The installation of a HUBER QPRESS sludge dewatering system at the sewage treatment plant (STP) in Pemberton, Western Australia, marks another major milestone in plans to increase the plant’s treatment capacity.
In 2016, after a new oxidation carousel was built at the plant, Hydroflux HUBER supplied an inlet works solution to remove screenings and grit from the sewage before it reaches the carousel.
The recently installed dewatering system removes water from the waste activated sludge, a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process.
John Koumoukelis, a Director of Hydroflux HUBER, said, “Instead of disposing liquid waste-activated sludge which is 99 per cent water, the bulk of the water is removed and this enables a dry cake to be removed from site.
“This significantly reduces trucking costs and subsequent emissions. In addition, most of the treated water from the plant is then used to irrigate the Pemberton Sports Oval.”
To facilitate the installation at Pemberton, which is a remote location, the system was delivered as a plug and play solution, and included all ancillaries as well as a fully- automatic control system.
Mr Koumoukelis said that since installation the system has exceeded expectations with the QPRESS outperforming other types of dewatering technologies currently operating in the region.
“The trend has been to use centrifuges, which require specialist technicians, for this application. In contrast, maintenance for the HUBER QPRESS is simple and does not require specialists. This significantly reduces maintenance costs.” Mr Koumoukelis said.
“Another benefit is that the QPRESS solution provides similar performance but uses only 10 per cent of the energy – the QPRESS operates at 1 RPM while centrifuges operate at 3000 RPM.”
The Pemberton installation is also a major milestone for HUBER as it brings the number of QPRESS machines installed worldwide to 1200.
This partner content is brought to you by Hydroflux. For more information, visit hydrofluxhuber.com.au.