News Archive
Latest 50 news articles
15 new chemicals to be monitored in EU water
The directive on priority substances in the field of water quality is to be revised to include 15 more chemicals on the list of 33 pollutants that are monitored and controlled in EU surface waters. Substances used in biocides, pharmaceuticals and plant protection products will now be closely monitored, as well as industrial chemicals. Plant protection substances Aclonifen, Bifenox, Cypermethrin, Dicofol, Heptachlor, Quinoxyfen will now be monitored as a step to improving the quality of water in...
Russian Barents region starts to move in the right direction
Three of the 42 'hot spots' (extremely polluted areas) in northwest Russia have been removed from the list as environmental action starts to pay dividends. There are still 39 extremely polluted areas that remain in the Russian Barents region, but it is clear that an appreciation of environmental considerations is coming to the fore in the region. Increased cooperation between Norway, Russia, Sweden and Finland has been crucial in achieving a cooperative effort to tackling pollution levels. Clear...
50 Years of Innovation in Water and Process Industries
WES Dosing Products (UK) offer 9 models of A3 & A4 Series Blue White peristaltic pumps to cover a flow range from 0.003-600 lph at pressures to 8.6 bar using no maintenance variable speed brushless DC motors. With a wide voltage input 96-264V, 1ph, 50/60hz, these pumps have a 2500:1 turndown and rated to IP66 for washdown. From an operators perspective these pumps have a simple user friendly digital touch pad with an easy to use menu driven software and a VGA graphic multi colour backlit LCD whi...
Kruger Wins Anoxkaldnes™ MBBR Contract In Marbleton, USA
Kruger Inc., a Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies company, was awarded a contract from Fischer Construction, Inc. to furnish a 0.82 MGD AnoxKaldnes MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor) nitrification system for the Marbleton, WY Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade. The MBBR LagoonGuard® process will allow the existing lagoon system to meet strict ammonia limits year round, even at winter temperatures. After performing a detailed review of all bid proposals, The Town selected Kruger’s AnoxKaldnes L...
Salsnes Filter AS joins Trojan Technologies Group of Businesses
Trojan Technologies is pleased to announce that further to its news release dated December 27, 2011, Salsnes Filter AS of Namsos, Norway has joined the Trojan Technologies group of businesses. Following the regulatory review period, the acquisition closed on January 19, 2012. “Salsnes delivers a technology that fits well into our municipal business,” says Marv DeVries, president, Trojan Technologies. “A leader in the market, their product brings added value to our global customers and aligns w...
Large marine national park at risk from Concordia fuel spill
One of Europe's biggest marine national parks is in danger of pollution that could be potentially caused by cruise ship Concordia, according to the Daily Telegraph. The Italian government has declared a state of emergency over fears that the vessel could slide off a rock ledge and fall to the seabed, spilling half a million gallons of fuel. If the fuel tanks did rapture, the Tuscan archipelago of islands could be endangered by the pollution. The Tuscan archipelago has been recognised as an area...
Bio-Microbics System NSF Certified for Water Reuse
Bio-Microbics, a manufacturer of decentralized wastewater treatment technologies, is the first company to earn NSF®/ANSI® 350 certification for the Bio-Barrier® membrane bioreactor (MBR). NSF scientists conducted an evaluation spanning more than six months of continuous operation of the Bio-Microbics Bio-Barrier® MBR treatment system at one of NSF’s approved wastewater testing facilities. NSF/ANSI 350 was developed over a four-year period, in an ANSI-accredited, balanced consensus process involv...
Koch Membrane Systems to Install New Wastewater Recycling System in China
Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. (KMS) has been selected to supply membranes for a large-scale wastewater recycling system for Yingkou Medium Plate Co., Ltd., in Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, China. The project will recycle the plant’s wastewater to meet strict government discharge regulations and to conserve the region’s fresh water supply. KMS will supply 832 TARGA® 10-inch cartridges as well as the necessary engineering support for the Yingkou project, working in cooperation with Capital Engine...
