Water Online Radio

31. A Holistic Approach To Water Treatment 10/21/2019

    Not all water is the same, so don't be sold on a "one-size-fits-all" solution. Many treatment providers will attempt to fit a square peg in a round hole, while others — a select few, in fact — can provide a fit-for-purpose solution based on broad, customized capabilities. That's the pitch from U.S. Water Services, which recently became part of Japan-based Kurita Water Industries, a resource- and technology-rich company with global reach.

32. Using Fingerprints To ID Ideal Instrument Performance 10/20/2019

    Everyone wants peak accuracy from their instrumentation, but nobody wants to disrupt their field process to verify it. Purvang Upadhyay, the global water industry manager for measurement and analytics with ABB, shared an attractive alternative to such disruption with the Water Talk moderators at WEFTEC 2019 — in-situ verification. This classic example of digitalization in the water industry enables users to check the health and accuracy of an electromagnetic flow meter against a digital ‘fingerprint’ of that meter’s performance the day it was originally calibrated or installed. 

33. Improved Intelligence For Better Control 10/20/2019

    The water and wastewater industry has been dominated by automation based on programmable logic controllers working in tandem with SCADA. However, newer systems that better blend those aspects provide improved intelligence. As a result, plant operators aren’t required to maintain a separate engineering station to control strategy as well as the HMI.

34. Forward-Looking Technology Anticipates Compliance Needs 10/19/2019

    When a company stakes its reputation on delivering innovative technologies, products, and services, the specter of a changing regulatory landscape is considered more an opportunity than an obstacle. In this Water Talk interview, Mirka Wilderer, CEO of De Nora Water Technologies, discusses varying topics such as pharmaceuticals and nutrients in wastewater, the synergy of the company’s new MIOX and Neptune acquisitions, and how to address the growing concern over chlorate disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water. For example, De Nora’s new ClorTec Gen III onsite hypochlorite generators generate up to 3,000 lbs./day of chlorine-based disinfectants while reducing chlorate formation and cutting operating costs by 15 percent as compared to previously available models.

35. Anaerobic Digestion Now Making More Biological/Financial Sense 10/19/2019

    Is there value in anaerobic digesters beyond wastewater treatment? According to Nick Bonkoski, a domain leader for anaerobic digestion systems at Suez Water Technologies, the answer is a resounding “Yes.” The insights he shared with Water Talk at WEFTEC 2019 paint a bright ecological and financial landscape of how municipal wastewater treatment plants now incorporate co-digestion of food waste with biosolids to capitalize on excess digester capacity. As changing regulations — e.g., organic-diversion mandates in densely populated areas — create new incentives, utilities maximizing biogas production are reaping dividends while reducing landfill dependency. Biogas uses include generating heat for internal processes, generating electricity for internal consumption and resale, or even upgrading raw biogas quality to supply the natural-gas grid. 

36. New STEPs Minimize Biosolids, Energy, And Installation Costs 10/18/2019

    When low population density and troublesome topography make traditional gravity sewers cost-prohibitive, septic-tank effluent-pumping (STEP) technology offers an affordable alternative. In this Water Talk discussion, Mike Saunders, market segment leader for engineered systems at Orenco Systems, outlines how to match the right technology to the need. Orenco’s new decentralized liquid-only sewer systems treat septic effluent that is reduced by about 80 percent of its strength. Its smaller-diameter pressure mains run for 10 miles without supplemental pumps and install at just a fraction of the depth of traditional sewers. The approach minimizes biosolids, runs on little pumping power, and requires no blowers, so it minimizes energy requirements and keeps both installation and maintenance costs lower than those of conventional sewer systems.

37. An Improved Approach To Turnkey Disinfection Solutions 10/18/2019

    Engineered skid systems provide a compact configuration chemical feed at water and wastewater treatment plants. While these all-in-one metering pump solutions bring tremendous value to their users, traditional platforms have their pitfalls.

38. A Fresh Take On Biological Wastewater Treatment 10/18/2019

    Improving wastewater treatment efficiency requires some type of change in the physics, biology, or economics of the process. In this Water Talk interview, Jeff Kelly, Red Valve’s senior product manager for the Tideflex Aeration and Mixing System, describes how to change all three — to the tune of a cost-saving 50-percent reduction in applied airflow! The Tideflex approach uses a unique diffuser design to support on/off aeration and mixing cycles without clogging. Managed by oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) readings, the novel technique supports a biological selection process that encourages the exclusive growth of facultative anaerobes — the most resilient wastewater microbes, which get rid of phosphates and nitrates without producing hydrogen sulfide.

39. Advanced Sewage Grinders Reduce Wastewater Burden 10/16/2019

    Reducing the solids coming into wastewater facilities is a daily grind for plant managers, but advanced technology is making it easier on those professionals.

40. Fixing Aging Infrastructure With Minimal Disruption 10/16/2019

    Coping with service or repairs to aging pipeline infrastructure without disrupting customers is always a challenge. Chris Vazzana of Hydra-Stop has a better idea that includes the use of insertion valves, which enable water utilities to install a permanent valve into a live water main without ever shutting down the line. His discussion with the Water Talk moderators at WEFTEC 2019 details how the initial perception of insertion valves as a temporary measure is no longer true, and how these time-saving devices are now permanent assets that have passed AWWA testing, including burst testing and 500-cycle testing. Chris also describes the company’s newest 24” insertion valve, with an anecdote about saving a utility and 10,000 of its customers from a disruptive service shutdown.