On-Demand Wastewater Treatment Management for Global Soft Drink Producer’s Plant in Philippines

A major soft drink manufacturer has selected Siemens Water Technologies (USA) to provide a wastewater treatment solution for a new bottling plant in the Philippines. This multi-million dollar project includes the Siemens proprietary Omniflo Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) system for biological treatment. It was chosen for its modular design and batch processing capability that makes it ideal for the bottling lines.

A similar Siemens Omniflo system with Vari-Cant jet aeration will be installed in the Philippines. Beverage manufacturing is governed by batch processing and involves a number of intermittent flows during the course of a day. A wastewater solution ideally supports the concept of the main business process rather than limiting its capabilities. With the new Siemens system for the Philippine bottling plant, the soft drink maker will now have the flexibility to add further beverage products to its portfolio without a major change in the wastewater treatment philosophy. This allows a speedy adjustment to shifts in market demands.

The heart of the wastewater solution is the Omniflo SBR system for biological treatment to reduce Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). Designed to treat more than 1,000 m3/d, the SBR uses the Siemens Vari-Cant jet aeration system. The “on-demand” design of the SBR allows the jet aeration to be used only when needed for the particular batch of wastewater generated, thus potentially resulting in a significant reduction in power consumption.

The solution is designed for modular expansion, including the ability to recycle parts of the flow for alternate uses, thereby reducing the water footprint. It includes a nutrient removal provision to assist the customer in meeting future anticipated stringent wastewater-discharge regulations in the Philippines. The overall system is designed with low maintenance in mind, as the jets can have a long life span and there are no electromechanical parts under water.