The QualityCompany –Worldwide

HUBER INNOVATIONResearch Projects Worldwide

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Hans Huber AGMaschinen- und AnlagenbauIndustriepark Erasbach A1D-92334 BerchingGermany

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Foreword

According to a 2006 report of theUnited Nations, 1.1 billion peopleworldwide (one fifth of worldpopulation) have no access to cleanpotable water and around 40% of theglobal population have to livewithout proper sanitation andwastewater treatment. In order toachieve the Millennium DevelopmentGoals (MDG) to half the number ofpeople without access to cleandrinking water and without propersanitation by the year 2015, it isimperative to develop adaptedconcepts and customized solutions.Generally, decentralized andresource-saving solutions must bepreferred; solutions, achievable withthe available resources and adaptedto the needs of the people,permitting sustainable developmentby consequent recycling andintegrated management ofresources.

Due to its conviction of the ecologicaland socio-economical relevance ofrecycling, the Hans Huber AG investsin several research anddemonstration projects with theimplementation of decentralizedwastewater treatment systems thatenable the recovery of nutrients aswell as the reuse of water. Theseinnovative sanitary concepts arecalled Decentralized Sanitation andReuse (DeSa/R®) solutions. It is ourobjective to promote publicacceptance of new complete systemsolutions and, finally, to improve ourchances to export our owntechnologies, by transfer of know-how and participative processes.This booklet introduces researchprojects of the Hans Huber AG thathave been carried out with theobjective to develop and test, underpractical conditions, DeSa/R®systems that generate service waterof various quality and recovernutrients as well as energy fromwastewater.

Dr. Stefania Paris,Head of R&D

Berching, Mai 2008

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The HUBER Research Team –Global Activities

The HUBER Research Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Research Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Research Projects Worldwide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

ChinaReduction of fresh water consumption by convertinggrey water into service water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

GermanyReUse Concept – Treatment of the separated wastewaterflows yellow, brown and grey water in the Recovery Plantwith the aim to reuse the treated water in the ReUse Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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GermanyRunoff Water – Treatment of rainwater fromparking spaces and roadways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

JordanDevelopment of innovative processes for wastewatertreatment with membrane bioreactors and therequirement of groundwater recharge in Jordan Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

PeruIntegrated wastewater and waste disposal systems for megacities.Example: Lima Metropolitana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

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The HUBER Research Team

We develop and test our newtechnologies at our headquarters inBerching. To adapt them to thedifferent specific requirementsprevailing in the individual countriesaround the world, additional on sitetesting is carried out. Theimplementation of demonstrationprojects, in cooperation withresearch institutes, ensures thereliable operation and know-howtransfer with package solutions inother countries. Our goal is thedevelopment of new technologiesand sustainable solutions.

LaboratoryOur new certified laboratory at ourheadquarters in Berching providesstate-of-the-art analysis equipmentfor the determination of more than30 different wastewater parameters(hardness, chlorides, etc.) inaccordance with the presentlyapplicable standard methods. Thefloc structure and diversity ofmicroorganisms in activated sludgeare analyzed microscopically. Ourlaboratory carries out among othersthe required analyses within thescope of regular maintenance ofsmall onsite sewage treatmentplants.

HUBER INNOVATION – Ideas for Water

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IntroductionClosing local water, material and energy cycles

The treatment of municipalwastewater close to the source is oneof the main goals of DeSa/R®(Decentralized Sanitation andReuse), so that the treated water canbe safely reused for irrigation ofagricultural land, infiltration or astoilet flush water.In cooperation with internationallyrenowned research facilities, and

partly on its own, the Hans Huber AGruns various ambitious researchprojects worldwide. Its goal is todemonstrate how to close localcycles by means of simple and cost-effective technologies. Wastewater isno longer considered waste materialbut a "secondary" raw material forthe recovery of service water,fertilizer and energy.

The HUBER Research Team

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Research Topics

A very promising method ofwastewater treatment is theanaerobic treatment technology. Themain advantage of this method is theproduction of nutrient-rich

fermentation residues, which can beused as fertilizers or soil improvers.In addition, the produced energy-richbiogas enables the generation ofheat and electricity.

anaerobic

Mechanical treatment systems arefast and affordable solutions thatenable the elimination of most solidsfrom raw wastewater. Theconventional liquid-solid separation

and the mechanical chemicaltreatment (precipitation andflocculation) provide a significantimprovement of the effluent qualitiy.

mechanical

The most innovative technology forbiological sewage treatment is theMembrane BioReactor (MBR). Thetreatment of the MBR is acombination of the well-known

activated sludge process andmembrane filtration. Our submergedultrafiltration membranes enablesthe production of a germ-freeeffluent, which is suitable for reuse.

