The Latest News & Information from Colour Technologies Australasia and The Novasys Group

GENERAL EDITION

Volume G4 Issue 3 21 June 2005

Table of Contents

1. "Biosys" Compact Dynamic Bioreactor. An innovative approach for high BOD industrial effluent
2. When to Harvest Wine Grapes? The Effects of Hang Time
3. Activated Sludge Respirometry for Wastewater Toxicity Testing and Tracking
4. Drought affected? No rain to fill tanks? No town water? Water source nearby? Maybe we have an answer!
5. Zehntner's ZGM 1120 Glossmeter - The World's Smallest Glossmeter?  ***NEW***
6. Fun Stuff........

"Biosys" Compact Dynamic Bioreactor. An innovative approach for high BOD industrial effluent

The Compact Dynamic Bioreactor (CDB) is a highly-efficient, odourless, automated, combined anaerobic-aerobic waste water treatment plant with minimal sludge production. Although originally designed for small communities, it is ideal for industries whose effluent is high in BOD/COD, such as food and beverage processors.

The key innovative feature of the Compact Dynamic Bioreactor is the "Variopor" carrier material. Variopure consists of small cubes (14 x 14 x 7 mm) of an open, polymer foam. The open structure of the foam provides a large surface area on which micro-organisms live and furthermore guarantees that in the  cubes' interior, the micro-organisms are adequately supplied with nutrients and organic compounds. Compared with conventionally used flocs of micro-organisms, which are active mostly at the surface only, the carrier is much more efficient

Effluent is supplied to the reactor after screening to remove coarse waste. The effluent is mixed in the reactor with the carrier material. Energy is saved since no stirrer is required for mixing; aeration occurs at one side of the bottom of the reactor, resulting in fast, turbulent circulation of water together with the carrier cubes. This circulation also results in the supplied air not going directly from the reactor, but is retained for a longer time in circulation, thus enhancing the exchange of oxygen from the air into the water.

Different varieties of micro-organisms will find a habitat on the carrier material.  Those on the surface of the cube will oxidise ammonia to nitrate, while simultaneously degrading organic compounds. The micro-organisms inside the carrier cube will consume the reduced nitrate to gaseous nitrogen while at the same time further degrading organic compounds. By combining both aerobic and anaerobic steps in the one process, this method of effluent treatment will result in an efficient reduction of BOD/COD and total nitrogen.

The CDB is especially suitable for seasonal food and beverage processing such as wineries. The micro-organisms on the carrier material can be kept alive or restarted depending on seasonal demand.

Containers of a modular standard design with a small footprint are available for a reactor with throughputs as low as. 500L/hour, but in practice, any other size, or kind of vessel can be used. For example, used shipping containers can be modified to suit the basic design. The reactors are usually duplicated and arranged in parallel to assure redundancy and enhance throughput. No special civil works are required; a firm level base, such as  compacted soil is all that is required. Standard polypropylene pipes and fittings can be used for inlets and outlets. The systems are low maintenance and operate unattended except for a weekly routine inspection.

No large clarification basin is required, because the biomass on the cubes is held back just by a grid. The process is therefore stable even during high flow events and the biomass is not washed out. The cleaned, clear effluent leaving the plant is of high quality and can be used for irrigation or recycling.

Changes in flow rate, temperature, or salinity have no negative influence on the high stability of this treatment process. Successful results have even been obtained for industrial wastewater with very high salinity where conventional biological treatment does not work.

Contact Novasys for more details.

Back to Top

When to Harvest Wine Grapes? The Effects of Hang Time

We've been following the (everlasting?) debate about the best time to harvest grapes in order to maximise wine quality and how a grower or winemaker makes that decision. Subjectively, objectively, or both?

If you or any of your colleagues are interested in the text of an article by the noted author and wine columnist  Dan Berger in "Wines and Vines", March 2005 that relates to a dispute between growers and winemakers in the Napa Valley, California, the forum with 600 participants held in the valley by the Napa Valley Grape Growers titled, "Hang Time: A Discussion of its Effects on Vine Health and Vineyard Yields" and Berger's related article in his weekly newsletter, "Getting to the Roots of the Hang Time Issue", please contact us for a free copy.

Lots of interesting stuff from a group of interesting people including Richard Smart and Bob Steinhauer (Beringer Blass).

Back to Top

Activated Sludge Respirometry for Wastewater Toxicity Testing and Tracking

If industrial wastewater entering a treatment works contains toxic components, respiration rate and the rate of nitrification is inhibited.

