DynaSand filters solve micropollutant problems

The wastewater treatment plant in Baden-Baden, Germany, needed to add a highly efficient fourth treatment stage to significantly reduce micropollutants in the site’s effluent. The average flow through the plant is 4’700 m³/h and any new process needed to have sufficient capacity for peak flowrates.

The new process had to be seamlessly integrated and capable of meeting current as well as future effluent consents for micro-pollutants and nutrients. It also needed to have a low maintenance requirement and be simple to operate.

“The proven technology of our DynaSand filters enabled the treatment plant to surpass the most recent effluent consent levels for key micro-pollutants.”

Sonja Winandi, Team Lead Technical Support, Nordic Water

The challenge
This project was driven by the need to meet increasingly strict environmental regulations relating to micro-pollutant levels in plant effluent. It required the integration of new filtration technologies as well as process monitoring into the existing wastewater treatment infrastructure.

The chosen solution needed to provide precise data, high operational stability, and long-term scalability to support future regulatory and environmental demands

The solution
Sulzer supplied a full-stream granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration process developed by Nordic Water, a Sulzer brand. The 120 DynaSand carbon filters were arranged in 12 concrete basins, providing a total filter area of 600 m².

This powerful and flexible filter architecture ensures high operational reliability and optimal performance. The solution consistently achieves in the first year micropollutant removal efficiency of 95.5%, surpassing local regulatory requirements.

Customer benefit
The filters operate with very low maintenance requirements, ensuring extended availability and reliable performance. The efficient continuous filtration process delivers consistently high treatment results while keeping operational costs low.The plant is designed for full flow operation under wet weather conditions.