchanger technology or the chemical-physical wastewater treatment or in the event of non-compliance with a monitoring parameter from the regulatory requirements of industrial wastewater treatment, the existing deficits must be identified and suitable legal and procedural remedial measures designed and the procedural effectiveness tested by means of analyses in the laboratory- and, if necessary, on a pilot plant scale.
If no standardized solution using established techniques, e.g. by using a selective exchanger, represents an immediate solution to the problem, DECKER offers to carry out a consulting and research and development (R&D) project in order to evaluate the risks and opportunities that have arisen or may arise and to identify possible solutions.
Within this scope, an R&D project plan is drawn up in which milestones are defined. The main areas of investigation are determined in defined work packages and, as far as possible, the planned experimental and conceptual work is specified. The investigations are carried out on a laboratory and pilot plant scale in accordance with the task to be completed. When evaluating the investigations on the basis of measured values and/or the results of analytical investigations, process and system-specific parameters can be obtained which can be used for the dimensioning of the system technology, the determination of operating parameters and the assessment of the economic efficiency of process variants.
As a rule, the R&D agreement provides for free availability of the results for the client. However, it is also in the nature of an R&D project that, although results are always achieved, they are not necessarily commercially exploitable.
The tests were carried out and the results presented on site at the client’s premises or at DECKER. The participation of the client is possible at any time. Interim status meetings can also be held on site via Barco or online, e.g. via Teams.
