Water/Wastewater 39
reductions of 37% to 40%. BioTector distributors have also reported numerous occasions where a new installation has, within weeks, shown up processing problems that were previously unknown to the client.
Given this scenario, the “Typical Dairy Plant” could save c. €600,000 each year by reclaiming only 15% of product that was once lost in wastewater. This figure relates solely to liquid milk costs and does not factor in processing costs which could be higher. It is also assumed that total BOD loading will include contribution by surfactants and other types of waste, however these are relatively small in relation to the large volumes of milk.
How Does TOC Monitoring Reduce Lost Product Levels?
One analogy given occasionally by clients is that they consider BioTector as a Speed Camera – everyone trusts the information it gives, so behaviour will modify accordingly.
TOC measurements give visibility to the wastewater loading and processing insights. Because of the reliability and accuracy of the BioTector analyser it is used as a management tool to make decisions, respond to incidents and optimise processes. Production teams are more informed and therefore more accountable. WWTP teams can regulate and optimise their treatment processes. Both teams work together more cohesively.
If a spill happens somewhere on the plant, the analyser alarm for high loads rapidly alerts the team via the DCS network and mobile phones so management and operators are quickly supplied with accurate information and generally it takes a short time to get to the source of the problem.
A best practice approach is to locate Analysers on process streams and use the TOC measurement information to detect and prevent sources of product loss, subsequently increasing plant yield, see Figure 4.
WWTP Cost Savings & Capacity Optimisation
Reliable TOC monitoring also gives greater stability of wastewater loading and protection against WWTP overloading, it optimises WWTP capacity and, ultimately, protects the production process from any possible WWTP malfunction which could temporarily reduce or halt plant production.
Continuing with the “Typical Dairy Plant” model in the next Table, see Figure 5, TOC monitoring could directly save a plant c.€105,000 each year in reduced treatment costs.
3 Main Elements To Lost Product Detection & Prevention
1. Measurement – TOC measurements have been deemed the most cost-effective, continuous and timely test to identify and quantify milk products in wastewater streams. Analysers can correlate to BOD and COD automatically.
2. Information Dissemination – BioTector is interfaced with DCS networks including SCADA, together with pager and mobile phones. This information enables Production and WWTP personnel to work better together.
3. Management Response– when Management have confidence in TOC measurements the information is used for strategic decision making, general process control initiatives and incident responses.
2 Main Operational Advantages of Reliable TOC Monitoring
1. Confidence:TOC measurements (and automatic correlation to BOD and/or COD) are used by operators and management for process control. BioTector analyser measurements are used with confidence because they consistently provide high performance in this challenging environment with MCERT accredited uptime of 99.86% and typical accuracy and repeatability better than ±3% of reading.
2. A Management Tool: TOC information is used by both Production and WWTP personnel for decision making. The Production team will gain additional processing insights and the WWTP team can get close to the loading limit without going over it.
Figure 5: WWTP Cost Savings The Future of Dairy Industry
There is much anticipation in the European Dairy Industry surrounding the on-farm milk volume expansion following the abolition of European milk quotas in 2015. Supplier surveys indicate that milk production will increase dramatically between 2013 and 2020. This will create many opportunities for the Dairy Industry and many new challenges in terms of process efficiencies and WWTP capacity – challenges that BioTector will work with the industry to address.
About Us
BioTector Analytical Systems Ltd. (Ireland) is a privately owned company with more than 1,000 applications worldwide. BioTector won the ‘Product Leadership USA 2012’ award from Frost & Sullivan and is the market-leading TOC analyser in the USA.
Hach Company (Hach & Hach Lange), a leading manufacturer and distributor of analytical instruments partnered with BioTector in 2010 to become the exclusive distributor of the BioTector range of on-line liquid analysers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe. The BioTector B7000 has been a leading product in Hach’s Industrial applications since that time.
Additional product information and distributor details can be found at
www.biotector.com
Table 1: Glossary of Terms BOD: Biological Oxygen Demand. Amount of dissolved oxygen
consumed by a biological community of organisms in a given body of water to break down organic content.
COD: Chemical Oxygen Demand. Laboratory test used to determine the amount of organic compounds in a given body of water by correlation to BOD.
DCS: Distributed Control System. A control system, usually of a manufacturing process or any kind of dynamic system.
FOGS: Fats, Oils, Grease (Solid Waste). ID: Internal Diameter. The diameter of the inside of the sample tube.
PPM: Parts Per Million. Unit of measurement of the content of specific particles in a substance or mixture.
SCADA: Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition. Industrial performance computerised control system that monitors and regulates physical processes in multiple sites.
TOC: Total Organic Carbon. Total amount of Carbon content bound in organic compounds in a given solution.
TIC: Total Inorganic Carbon. Total amount of Carbon content bound through inorganic bonds in a given solution.
TN: Total Nitrogen. Total amount of all forms of Nitrogen molecules in a given solution.
TP (P): Total Phosphorous. Total amount of all forms of Phosphorous molecules in a given solution.
TSAO: Two Stage Oxidation Technology. The patented BioTector technology developed to overcome the usual challenges faced by TOCanalysers in the Dairy Processing Industry.
WWTP: Waste Water Treatment Plant.
www.envirotech-online.com IET November / December 2012 Figure 4: Best Practice Dairy Approach Figure 3: Table Outlining Lost Product Costs & Savings
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
