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ALMA BHU BiosS-Treat - Wastewater treatment plant

Reverse osmosis with biological pre-treatment

ALMA BHU BiosS-Treat

Reverse osmosis is a key process for the treatment of river water and for industrial water reuse applications. Even low concentrations of biodegradable organic substances can lead to the formation of biofilms on the membrane surfaces. This significantly impairs the performance of the system and leads to increased operating costs due to rising pressure losses and more frequent cleaning processes.

To avoid these problems, the BiosS-Treat system relies on pre-treatment through precipitation and biologically active filtration. This effectively removes biofilm-promoting substances - and enables permanently stable, economical operation of the downstream reverse osmosis system, even with challenging surface water or wastewater.

Technical data

Main applications

Waste water
Process water Water recycling, river water treatment, water reuse

Throughput capacity

100 - 3,000 m³/h

Material

Concrete or steel

Your expert for water reuse and river water treatment - directly accessible

Maksim Neubauer

Head of International Project Development & Water Reuse

maksim.neubauer@almawatech.com

+49 175 6474 123

Siegfried Hirschmann

Senior Expert, Process and Fresh Water

siegfried.hirschmann@almawatech.com

+49 151 530 55 621

References River water treatment & WaterReuse with the ALMA BHU BiosS-Treat process

ZTIC, Dubai, ALMA BHU BiosS-Treat

Pre-treatment of wastewater for feeding a reverse osmosis system for the recovery of process water (water recycling) with a wastewater flow of 6,850 m³/h.

River water treatment for Südzucker AG in Wanze, Belgium.

Südzucker AG, Belgium, ALMA BHU BiosS-Treat

A river water treatment plant (2 x 275 m³/h) for the production of process water, cooling water and boiler feed water in drinking water quality with reverse osmosis system and ion exchangers for the company Südzucker AG at the Wanze site in Belgium.

Reverse osmosis with biological pre-treatment

Südzucker Zeitz PWT

A river water treatment plant with a capacity of 220 m³/h using the ALMA BiosS-Treat processfor Südzucker AG at the Zeitz site.

Special pretreatment for stable operation of reverse osmosis systems

The ALMA BHU BiosS-Treat reduces particles, colloidal matter, and residual biodegradable organic loads upstream of a reverse osmosis system. To achieve this, it combines physicochemical precipitation with biologically active filtration. The process is suitable for river and surface water, process water, and biologically treated wastewater within industrial water reuse systems.

Step 1

Precipitation and flocculation

Colloidal substances, finely dispersed particles, and chemically precipitable constituents are destabilized and aggregated into separable flocs.

Step 2

Biologically active filtration

Microorganisms in the filter bed biologically reduce biodegradable organic residues that would otherwise promote the growth of biofilms on membranes.

Step 3

Pre-treated water for reverse osmosis

The downstream reverse osmosis system receives a more stable inflow with reduced particulate, colloidal, and biological contamination.

What problems are reduced by reverse osmosis?

Biofouling on Membrane Surfaces Reducing biologically available substances limits the food supply for undesirable microbial growth.
Particulate and Colloidal Contaminants Precipitation, flocculation, and filtration reduce fine solids that can clog membranes and upstream filters .
Increasing Pressure Losses A more stable flow can limit the buildup of deposits and support more consistent system operation.
Frequent Membrane Cleaning Pre-treatment reduces fouling-promoting contaminants and can thereby reduce cleaning intervals and operational downtime.

When is the BiosS-Treat method appropriate?

Water Reuse After a Wastewater Treatment Plant For further treatment of biologically treated industrial or municipal wastewater prior to reverse osmosis.
River and Surface Water Treatment For raw water with varying turbidity levels, natural organic substances, and biologically degradable residual contaminants.
High or fluctuating SDI values For systems in which the particulate and colloidal quality of the feed water impairs the operation of the reverse osmosis system.
An Alternative to Complex Membrane Prefiltration Depending on water quality and the purification objective, the process can serve as a cost-effective alternative or supplement to microfiltration and ultrafiltration.

100–3,000 m³/h Specified hydraulic performance range

Steel or concrete Project-specific construction method depending on throughput, location, and plant design

Precipitation + Biofiltration Combined pretreatment prior to the reverse osmosis system

Typical Integration into a Water Reuse System

1. Raw water or wastewater River water, process water, or biologically treated effluent from an industrial or municipal wastewater treatment plant.

2. ALMA BHU BiosS-Treat Precipitation, flocculation, and biologically active filtration to reduce substances that promote fouling.

3. Reverse Osmosis Desalination and further removal of dissolved substances to ensure high water quality.

4. Water Reuse Use as process water, cooling water, boiler feedwater, or for other operational applications.