membrane

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Most of the nutrients in wastewaterare introduced with urine. Around87% of the nitrogen and 50% of thephosphorus are dissolved in only 1 to1.5 l/(P*d) of urine. So it is suggestiveto collect undiluted urine, recover itsvaluable nutrients and eliminate

micro-pollutants. Our treatmentsystem consists of a two-stepchemical-physical process that iscarried out precipitation reactorfollowed by stripping and absorptioncolumns.

urine

Grey water is the part of domesticwastewater which is free of faeces.Due to its relatively low content ofpollutants, grey water can be treatedwith comparatively little effort for the

production of service water that isavailable for toilet flushing, laundrywashing or irrigation.

grey water

Especially in urban areas adecentralized treatment of heavyloaded road runoffs is a sustainableand low-cost alternative to traditionalwater treatment systems. A multi-

stage system provides the adequatetreatment of road runoffs both at lowinvestment and operating costs.

rainwater

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Research Projects Worldwide

Topics:anaerobic

mechanical

membrane

urine

grey water

rainwater

PeruIntegrated wastewater and waste disposalsystems for mega cities. Example: LimaMetropolitana (pp. 20-21)

JordanDevelopment of innovative processes for wastewater treatment withmembrane bioreactors and the requirement of groundwater recharge inJordan Valley (pp. 18-19)

SMART: IRWM Lower Jordan Valley – Planning, implementation and start-up ofa research and demonstration plant for decentralized treatment ofwastewater for reuse

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Arabic EmiratesDecentralized Reuse of rawwastewater from sewers for greenirrigation

VietnamSANSED II – Closing nutrient cycles via hygienicsubstrates from decentralized water managementsystems in the Mekong Delta

ChinaReduction of fresh water consumption byconverting grey water into service water(pp. 12-13)

GermanyReUse Concept – Treatment of the separated wastewater flowsyellow, brown and grey water in the Recovery Plant with the aim ofreuse the treated water in the ReUse Park (pp. 14-15)

ANAMEM – Development of an anaerobic high performance reactorfor the treatment of municipal wastewater

Runoff Water – Treatment of rainwater from parking spaces androadways (pp. 16-17)

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ChinaReduction of fresh water consumption by converting grey waterinto service water

The SituationAll around the world and also inChina valuable drinking water is usedfor menial purposes as irrigation ofgreen or toilet flushing. Such practiceoften leads to drinking watershortage. Especially big and rapidlygrowing cities suffer under waterscarcity due to population growthand rising consumption.

The fresh water consumption ofhouseholds can easily be reduced bytreatment and reuse of grey waterfrom bathrooms and kitchen skins.Various technical solutions are nowavailable for production of high-quality service water from usedwater.

mechanical membrane grey water

Pilot Plant for Grey Water Treatment

Dosing Station

Screenings

SurplusSludge

SandfilterHUBER CONTIFLOW®

UV-Disinfection

Membrane Bio-ReactorHUBER MCB

MicroscreenHUBER RoDisc®

ServiceWater

GreyWater

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HUBER ResearchThe following technologies representpossible solutions for grey watertreatment:1) Membrane bioreactor system

(biological-physical treatment)2) Precipitation-flocculation and

filtration with disc filter (chemical-physical treatment) and

3) Biodegradation and sand filtration(biological-physical treatment).

In the pilot plant the collected greywater is pre-treated by coagulation/flocculation and micro-screeningfollowed either by MBR-treatment orsand filtration plus disinfection. Theobjectives of the investigations arethe compliance of the effluentqualities with the Chineserequirements for water reuse inhouseholds as well as theidentification of reliable design datafor all process combinations.

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GermanyReUse Concept – Treatment of the separated wastewater flows (yellow, brownand grey water) in the Recovery Plant with the aim of reuse in the ReUse Park

The SituationToday 2.6 billion people have to livewithout adequate sanitary facilities.In regions where water availability isalso limited the living conditions arevery poor.

Due to the enormous investment andoperating costs, the high waterconsumption and elimination ofnutrients, conventional wastewatertreatment systems are not anadequate solution for worldwideapplication

membrane anaerobic urine grey water rainwa

Flow Pattern of the HUBER ReUse Concept at the HUBER Headquarters

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HUBER ResearchA sustainable development of notserved areas is possible by theapplication of alternative sanitaryconcepts that are based on separatecollection and treatment of therespective wastewater flows forproduction of service water andrecovery of nutrients. The main focus

is the reuse of the treated water andthe nutrients. The standardequipment of the HUBER officebuilding with NoMix Toilets, waterlessurinals and three pipes provides forseparate collection of the respectivewastewater flows (yellow, brown andgrey water).The specific treatment of theseparated wastewater flows isensured by the innovative HUBERtechnologies, which are operated asRecovery Plants. Treated wastewateris used for irrigation of the ReusePark and toilet flushing in theheadquarter.

ater

Fountain in the HUBER ReUse Park

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GermanyRunoff Water – Treatment of rainwater from parking spaces and roadways

The SituationFor ecological and economic reasonsdecentralized precipitation watermanagement is preferred overdischarging into the sewage watersystem. Due to its contaminationwith organic and inorganic pollutantsrunoff water particularly fromroadways must be properly treatedbefore seeping away.

