Although it has little to do with wastewater, I feel there is an important event that took place today that I should share my thoughts on… the first snowfall of the season! That is probably not what most of you anticipated. I will admit, I actually do intend to share a brief reflection on a little promotion for a man with some very interesting hair. By the way, today really was the first snowfall of the season here in Aarhus, which was also an interesting experience for this American girl.

On the topic of today’s election results, I will not go into great detail since I am sure everyone has already had their fill, but I will say I am very anxious and a little worried to see what the future will bring. During the primaries, I realized there was a good chance Mr. Trump was going to go all the way. Many Republicans did not expect him to make it that far and some were even teaming up against him, but he kept going right on through and now he has made it all the way. He is someone who does not go down without a fight. Maybe that is a good quality for a President, maybe not. Only time will tell.

I definitely do not envy anyone who has to spend time in the limelight, least of all the President of the United States of America. No matter what happens with politicians, celebrities, sports team or the next-door neighbor, I try to focus on staying positive and focus on what I can do to make a difference. I also feel it is important to enjoy the little things—for example, the first snowfall of the season! When I woke up this morning and saw the snow outside I was not very happy since I commute to work on a bike. Granted it was cold and a little slick but the longer I biked, the more I appreciated the snow. It made everything feel fresh and clean. I was anxious and worried I would slip at first, but when I finally relaxed a bit and focused further ahead, I was able to notice the effects of the weather. I saw the trees outlined with snow and snow covering the ground hiding all the worn parts giving it a fresh new look. I felt the crispness of the air and actually thought in my mind, “this is what it feels like to be alive.” Yes, it is a bit cheesy, but true. It was very refreshing and all I was doing was commuting to work. I was living in that moment and making the most of it. It is my hope that Trump’s term in office will be similar to this morning bike ride—an unexpected surprise that turns out better than anticipated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had mentioned in my first blog that the history of wastewater has been rooted in sustainable practises. My exact quote was, “what is more sustainable than taking unusable water and making it usable again.” I may have to modify this statement a bit; there IS something more sustainable… it is not just taking unusable water and making it usable again.  It is now possible to take the next step and recover resources from this process. Even though this may sound like some futuristic sci-fi fantasy, it is the reality at the  Ega wastewater treatment plant in Denmark.

Egå has recently completed some major improvements to the wastewater treatment process. The implementation of this newer technology focuses on striving for 150% energy efficiency. They are taking a product (wastewater), that many people rarely think about and lets face it usually avoid, and are producing usable necessary products. They are doing all this while providing a required service AND protecting the environment. I am not sure if there are many other companies or services that are able to produce these kind of impressive results but Egå is the future of wastewater. They have inspired people to rethink wastewater and view it as a resource instead of simply a necessary public health requirement and nothing more.

How do they do this you ask? Here are some pictures and diagrams to help better understand what innovative projects are taking place at Egå.

Inlet (#2 on Flow diagram)

Screens (#3)

Scum/Grit Chamber (#5)

After the pretreatment is the Salsnes filter. The Salsnes filters are a new technology that replaces much of the primary treatment. Here is how it works…

Salsnes Filters (#7)

In the same building as the Salsnes filters is the biogas engine and the future location of the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) (#23)

Biogas Engine (#22)

Additional to the energy efficient equipment that have been installed at Egå there is also a sidestream anammox process (DEMON) and eventually a mainstream cold anammox process, that will allow the plant to stay within the limits of their permit. The current limits on Total-P is 0.4 mg/L and Total-N is 8 mg/L for Egå.

Top of DEMON Tank (#26)

The following pictures are of the current BioP and nitrification/denitrification (N/DN) tanks

Fermentation Tank (#15)

BioP Tank (#9)

Empty N/DN Tank (#10)

N/DN Tank (#10)

Mainstream Cold Anammox Cyclones (#16)

Outlet (#14)

So that concludes the tour of Egå and the future of wastewater. That means currently on this blog I have given an overview of both Egå and Marselisborg WWTP leaving Viby and Åby still left to tour. There is a lot of knowledge still left to share… until next time.

I have already seen and experienced a variety of new and exciting things in the two weeks that I have been here in Aarhus, Denmark. Now that I have introduced myself, I thought was fitting to begin to introduce the different treatment plants. Marselisborg Renseanlæg is one of the four plant that Aarhus Water has in operation. For those who do not know Danish, Renseanlæg means wastewater treatment plant. Do not let me fool you, I am not even close to speaking Danish. However, I am trying to learn some words.

Marselisborg average daily flow is 25,800 m³/d (6,815,639 g/d) and has been running close to 150% energy efficient due to energy efficient equipment and biological treatment which allows very low air usage (see chart and picture below).

 

Below is the flow diagram and some pictures I took of Marselisborg Renseanlæg during my first visit there, enjoy…

 

Inlet 

Screens

Scum & Grit Tanks

Primary Settling Tanks

Pictures above and below are of the Biotanks (aka aeration tanks with D.O. of 0.3 mg/L)

Final Settling Tanks

Sandfilters

DEMON

Pictures above and below of Biogas Engine

Even though there are already some very interesting things going on at this plant there are even bigger plans for it in the future. The plant will be moved to make room for a public park for festivals and concerts. Below is a map of what will be added (the white boxes and circles are where the plant will be). The orange will be the park, the green will be a marina, and the blue will be the new Marselisborg WWTP.

Thank you! See you soon! Next on the agenda is Egå Renseanlæg (Egaa WWTP).

Usually when these words are mentioned a person’s initial thoughts are not led to wastewater. That is right, wastewater is a topic many of us avoid and would rather not think about. Nevertheless, it is my job to think about it. I am a Wastewater Treatment Operator from Chicago and have been in the field for close to ten years now. My education and experience in this field have taught me that green, energy efficiency, sustainability, etc. is a large part of wastewater. In fact, even before this terminology was a part of our daily language, wastewater embodied what was at the core of these topics. What is more sustainable than taking unusable water and making it usable again? Therefore, whatever word you prefer to use, all these topics have been a part of wastewater in the past and will be an even bigger part of the future.

To start, I would like to give a quick introduction to who I am and what brought me to the creation of this blog. I am 34 years old with a degree in Environmental Studies. I went to Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia and helped form an environmental club during my time there. I grew up with a love and appreciation for nature through the many classes I participated in at my local zoos, aquariums, forest preserves and arboretums about conservation and protection of local flora and fauna. I have spent quite a bit of time learning about the environment and the living organisms that call it home. It is a subject I have always been interested in and probably always will be. Therefore, it goes without saying I care about protecting the environment. I never thought that the time and experience I spent studying the environment would have led me to a job in the wastewater treatment field, but I am glad it has.

I had applied for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) shortly after graduation, from a little encouragement from my father, who had been a pipefitter there for 10 plus years. I started in the lab washing bottles and preparing samples for analysis. I worked up from lab to lab absorbing all I could about the wastewater treatment process and its effects on the environment. Now I am working on the operations side of wastewater as a Treatment Plant Operator. I am grateful for my time in the laboratory and have been able to apply much of my knowledge and experience to grow even further as an Operator. Another critical component to aiding me in becoming a well rounded competent operator, has been the ability to work with and learn from our experienced Operators, Engineers and Trades people.

Presently, I have been given an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge even further. I am participating in a job exchange program with Aarhus Vand for the next couple of months. This is a training program geared towards exchanging knowledge and experiences with each other on how to become greener, energy efficient, and sustainable. Hence, the origin of this blog, I am hoping this blog will be an effective tool to document what Aarhus Vand is doing to build a greener future and how some of these projects could benefit MWRDGC, and possibly, other organizations.