When the sludge bacteria are inhibited, there is the possibility of toxicity carryover in the effluent that is discharged to receiving waters. With new environmental legislation being introduced to protect the natural environment, toxin discharge is now a serious concern for treatment plant managers.

In order to protect a treatment works from unknown toxic influents entering by sewer, an on-line early warning system may be required.

Tests with a laboratory respirometer are required to measure the toxicity of the diverted effluent in order to determine the safe rate of discharge into the aeration tanks. For tankered waste, laboratory tests on samples of the wastewater are carried out prior to its acceptance for treatment.

Large manufacturing companies treating their own waste want to minimise treatment cost - The respirometer is used to monitor the toxicity of effluent streams. In this way, discharge rates can be controlled to ensure that toxicity does not inhibit the activated sludge bacteria of the aeration tanks.

If toxicity is identified in a mixed sewage entering a treatment works, the problem for the plant manager is to track and identify the source of the toxicity. This can be done by sampling the effluent stream at various points in its length. This can be difficult, and it is sometimes easier to sample the effluents directly at source. The samples would be tested against the activated sludge of the receiving works, using the Respiration Inhibition Test or the Nitrification Inhibition Test.

For more details, contact us.

Back to Top

Drought affected? No rain to fill the tanks? No town water? Water source nearby? Maybe we have an answer!

Many areas of Australia are in the grip of a drought that may continue. We hope not. We wish we had a total answer to the question of how to obtain potable water when rainfall is inadequate to fill tanks.

Where there is a permanent river, creek or other fresh water supply nearby that is too turbid or too contaminated with harmful bacteria or other microorganisms to use for drinking, bathing or laundry purposes, maybe we have an answer.

Freshwater Filter and JP Ceramics provide "whole of house" microfiltration systems that can take water from a contaminated source, and treat it to potable standards. The JP5 will treat up to 300,000 litres per year, enough for a four person household, while the JP10 will provide for households with five persons or more with a capacity of 600,000 litres/year. The systems can be connected via the pressurising pump to the point of entry to the dwelling and operate on an "as required" basis, or can be run periodically to fill the tanks that supply the dwelling.

The heart of the system are easily cleaned ceramic filter elements with an absolute rating of 0.5 micron. That means 99.99999+% of particles of 0.5 micron and above are retained by the filter. 99.28% of particles of 0.2 micron and above are retained by the filter. This means parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, amoebae and disease causing bacteria such as E. coli, other coliforms, cholera, typhoid, dysentery are eliminated. The elements are self-sterilising and can additionally be packed with activated carbon and/or resins to significantly reduce contamination due to herbicides, pesticides, nitrates, chlorine and heavy metals if these are, or are suspected to be, present in potentially harmful quantities in the water supply.

Where the incoming water supply is very turbid with suspended particles, the fine filters are protected by inexpensive non-ceramic filter elements arranged in series from 20 micron down to 1 micron, depending on the severity of the contamination.

Whole of house/point of entry systems are provided with stainless steel housings for the ceramic elements and a choice of stainless steel or plastic housings for the non-ceramic elements.

The recommendation of river catchment authorities is NOT to drink untreated water from any river or stream, even in upper reaches where the water appears to be pristine. Native and feral animals can be a cause of contamination by microorganisms even in headwaters.

 For more information about microfiltration systems please contact us.

Back to Top

Zehntner's ZGM 1120 Glossmeter - The World's Smallest Glossmeter?  ***NEW***

Zehntner GmbH have recently released the new ZGM 1120 portable precision glossmeters for the determination of all gloss ranges.

Small in all dimensions, these lightweight glossmeters are able to measure on very confined areas, curved surfaces and surfaces that aren't uniform.

Available as single, dual or triple angle versions, the ZGM 1120 glossmeter is easy to operate and can be connected directly to a PC where Zehntner's powerful "GlossTools" software can be utilised.

The ZGM 1120 features:

• Single measurements, multi measurements, specially designed automated series of measurements to user specifications and continuous measurements

• On-going updated statistics of the gloss values (average, standard deviation, maximum, minimum)

• Setting of limit values and reference values for gloss range measurements

• "GlossTools" software enables an easy transfer of the measuring data to in-house databases or processing in Microsoft Excel.

Ask Novasys for more details.

Back to Top

Fun Stuff........

Can't find enough games on the web?

http://www.addictinggames.com/

For all you trivia freaks out there....

http://www.funtrivia.com/

Something to stretch the mind....

http://www.queendom.com/mindgames/index.html

Back to Top