Launch of Xylem's Flygt Experior Delivers Energy Savings of up to 50 Percent, Marking Breakthrough in Wastewater Pumping
Xylem Inc., the global water technology company which spun off from ITT Corporation, has unveiled a revolutionary new wastewater pumping system, called Flygt Experior. By combining advances to its state-of-the-art hydraulics, premium efficiency motors and intelligent controls in a unique concept, the new Flygt Experior offers up to 50 per cent energy savings compared to conventional wastewater pumps in a package that is simple to install and easy to operate. "Flygt Experior builds on the premise...
Mercury to blame for the 'great dying'
Scientists probing ancient chemical deposits on the shores of a High Arctic lake have found that mercury was chiefly responsible for the 'great dying' that wiped out 90 per cent of the planet's species 250 million years ago. Researchers from the University of Calgary and Geological Survey of Canada have discovered that mercury pollution 'overwhelmed' marine ecosystems, which contributed significantly to the global die-off at the end of the Permian age. Steve Grasby, a University of Calgary resea...
AECOM Joint Venture Awarded £18 million Yorkshire Water Project
AECOM along with Joint Venture Partner Galliford Try have secured an £18m contract to upgrade Woodhouse Mill Wastewater Treatment Works in Sheffield for Yorkshire Water. The purpose of the work is to ensure that the treated water discharged back into the environment meets the standards of the revised European Freshwater Fish Directive which comes into force in four years time. Works to the plant, which was originally built in 1930 and serves 122,000 people, include refurbishment of existing inle...
Fears of shale gas pollution in the UK
Fears of shale gas pollution have been dismissed as 'extremely unlikely' in the UK, after local citizens expressed concern over two earthquakes that had been set off by fracking exploration, it has been reported by the Press Association. Fracking involves drilling deep in the earth (up to 20,000 ft) and high-pressure pumping a mix of water, proppants (such as sand) and chemicals (including highly carcinogenic benzene and formaldehyde) into the bore hole to ease the flow of gas for extraction. I...
Greece failing to meet EU framework for bodies of water
Recent research conducted by scientists at Thessaloniki University has revealed that none of the 15 large lakes in Greece can be considered healthy, Ansa Med have reported. The researchers have also expressed concerns over the level of cyanobacteria (blue algae) and dangerous cyanotoxins produces by the lakes, pointing to a lack of government attention as being a significant contributor. In accordance to European law, Greece is required to monitor the health of the lakes within the country. Howe...
River Thames polluted beyond rescue
The levels of nitrates in the River Thames are so high they might be beyond rescue, with environmental reporters suggesting a full scale change of land use and management would be required, which could compromise food security and take decades to implement. UK researches have conducted the longest continuous record of river water chemistry in the world to find their results, which show that nitrate levels have trebled since the 1930s. The intensive agriculture, made possible by modern fertiliser...
Nitrogen found in 75 per cent of wilderness lakes
Nitrogen pollution has been found in the vast majority of remote mountain lakes of Europe and the Rocky Mountains, spreading concern over the extent of the human carbon footprint. The effects of pollution on remote forests, lands and lakes are largely unknown until now, as scientists have discovered traces of nitrogen pollution in three quarters of lakes in the northern hemisphere. Using an approach similar to aquatic archaeology, scientists monitored historical changes in chemical composition o...
OceanSaver Delivers an Industry First to Korea of Ballast Water Treatment System
Oceansaver has achieved a milestone for the ballast water treatment industry with the commissioning of the first treatment system to include filters on a crude oil tanker in Korea. The 159.000 DWT Suezmax tanker, Ottoman Integrity, is being delivered from a Korean shipyard for Turkish owner Gungen Maritime & Trading, and the installed OceanSaver system is capable of treating ballast water at a rate of 2 x 2.500m3/h. OceanSaver’s Mark I technology has been installed, which includes filtration, ca...
