Aquatec Maxcon provided a Capstone CR200 turbine to Western Water which provides all the electrical power needed at the Surbiton Park treatment plant, along with heat to make the plant’s digesters work at optimum efficiency. The simple, elegant system likely will serve as a model for similar projects at wastewater treatment plants. The efficiency of thermal generation to supply hot water to heat the plant’s digesters will result in the production of even more biogas that can be converted to energy generation.

The CR200 will produce 1.7 million kW-hours (kWh) yearly to supply the plant’s electrical power needs, using as fuel up to 100 Nm3/hr cubic meters of biogas from the plant that would have been burned away as waste. Second, an external heat exchanger installed with the micro-turbine will deliver another 2.3 million kWh of thermal energy to warm the digesters. Together, the combined heat and power produced will cut carbon dioxide emissions at the plant by 1800 tonnes per year.

One Capstone CR200 MicroTurbine™ can operate efficiently with methane concentrations that range between 70 percent and 80 percent. Plant managers from Western Water predict that savings realised from the on-site generation of electrical and thermal power, plus the “green” incentives offered by the government, will justify installation of a second CR200 system in 2010 and ultimately a third one as gas demand increases.

As part of the upgrade, Western Water will also implement Australia’s first microturbine co-generation facility utilising digester biogas. Biogas offers a renewable resource which will be used to generate 200kW of electricity and also 300kW of heat for improved operation of the digesters which generate the biogas. Building heating will be provided via the surplus heat ensuring that the energy is utilised extremely efficiently resulting in the maximum environmental benefits from this unique technology.

The Eastern Treatment Plant Alliance has selected Trojan Technologies UV Torrent technology from Aquatec Maxcon for its upgrade of Melbourne Water’s Eastern Treatment Plant. This advanced technology uses fully enclosed in-line reactors to treat up to 8775 L/s. 8,200 L/s with UVT of 67.5% with 4 log inactivation of cryptosporidium

It is no longer necessary for municipalities installing UV technology to make a choice between energy-efficiency and a small footprint. TrojanUV Solo Lamp™ Technology combines the best features of both low pressure and medium pressure lamps.

The result:

• low power consumption (1/3 the energy of medium pressure lamps),
• low lamp count,
• low carbon footprint,
• long lamp life (>12,000 hours), and
• a simplified UV system maintenance.

Aquatec Group has acquired a 30 acre facility in Burnt Bridge Road, approximately 3km North of Chinchilla. It includes a modern office / house and shed which will be further developed to serve as the base for our operations supporting the coal seam gas industry. Having staff based in Chinchilla is expected to improve service for our customers in this important emerging industry which has utilised our MF/RO water technology to treat water produced by the wells and also our Capstone MicroTurbines. These unique MicroTurbines offer unparalleled reliability in generating power for sites remote from the grid and offer exceptionally low greenhouse emissions.

Aquatec Maxcon has been awarded a contract to design and construct wastewater treatment plant for the Nickel West Leinster mine facility.

The plant will serve a design population equivalent to 2,500 people and is based on our proprietary Aqua-Hybrid nutrient reduction process. This technology has now been used for over 600 plants throughout Australasia and is recognised for its robust performance, making it extremely well suited to remote operations as are often required for the minerals industry.