At present there are however notechnically adequate absorbing wellsavailable that could guarantee areliable and sufficient removal ofpollutants.

rainwater

Decentralized Rainwater Treatment with HUBER Hydro Filt

Sidewalk Fluting Roadway

EmergencyOverflow

HUBERStainless SteelFilter withVariable Charge

InfluentHopper forGully

SuctionPipe

for Sludge

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HUBER ResearchWithin the project a multi-stagesystem has been provided foradequate treatment of road runoffs,both at low investment andoperating costs. The special filtermaterial prevents the remobilisationof adsorbing heavy metals duringcold months. In order to keepinvestment costs low, onlyinexpensive filter materials are used.

Due to the modular design of thefilter unit also existing infiltrationfacilities are easy to retrofit. Theobjective of the investigations is theidentification of the eliminationefficiency of the system with longterm tests as well as dimensioningcriteria and product life.

Contaminated Runoffs

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JordanDevelopment of innovative processes for waste water treatment with membranebioreactors and the requirement of groundwater recharge in Jordan Valley

The SituationShortage of drinking water combinedwith fluctuating raining periodsrequires an innovative waterresource management in semiaridregions. In most regions in themediterranean area and the MiddleEast groundwater is the basis fordaily water supply. However water-

bearing layers are overstrained inmost cases. The drawdown ofgroundwater leads often topenetration of salt water. Globalwarming and population growth willincrease the demand of water.Regions like the Jordan valley willdepend on efficient and sustainableuse of the resource water.

mechanical membrane

Wadi close to Jordan ValleyIrrigation with Groundwater

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HUBER ResearchWithin the scope of the project amethod is being developed thatcombines various innovativesolutions:➤ mechanical pre-treatment➤ adapted biological treatment with

membrane technology➤ soil passage with groundwater

recharge.

In the developing process, specialattention is paid to the completeretention of solids in the membranesystem. The absorption of organicpollution components and above allthe removal of endocrine substancesis examined in detail by addingpowdery activated carbon.Furthermore the use of naturalmicro-biological degradationprocesses in the course ofgroundwater recharge are examined.

Membrane Bio-Reactor Test Plant

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PeruIntegrated wastewater and waste disposal systems for mega cities. Example:Lima Metropolitan

The SituationAccording to UN forecasts, by theyear 2030, approx. 5 billion peoplewill live in metropolitan areas. Therapid urbanisation process with itsdramatic consequences affectsparticularly the mega cities inemerging countries, as for exampleLima, the fast growing capital ofPeru.

More and more people settle on theoutskirts of the 8 million metropoliswhere they live under criticalconditions, with lack of water andelectricity, education and medicalcare. In most cases the criticalsituation can only be remedied withdecentralized and specific measures.Also strategies should be developedto manage sustainable recycling andreuse of water and nutrients.

anaerobic

Biogas Reactor in CarrapongoSlum in the Metropolitan Area ofLima, Peru

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HUBER ResearchWithin the scope of the researchproject the Hans Huber AG, adapteda two-stage thermophilic biogasreactor to the specific boundaryconditions of Lima. The anaerobicreactor is used for integratedtreatment of municipal wastewaterand organic bio waste. The goal is toproduce energy-rich biogas and safefermentation residues that can bespread onto land as a soil improver.

The experiences gathered from theexemplary implementation will serveas the basis for the transfer ofadapted technologies to other megacities with similar environmentalproblems.

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Conclusion

Systematic cooperation is necessaryfor implementation of complex andholistic solutions that are based onintegrated water, energy and solidwaste management. The ambitiousobjective of achieving integratedresource management on a smalland local scale requires cooperationby experts in various fields,cooperation by consulting engineers,architects, urban planners,politicians and others.

Most important hereby is that weclose and consequently integratelocal water, material and energycycles under consideration ofpreventive health and environmentprotection. We are convinced thatdecentralized concepts with adaptedtechnologies are key elements for asustainable water management. Ourgoal is the development of newtechnologies and sustainablesolutions.

HUBER INNOVATION – Ideas for Water

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Hans Huber AGMaschinen- und AnlagenbauIndustriepark Erasbach A1D-92334 BerchingGermany

www.huber-research.de

1,0 / 1 – 4.2008 – 4.2008