Grundfos Remote Management has now been launched in 45 countries around the world
The ears and eyes of your pump network When a pipe bursts, you will be the first to know. As equipment succumbs to wear and tear, you’ll have time to plan maintenance. As renovation projects draw nearer, you can draw on hard facts to make your decisions. Grundfos Remote Management is a new internet-based telemetrics system that provides municipal utilities with timely information. This allows them to keep their wastewater and water supply systems operating cost-effectively. Cost-effective soluti...
40 per cent EU water pollution by the close of the century
A new study, using predicted climate and land use change scenarios between 1990 and 2090, has estimated that 40 per cent of the continent's streams will no longer have good ecological status by the close of the century. The research, conducted by Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), has highlighted how the use of insecticides in agriculture will jeopardise the state of streams, particularly in central Europe and the Baltic and Nordic regions. The study was conduct...
New fieldbus concept offers flexible and secure communication with Grundfos pumps
Open and interoperable data bus networks are becoming increasingly important for supervisory systems monitoring pumps systems. Grundfos (Denmark) offers communication and control solutions using a new fieldbus concept that creates an optimal, flexible and therefore cost-effective integration of data communication and field devices such as pumps or pump systems into management systems. The Grundfos CIM/CIU concept The Grundfos Communication Interface Module (CIM) and the Communication Interface...
Reactivation of the nitrification in a landfill leachate treatment plant
QM Environmental Services is for many years now a supplier of MicroCat®, microbial additives, in the European wastewater treatment market. Through its network of distributors many European countries have already experienced the positive effects which MicroCat® can have on troubled wastewater treatment plants (wwtp). In January 2011 MicroCat® solved a problem with nitrification in a leachate wwtp of a municipal landfill site in Germany. The wwtp is a 3 stage treatment plant. The first stage is a...
Army base uses Tsurumi for military precision
A squad of 47 Tsurumi pumps are providing a complete wastewater solution at a military training base in Bulgaria. The pumps, which were installed in March 2011, are a mix of aerators, agitators, cutters, decanters and sewage pumps. Their reliability and simple maintenance ensures the remote 144 km2 base and 2,500 troops can focus on military training exercises and not worry about the wastewater situation on site. Novo Selo Training Area (NSR) is a Bulgarian military training facility in Sliven,...
GE Advanced Desalination Technology Brings Clean Drinking Water to the Bahamas
GE’s (USA) advanced desalination technology is helping a water scarce region in the Bahamas conserve water, expand water production and improve its access to clean drinking water. Residents of Tarpum Bay on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas have been suffering with brackish and poor quality water for many years. GE provided its seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membrane technology to a new water treatment plant, which can now produce 200,000 imperial gallons per day of desalinated water. Spec...
Hydro Vortex Drop™ Shaft Key to Undersea Sewage Access
Welsh Water’s challenge to upgrade the sewage infrastructure within the £multi-million brownfield Swansea Waterfront re-development has been facilitated with an innovative Hydro Vortex Drop™ shaft solution from Hydro International. Raw sewage needed to be conveyed down a 14-metre drop in a constrained space within the former Prince of Wales Dock as part of an innovative and cost-saving solution, which enabled construction within a tight 14-week project window. Part of a wider regeneration of the...
Water pollution on the wane in Ireland, study shows
Cases of water pollution in Ireland appear to be in decline, as a new study indicated that levels of E. coli in drinking water have fallen. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has suggested that for the first time ever, Ireland has similar compliance rates to England, Wales and Holland in restricting the flow of the bacteria into drinking water supplies. E. coli was detected at least once in 20 out of 929 public water supplies, which was down from 27 in 2009. E. coli denotes whether human or...
