Competence Center for Trace Compounds BW

By defining a uniform procedure with regard to sampling and sample preparation as well as the parameter set to be investigated, the improvement of the purification performance was to be demonstrated for the first time on a larger scale for the WWTPs located in Baden-Württemberg with a procedure for the targeted elimination of micropollutants. For this purpose, investigations have been carried out on WWTPs in the years 2014–2016 before their extension. Until the end of 2018, the investigations to assess the state after upgrading will run.

Detailed project description: Vergleichsmessungen zur Spurenstoffelimination beim Ausbau von Kläranlagen um eine 4. Reinigungsstufe [DE] (pdf/198kb)

For this project, a two-lane pilot plant with ozonation and  granular activated carbon filters (GAC-Filters) continuously operated was built up and operated in Biberach at the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG together with the project partners Jedele and Partner GmbH and the Micropollutants Competence Centre Baden-Württemberg (KomS). The aim is to compare the combination of the two methods , ozonation and continuously operated GAC-Filter, regarding the extent of micropollutants removal with the continuously operated GAC-Filter.

Detailed project description: Untersuchungsvorhaben zur Spurenstoffentnahme mit Ozon und granulierter Aktivkohle [DE] (pdf/58kb)

Evaluated wastewater treatment plants sites

Micropollutants Competence Centre BW (KomS) was commissioned by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector Baden‑Württemberg with the implementation of a nationwide measurement campaign to determine the micropollutants situation in wastewater treatment plants in order to summarize the existing data in Baden-Württemberg regarding the load of different micropollutans. The inflow and outflow of 40 wastewater treatment plants of different sizes (see Figure 1) are evaluated for the presence of 50 individual substances. The substance selection included, among others, the individual substances specified in the Substance-List A of the KomS-Recommendations for actions and substances listed on the current observation list of the European Commission ("EU-Watch list").

Detailed project description: Bestandsaufnahme der Spurenstoffsituation von Kläranlagen in Baden-Württemberg [DE] (pdf/211kb)

Wastewater treatment plant Emmingen

At the wastewater treatment plant Emmingen, which has a capacity of 7,500 PE, the simultaneous use of powdered activated carbon is being investigated for the first time in Baden-Württemberg. The plans envisage to dose powdered activated carbon over a period of about half a year directly into the aeration tank of the wastewater treatment plant (see Figure 1). The aim of the investigation is to determine the operational and economic impact of powder activated carbon addition in the activation tank of a small wastewater treatment plant.

Detailed project description: Simultane Anwendung von Pulveraktivkohle für die Elimination von Spurenstoffen auf der Kläranlage Emmingen [DE] (pdf/173kb)

Through biological impact tests is possible to consider the effect of all substances as "sum effect". The aim of the project is therefore to demonstrate the improvement of wastewater quality by the additional treatment of biologically treated wastewater with activated carbon based on such tests with different endpoints regarding toxic and hormonal effect using the example of the wastewater treatment plant in Mannheim. In addition, it should be verify whether the test methods used are sensitive enough to detect the performance of further wastewater treatment. This would allow these test systems to be used in the future to verify the performance of using activated carbon at other wastewater treatment plants sites.

Detailed project description: Erfolgskontrolle der adsorptiven Abwasserreinigung mittels biologischer Wirktests [DE] (pdf/133kb)

In order to reduce the input of micropollutants into water bodies, a stage for the micropollutants elimination will be implemented in about 100 of the more than 700 wastewater treatment plants in Switzerland in the next 20 years. The wastewater treatment plant Schönau of the Water Protection Association of the Lake Zug-Küssnacht-Ägeri (GVRZ) falls under these 100 facilities. Since the simultaneous dosing of powdered activated carbon in the wastewater treatment plant Schönau represents a possible process option for the elimination of micropollutants, experiences with this technique should first be gained before a possible implementation in large-scale operations. For this purpose a semi-industrial pilot plant was provided by the Micropollutants Competence Center Baden-Württemberg (KomS).

Detailed project description: Untersuchungen zur Spurenstoffelimination mittels simultaner Pulveraktivkohledosierung auf der ARA Schönau [DE] (pdf/180kb)

Powdered activated carbon is used at several wastewater treatment plants in Baden-Württember in municipal wastewater treatment focused in micropollutants removal.  The removal of the activated carbon from the cleaning process takes place with the excess sludge. Depending on the type of sludge treatment, the activated carbon gets into the digester. In this case, the question arises whether and to what extent the anaerobic treatment of the sludge in a digester leads to the desorption of accumulated micropollutants. Since so far there is no knowledge about a possible release of adsorpted micropollutants bounded to activated carbon under anaerobic conditions, investigations on a pilot-scale will be carried out in the wastewater treatment plant in Mannheim, which operates since 2010 an adsorption stage in the partial flow (Qmax = 300 L / s).

Detailed project description: Untersuchungen zum Spurenstoffbindungsverhalten von Pulveraktivkohle unter anaeroben Bedingungen [DE] (pdf/165kb)

Regarding the monitoring of wastewater treatment plants focused in micropollutants elimination, there is no guiding parameter at national or international level at which the extent micropollutants elimination can be measured. However, investigations of micropollutants elimination carried out over several years in the wastewater treatment plant in Mannheim leaded to a compilation of indicator substances, which can be used to verify the effectiveness of an adsorptive purification process concerning its micropollutants elimination. Nevertheless, it is also not possible to specify requirements for an optimal operation of a purification stage focused on elimination of micropollutants since so far too few measured data have been available to assess the performance of the adsorption stages newly set up in Baden-Württemberg. Therefore, a sampling over several days will be carried out in the wastewater treatment  plants in Mannheim, Böblingen-Sindelfingen, Stockacher Aach and Kressbronn-Langenargen  in order to fill this knowledge gap, all of which have been implemented with an adsorption stage (see Figure 1a). The wastewater treatment plant Albstadt-Ebingen is also being sampled, which has had an adsorptive process technology to decolorize textile wastewater since 1992 in the form of the so-called AFF plant (see Figure 1b).

Detailed project description: Bestimmung der Spurenstoffelimination in Kläranlagen mit Aktivkohleeinsatz [DE] (pdf/178kb)