Bactest CYTOMAIA respirometer technology for optimisation of wastewater processes

该项目(Shepherd)的商机是将第一个现场实时活性污泥监控系统推向市场，该系统将使废水行业大幅削减能源消耗和碳排放。处理废水的基础是在加工厂中产生稳定的微生物种群，用于净化未经处理的污水和商业废物。这个过程是连续的，通过调整流出物的流速和保持正确的含氧量来保持平衡，从而允许微生物高效生长和净化。空气被大型压缩机强迫进入“活性污泥”，以保持气体组成。工厂运行状况不佳的主要原因是工厂运行控制和测试不足。生物监测越来越多地被视为优化流程的解决方案，是行业内的一个重要推动力。目前还没有适合于实时过程控制的微生物监测系统。该行业将其高达50%的能源运营支出用于活性污泥的临时曝气，目的是优化废水处理厂的细菌活性。目前的标准检测是BOD5，它需要5到7天的时间才能将结果送回工厂，到那时“情况”已经发生了戏剧性的变化。因此，这项测试可能毫无用处。多年来，该行业一直在寻找解决这个问题的方法。在线、可靠、实时的BOD分析设备(或模拟)将改变控制，提高排放标准，并降低整个行业的优化能耗。为了抓住这一商业机会，BATEST将需要修改其目前的预防技术平台CyTOMAIA，该平台旨在用于便携式污染物测试仪(Speedy Breedy)，以便该技术可以用于更大的设备，该设备将永久驻留在污水处理厂对活性污泥进行采样、测试并将结果传输到监测中心。这将使工厂操作员每小时(而不是每7天)产生细菌活动的“健康”，使他们能够更有效地利用通风，从而降低能源消耗。此外，Shepherd生成的数据还将被传输到Bactest，在那里将建立一个数据库和软件工具来分析废水设施，以帮助管理和规划废水设施。这个TSB项目的项目成果将证明我们的技术平台可以如上所述进行修改，最终将在测试废水设施上部署两个原型，一个在剑桥的Anglian Water，另一个在克兰菲尔德大学。过去经常解决问题的工厂的行业专家建议，对于良好控制的过程，应该节省20%的成本。我们预计概念验证将花费约168,000 GB，需要12个月。

The business opportunity this project (Shepherd) addresses is to bring to market the first insitu,real time activated sludge monitoring system, that would enable the waste water industryto dramatically cut their energy consumption and carbon footprint.Fundamental to the process of dealing with wastewater is the generation of a stable populationof microorganisms in the process plant for the purification of raw sewage and commercialwaste. The process is continuous and kept in balance by adjusting flow rates of effluent andby maintaining the correct oxygen content to allow efficient microbial growth andpurification. Air is forced into the "activated sludge" by large compressors to maintain thegaseous composition. Key causes of poorly performing plants are inadequate plant operationcontrol and testing. Increasingly, biological monitoring is seen as the solution to optimisingprocesses and is a significant driver within the industry. Currently there are no microbialmonitoring systems suitable for real time process control. The industry spends up to 50% ofits energy OPEX on ad-hoc aeration of activated sludge with the aim to optimise bacterialactivity in waste water treatment plants. Currently the standard test is BOD5 which takes 5 to7 days for results to come back to the plant by which time the “situation” has dramaticallychanged. Thus the test can be useless. The industry has been seeking a solution to thisproblem for years. An on-line, reliable, real time BOD analysis device (or analogue) wouldtransform control and lead to enhanced discharge standards and lower, optimised, energyconsumption throughout the industry.In order to address this business opportunity BACTEST will need to modify its current proventechnology platform CYTOMAIA that was designed to be used in a portable contaminationtesting instrument (Speedy Breedy) such that the technology could be used in a larger devicethat would permanently reside on a waste water plant sampling activated sludge, testing andtransmitting results to a monitoring centre. This would enable plant operators to have resultson the “health” of bacterial activity every hour (as opposed to every 7 days) enabling them tomake more efficient use of aeration resulting is lower energy spend. In addition the datagenerated by Shepherd will also be transmitted to BACTEST where a database will be grownand software tools built to analyse waste water facilities to assist in management and planningof waste water facilities.Project outcomes from this TSB project will prove that our technology platform can bemodified as outlined above and will culminate in 2 prototypes being deployed on test wastewater facilities, one at Anglian Water in Cambridge, the other at Cranfield University.Industry experts used to trouble shooting problem plants suggest savings of 20% should be atarget for well controlled processes.We anticipate proof of concept will cost around £168,000 and take 12 months.