Berson supplies UV disinfection technology to Ukrainian wastewater treatment plant
Berson has supplied two of its InLine+ UV disinfection systems to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the city of Chernihiv (population 350,000), north-east of Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. The Berson UV systems disinfect effluent prior to its discharge into the Desna River. “Disinfection is necessary to meet Ukrainian bathing water standards and also to prevent effluent with high microbial loads of pathogenic viruses, parasites and bacteria entering the Desna River, which is also the main w...
Cold Weather Nitrification Improved with Microcat Use
Maintaining good nitrification in a wastewater treatment plant is always tricky. The plant has to be operating at top efficiency, with a healthy biomass to reduce ammonia concentration, thus avoiding non-compliance with effluent permit limits. Now that cold weather is upon us, at least in much of the northern hemisphere, the problem is compounded. Most nitrifying bacteria grow very slowly at low temperatures, and winter can also increase the amounts of anti-freeze or road salt entering a municip...
Maintenance projects present real opportunity for rental pumps
Smaller, maintenance-led projects present a real opportunity for pump rental companies. None more so than Pump Supplies, the owner and operator of the largest hire fleet of electric submersible pumps and accessories in the UK. Managing director, Andrew John states: “With their component manufacture and design, submersible pumps can operate at a high level of pumping efficiency using the latest technology N impellers developed by ITT Flygt and variable frequency drives which make pumping duties m...
Berson UV used to treat hospital wastewater prior to discharge
Berson’s medium pressure UV systems are being used in a trial in the Netherlands to treat hospital wastewater prior to discharge. In the trial, UV is applied in combination with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to generate OH- radicals in a so-called “Advanced Oxidation Process” (AOP). The very reactive OH- radicals attack the pharmaceutical residues in the wastewater, breaking them down into H2O, CO2 and harmless metabolites. Like all hospitals, the wastewater from the Isala Hospital in Zwolle, the Ne...
Oil spill causes water pollution in English river
An oil spill has caused water pollution in the River Lark in the English town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, affecting 2.5km of the waterway. A team from the Environment Agency of England and Wales went out on November 21st to distribute absorbent pads in the river to try and prevent the spread of oil, with more materials added the day after to soak up as much as possible. The body noted that damage to the environment seems to be limited so far, although the clean-up efforts will likely contin...
Water pollution killing off EU freshwater species
Freshwater fish and molluscs in Europe are now listed as endangered creatures, with a new report revealing that alien species, habitat loss, overfishing and water pollution are contributing to their decline. The list of threatened species in Europe includes 13 per cent of all birds, 15 per cent of mammals and dragonflies, 19 per cent of reptiles, 23 per cent of amphibians, 37 per cent of freshwater fish and 44 per cent of all freshwater molluscs. Now, the European Commission is calling on all...
Sustainable Solutions on Show from ACWA Emirates
Saudi Water and Power Forum 4th - 6th December 2011 The Jeddah Hilton, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ACWA Emirates LLC will be showcasing the company’s many innovative, sustainable environmental solutions on stand N24 at the Saudi Water & Power Forum from 4 to 6 December. A subsidiary of UK-based ACWA Services, which is wholly-owned by the CCC Group, ACWA Emirates is a leading provider of process solutions for the air, water and wastewater sectors throughout the MENA region. The company’s mission is to...
Chevron fined for water pollution
US company Chevron has been fined for an offshore oil spill that caused significant water pollution. Brazil's environmental agency has handed the firm a penalty of $28 million but it is possible that Chevron may be hit with further fines in the coming days and weeks. George Buck, chief executive officer of Chevron, noted that the incident occurred when oil leaked into a well borehole, which saw the structure crack and oil make its way through the rock to reach the seabed. "This is rare but on...
Hackers target US water pump
Thousands of homes in an Illinois city have had their water treatment services compromised by a reported cyber attack. Criminals are said to have hacked into the system that controls a water pump near Springfield and turned it on and off repeatedly. This has resulted in the pump burning out, which has left a number of homes without clean water. The security breach was first made public by industrial control systems expert Joe Wiess, who wrote in his blog that utility providers must protect th...
