PROMOTION OF INOVATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES FOR DRINKING WATER TREATMENT

PROJECT CEEX – PROGRAM MENER

CONTRACT – 631/03.10.2005

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE – 2005 – 2008

CONSORTIUM

Coordinator: National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology INCD-ECOIND Bucharest

Partners:

University “Politehnica” Timisoara

Institute of Public Health Timisoara

Partners and beneficiary:

Regia Autonoma de Apa si Canal AQUATIM – Timisoara RA

Company APA RA Brasov

Commercial Company APA PROD Deva

Commercial Company SECOM SA Drobeta-Turnu Severin

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

Optimization of drinking water management system in order to assure the quality, with special regarding to the development/implementation of efficient and sustainable technologies for potabilisation according to the pollution context of natural raw water resources.

MASURABLE OBJECTIVES

• Knowledge on the present status of the no complying treatment plants on regional level. Evaluation of pollution matrices (associated with no complying parameters via direct control) and nonconformities generation causes.
• Identification of pollutants/micro pollutants, which are less or not monitored, with a potential adverse effect on drinking water quality.
• Excellence research in order to elaborate cost effective, coherent, unitary technical solutions, in compliance with pollution matrix of raw water sources.
• Improvement of the chemical sludge/filter’s washing water management system in order to diminish the environmental impact.
• Building the e-clean water centre – dedicated to the transfer of knowledge, information at sector level and setting/developing a national network of excellence.
• Direct dissemination by transfer to partners (water-sewer operators) and indirect dissemination (articles, communications, patents).

REZULTS/ACCOMPLISHMENT INDICATORS

• Technical analyze of available data on national level regarding the quality of natural sources (surface water, groundwater), drinking water from central distribution system resulted from classical treatment plant, emphasizing the non compliance aspects comparing with legal regulations: NTPA 013/2002 (modified in 2006), Law 458/2002 and Law 311/2004 (categories of indicators which are exceeding stipulated limits, non monitored or insufficient monitored indicators);
• Diagnostic analyze by direct control of water quality on treatment flows (raw water ± settled water ± filtered water ± drinking water) for 27 objectives (treatment plants) subordinated to water-sewer operators 4 partner operators + 8 voluntary operators): RA AQUATIM – Timisoara, SC SECOM SA – Drobeta, SC APA PROD Deva, Compania APA Brasov, SC APASERV Satu Mare, SC Compania de Apa Satu Mare, RATACFL Turda, SC AQUABIS Bistrita, SC APA CANAL SA Galati, SC DETACAN Cernavoda, SC AQUASERV Tulcea, SC APA GRUP Botosani;
• Representative case study selected for optimization/upgrading of treatment flows according with pollutant nature/ type /no complying micropollutants (raw water/drinking water), frequency, toxicity a.s.o.;
• Documentary study on present development tendencies of water treatment processes/technologies:

–     advanced separation of colloidal suspended maters (turbidity £ 20 NTU) via coagulation-flocculation-flotation or membrane processes;

–     removal of inorganic pollutants from underground sources (nitrates, Fe, Mn);

–     generation causes of the byproducts from oxidation/disinfection with chlorine followed by modification of organoleptic drinking water (taste, smell) and possibilities to diminish the precursors concentrations.

• Mobil pilot installations, in continuous flow operating system, having new modules, purchased in the frame of PROAQUA project (installation for ClO₂ generation-dosage, microfiltration + ultrafiltration installation), used for application on field (AQUATIM location, DWTP 1, DWTP 2-4);
• Frame methodology to test the technological options for groundwater and surface water treatment on pilot installations;
• Public investigation related to “Relation between hydric factor and  population health” – Case study Timisoara County;
• Alternative technologies for the treatment of underground and surface water with specific pollution matrix (industrial pilot level, laboratory pilot level):

–      ground water with iron, manganese ± ammonia content (medium/low load);

–      ground water with nitrate content (high load);

–      surface water with THM’s precursors content (including also technical documentation for DWTP);

–      surface water with low turbidity and associated  organic/bacterial load.

• Frame scheme referring to the management of chemical sludge and washing water from potabilization treatment flows including treatment technological flows for treatment, recovery of useful elements (Al/Fe);
• Technological zone network of excellence (www.potabilizare.ro) for N+V, V areas in order to aggregate the competence from environmental field and to transfer the knowledge to sector level.

Figure 1 Pilot installation for ground water potabilization

Figure 2 Pilot potabilization installation –MF/UF module

DISEMINATION

• Workshop “Innovative and sustainable technologies for drinking water treatment” – promotion of project results (presentation handbook, folding, CD)
• 14 work papers presented inside (5) and outside (9) the country, 6 of them into ISI reviews;
• 1 published book: Corina Orha “Contribution to the study of the obtaining and characterization processes of some functioned zeolitic materials with applications in the field of water disinfection“, Ph.D.paper, Seria 4: Chemical Engineering, no.12, Politehnica publishing house 2008, ISSN: 1842-8223, ISBN: 978-973-625-594-6.
• 19 communications to scientific manifestations in the field – conferences, symposia, national (10) and international (9) congresses:
• Scientifically support for training of young specialists by Ph. D. studies (UP Timisoara – 7/1 finished)

POST PROJECT ACTIONS

• developing of some projects to solve critical aspects in the field of  water and sludge management from some drinking water treatment plants (towns/small communities) which were taken in administration in order to assure the conformity of drinking water quality with imposed norms and to protect consumers health, obviously (Direct beneficiary contract/ 2009-2011);
• participation of water-sewer operators and INCD-ECOIND to cooperation European programs actions – COST 637 – METEAU for monitoring of metallic compounds with toxic proprieties along the distribution system – consumers.

POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES/USERS OF THE RESULTS

• Water-sewer operators, members of e-clean water network;
• Water-sewer operators from other country regions, which are experiencing similar non compliances on drinking water treatment flows.