In Egypt, an anaerobic-aerobic waste water treatment plant operating in a sugar beet factory, meets the strictest limit values.
Egypt 2008
Wastewater treatment to meet the most stringent requirements
A private-sector sugar manufacturer built a new sugar beet factory near Alexandria in 2008. A new wastewater treatment plant was required to treat the waste water, and H+E was commissioned to build it. Shortly thereafter, the manufacturer, part of a large Egyptian group of companies, increased its production capacity. This resulted in the expansion of the aerobic waste water treatment plant. H+E was again awarded the contract based on the client’s positive experience with the first expansion stage.
Complete COD reduction
The sugar beet factory’s waste water treatment plant separates solids contained in the beet washing water via sedimentation and sludge dewatering in centrifuges. This saves a considerable amount of space compared to the often used often happens in oonshore ponds. The waste water streams generated during the subsequent processing of the sugar beet can then be efficiently biologically treated. In this plant, the expected COD reduction of over 99 per cent was even exceeded. Therefore, the treated waste water complies with the strictest standards, even those of the European Union.
Methods used
The sugar manufacturer’s plant consists of a primary clarifier, or Bruckner, to thicken the beet soil as well as a decanter to dewater it. The highly polluted waste water is treated by means of an anaerobic process. An aerobic process with nitrogen elimination is used to purify all of the waste water. The latter consists of an upstream denitrification and a downstream nitrification.
Facts & Figures
- Drainage of beet soil with centrifuges
- Stable anaerobic COD degradation with an efficiency of over 94%
- Stable nitrogen removal of more than 90% without the addition of carbon