Membrane filtration for the treatment of effluent is providing manufacturers with significant cost savings
Axium Process’ membrane filtration systems are providing manufacturers with significant cost savings by reducing effluent volumes and disposal costs as well as recovering up to 95% pure water that can be reused in the process itself or for general cleaning duties depending upon the application. Membrane filtration as a treatment for effluent is now being successfully used across a wide spectrum of industries as the technology can deliver a stable operation with consistent performance; key requi...
KZNR Severe Duty Slurry Pump Lasts Twice as Long as Sewage-Style Dewatering Pump in USA Coal Mine
The Company The company operates nine coal-mining facilities, including surface and underground mines, in southern Illinois. The Challenge Coal is America’s most important source of power. It generates more than 43 percent of all electric utility and industrial power produced in the United States. In 2010, the country’s 1,400 coal mines produced more than one billion short tons of coal. Given that it can take 3,000 gallons of water to extract, process, transport, store and dispose of every ton o...
Strategic Partnership Signals Growth for Hydro In Japan
Hydro International, a leading international provider of innovative technologies for stormwater and wastewater treatment, has signed a strategic partnership agreement with a new Japanese agent to grow its business in Japan. The deal with Tokyo-based Haneda Zenith Techno Co Ltd is seen as a key strategic move for Hydro’s operations in Asia and is an opportunity to introduce new sustainable, low-maintenance technologies for Stormwater treatment to the Japanese market. “Hydro is committed to achiev...
Marine charity hits out over water pollution
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has criticised UK water companies after discovering the true extent of sewage pollution throughout England and Wales. Members of the organisation have received new information relating to the number of untreated sewage discharges across Britain. It suggested there are 31,000 places where raw sewage is entering waterways - far higher than the original estimate of 22,000. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and emergency overflows (EOs) - which are used when waste...
WEFTEC 2011 Keeps Pace With Strong Showing
A total of 16,961 water professionals and 923 exhibiting companies from around the world recently attended WEFTEC 2011- the Water Environment Federation's (WEF) 84th Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference in Los Angeles, USA. As the city's second largest conference this year, the strong showing reinforces WEFTEC as the place to be for information and technology exchange among water professionals and for access to the best business opportunities in the water quality field. "WEFTEC continues t...
Maynilad selects Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies to design and build two MBBR Sewage Treatment Plants
OTV, a subsidiary of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, in partnership with civil contractor AG Araja Construction, have been awarded two contracts by Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) for the design and build of San Antonio and Del Monte Sewage Treatment Plants. Maynilad is the water and wastewater services provider for the 17 cities and municipalities that comprise the West Zone of the greater Metro Manila area. With limited available space at San Antonio and Del Monte, Maynilad was...
Revolutionary ultrasonic nozzle that will change the way water cleans
A team of scientists from the University of Southampton (UK) have developed a revolutionary ultrasonic attachment for taps, which massively enhances the ability of water to clean. Currently, industry uses excessive water, power and additives for cleaning. For example, it can take up to 100 tonnes of water to produce 1 tonne of clean wool after shearing. Many industrial processes also generate large quantities of contaminated run-off. The water from hosing down an abattoir represents a real healt...
Xylem launches as new global, pure-play water technology company
Xylem Inc. (USA) announces that it has completed its spinoff from ITT Corporation, and has begun operations as a $3.2 billion standalone global water technology company. Xylem’s market-leading product brands, applications expertise and technological strength enable the transport, treatment, testing and efficient use of water in public utility, residential and commercial building services, industrial and agricultural settings. The company serves customers in more than 150 countries to address cri...
China to embrace more water pollution control projects
The Chinese government is set to welcome an influx of foreign firms offering water pollution control solutions, it has been claimed. US-based industry research organisation IBISWorld has suggested that the environmental technology industry in the Asian country will be worth $746.8 million (£469.7 million) by the end of this year. This would represent a rise of 15.4 per cent when compared with 2010. Leaders at the research firm have stated that despite the apparent increase in water clean-up ac...
Clean and Green Brewery Points the Way to Water and Energy Gains for Food and Beverage Industry
A water recovery plant designed to target world’s best-practice water reuse standards in the food and beverage industry has exceeded its designers’ high expectations in its first year of service at the new Bluetongue brewery in Australia. The waste water treatment and green energy plant at the $120 million Pacific Beverages’ Bluetongue Brewery in NSW also provides valuable renewable energy for the brewery, reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and ultimately cutting overall energy needs by 15...
France urged to take water clean-up action
The French government has been told to take urgent water clean-up action, or face the possibility of being taken to court. Representatives of the European Commission have revealed the organisation is starting to lose patience with France over its apparent neglect of water pollution legislation, EurActiv reports. The main problem, the Commission stated, is the expansion of green algae around coastal areas of the country. France has been questioned about the strictness of its laws relating to the...
CBIO’s Solution Transforms Toxic Ponds Into Safe Havens
KEEPERS of Koi are using a revolutionary new product which contains live bacteria that transforms toxic ponds into safe havens. Developed by Stockton-on-Tees-based microbiological firm CBIO in the UK, the N-Series solution is a unique approach to fish-keeping and tackles the costly and time consuming issue of ammonia build-up. Ben Hoskyns, managing director at CBio said: “Because Koi excrete ammonia a build up will of course turn a pond into a highly toxic environment. The traditional way of dea...
European Commission to launch new water pollution legislation
The European Commission has unveiled draft proposals of new water pollution legislation aimed at the oil and gas exploration industry. It has suggested that lessons from last year's major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have been learnt and the EU is desperate to avoid similar incidents at offshore platforms throughout Europe. Energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger announced that tougher safety procedures will be introduced across the sector to ensure oil and gas wells are secure. The European Co...
Tsurumi celebrates 10 years supplying hassle-free wastewater at music festival
For the past ten years Tsurumi, one of the world’s leading submersible pump manufacturers, has provided a cost effective and reliable wastewater solution at a global music festival in Belgium. More than a decade ago, Sfinks festival in Belgium decided it needed a more effective and environmentally-friendly system to manage wastewater generated during the event. Crucially, the system needed to handle intense demand from 40,000 revellers over three days, without breaking down. The solution was sev...
CRCS - Continuous Release Cartridge System Keeping Kitchen Drains Free Flowing and Odourless
QM Environmental Services is presenting the new CRCS-system which is designed to keep commercial kitchen drains free from odours and clogging. This automated cartridge delivery system contains a water based suspension of preselected, adapted microorganisms used to treat fats, oils, and greases (FOG) in drain lines of food service establishments. This product consumes the regular build-up of FOG with a by-product of water and carbon dioxide in order to keep drains, drain lines and traps free flo...
ACWA wins key Coca-Cola Enterprises contract
International air, water and effluent treatment specialist ACWA has won a highly prestigious contract to supply Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) with a de-alkaliser for its Sidcup site, in preparation for a predicted surge in demand for products in the Coca-Cola portfolio during the Olympics next year. The site is installing a fourth filling line to increase its capacity during this key event, which will draw millions of sports fans from around the globe to the London area. Sidcup is one of CCE’s lar...
Adventus Announces Groundwater Biotechnology for Well Networks
The Adventus Group, a seminal provider of technologies for impacted soil, sediment, and groundwater environments introduces EHC-L, a new member of the EHC® family of In Situ Chemical Reduction (ISCR™) products. EHC-L is a stable, concentrated, buffered, emulsion of controlled-release, food-grade carbon, nutrients, and iron designed for on-site dilution with cold water. It is readily emplaced through wells or hydraulic networks to support in situ treatment of a wide range of groundwater contamina...