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[...]Sao Paulo, Brazil[...]

[...]Øystese, Norway I began my dual Bachelor's degree in Biological and Environmental Process Engineering at HUBER and the East Bavarian University of Applied Sciences in Amberg-Weiden in September 2021. The degree programme focuses primarily on natural sciences and engineering subjects such as fluid mechanics, mechanical and thermal process engineering, and water and wastewater treatment. In addition to theory, several practical projects must also be completed during the study-free periods. Practical experience at the HUBER Technology Centre I had the advantage of being able to gain practical experience at the HUBER Technology Centre as a dual student. I supported the product managers with various projects, familiarised myself with the machines through a series of tests with different demonstration plants, and gained new insights. The 3.5-year degree programme concludes with a bachelor's thesis. The project for this thesis took me to Norway, more specifically to Øystese. A picturesque destination and a technical challenge Øystese is a small town with around 2,000 inhabitants in south-western Norway. It is located directly on the Hardangerfjord, Norway's second-longest fjord, which is surrounded by large green spaces, mountains and glaciers. Norway's new wastewater directive requires action As Norway wants to protect its environment even better, a new wastewater directive has been drawn up that affects the sewage treatment plant I visited. Previous plant operation without biological treatment stage Previously, wastewater from the treatment plant, which is designed for a population equivalent (PE) of 10,000, first passed through the mechanical treatment stage, a HUBER Micro Strainer ROTAMAT® Ro9 500, then a HUBER Circular Grit Trap HRSF 2 and finally a flotation unit. As is common for many wastewater treatment plants in Norway, no biological treatment stage has been used to date. New requirements necessitate retrofitting The new Wastewater Directive will tighten the limits for wastewater discharge in the future, and the current effluent values of the wastewater treatment plant show that compliance with these values is not possible with the technology currently installed on site. According to a market analysis by our colleagues at HUBER Technology Nordic, several hundred wastewater treatment plants in Norway will have to retrofit their machinery and plants in order to comply with the new regulations. Visit to the Øystese wastewater treatment plant As part of a project, I travelled to Norway in March 2024. I visited the Øystese wastewater treatment plant for the first time and presented the HUBER product portfolio to the local staff. We then agreed that a series of tests with the HUBER Pile Cloth Media Filter RotaFilt® should be carried out on site to find out whether the RotaFilt® is a suitable technology for complying with future limit values. Test series with the HUBER Pile Cloth Media Filter RotaFilt® on site At the end of August, the time had come. I boarded the plane to Norway and made my way to Øystese. Meanwhile, a RotaFilt® demonstration machine was also on its way north. After our Norwegian colleagues and I had assembled the machine and prepared it for the test series, I began varying the amount of coagulant and flocculant in the laboratory to produce flocs and transferred the best result to the demonstration plant. Very good results The pile fabric used on the cloth filter was able to reliably retain the flocs. In the on-site laboratory, I sampled the inflows and outflows of the wastewater treatment plant. The evaluation of the results shows that the HUBER Pile Cloth Media Filter RotaFilt® can comply with the future limit values for COD, BOD and phosphate. Very good separation performance was also achieved for filterable solids and turbidity across a wide throughput range. Foundation for future solutions in Norway The series of tests were the basis for adapting the plant, and our colleagues at HUBER Technology Nordic received training in the new machine technology. This demonstrates to the Norwegian market that our products can make many wastewater treatment plants in Norway fit for the future again. Experiencing nature in my free time In addition to the test series, I had the opportunity to hike to the famous Trolltunga rock formation at the weekend. I enjoyed beautiful views of mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and fjords.[...]

[...]Echthausen, Germany Wickede-Echthausen waterworks in the Ruhr Valley was built in 1942. About 35 hectares are available there for drinking water production. The waterworks belong to Wasserwerke Westfalen (WWW), a subsidiary of DEW21 and GELSENWASSER which produce drinking water for 1.5 million people with their about 138 employees. Six waterworks between Wickede and Witten treat the water of the river Ruhr and make it available as drinking water. The supply area includes parts of the southern Münsterland region, the central and eastern parts of the Ruhr Valley and the northern Sauerland area. In 2014, Wasserwerke Westfalen produced about 100 million cubic metres of drinking water. About 25 million cubic metres of it are the per year capacity of the Echthausen waterworks where an additional building (80 x 35 m) is under construction presently to complete the drinking water treatment plant and provide for additional technical water treatment steps (fig. 1). This plant consists of oxidation with ozone to break up persistent compounds, quick filtration for the removal of particles, and an activated carbon fixed-bed filtration for the removal of organics. Moreover, the existing chemical deacidification system with caustic soda is being replaced by a physical process that works without any addition of chemicals. In advance of the overall project, Wasserwerke Westfalen started already in 2010 to change the drinking water disinfection systems on their waterworks to systems that use UV light. This technology is even more efficient against potential pathogenic germs than the previously used chloroxide. HUBER is involved in the project as supplier of a TT7.30 pressure door, a new model of our common pressure doors. This new type of door extends our product range and can be used for applications with up to 30 m water columns, whereas our previously manufactured pressure doors withstand water columns of 'only' 10 metres. We supplied three of these pressure doors for this project, they were needed as inspection openings for the ozone reaction chambers. The water volumes flow through the plant with overpressure. The three pressure doors must be able to withstand that pressure. Easy access is ensured by the easy-to-operate central lock. Start-up of the water treatment plant is planned to take place at the beginning of 2016. We confidently look forward to the completion of the project and are sure our TT7.30 pressure doors will be doing their job excellently and reliably.[...]

[...]Winterthur, Switzerland The city of Winterthur situated in the Swiss Canton Zurich is certainly not known as much as Bern, Zurich or Geneva but it is Switzerland’s sixth largest city with a very special landmark. The Wintower, erected 1966 by the Swiss company Sulzer AG, was nearly 40 years long the highest high-rise building in Switzerland. When the whole building was renovated recently, this included also the heating and cooling system. The HUBER ThermWin system was selected for wastewater heat utilisation. The Wintower has about 22,000 m² office space distributed on 28 storeys. Due to the complete refurbishment of the building interior and its exterior facade the Swiss MINERGIE standards can be met. These standards demand an extremely low specific thermal heat consumption of approx. 30 W/m². The low flow temperature of the heating circuit is ideal for the application of heat pumps. Ambient air or geothermal energy have previously been used as energy sources for this type of heating systems. The HUBER ThermWin system uses a different energy source: The energy required for the climatisation of the Wintower is recovered from the wastewater available in the public sewer networks. The proximity to the main interceptor is another aspect that is advantageous for the use of heat recovered from wastewater. The approach to solution of the HUBER ThermWin process lies in the above-ground exchange of heat. The HUBER Heat Exchanger RoWin is installed in the basement of the almost 100 metres high building and is fed by a submersible pump in a shaft directly beside the sewer. This shaft is connected with the sewer and serves as intermediate storage for the wastewater pump. Also the vertically installed HUBER Pumping Stations Screen ROTAMAT® RoK4 is installed there. Within the heat exchanger, an exchange takes place between the energy of the screened wastewater and intermediate circuit medium of the heat pump. This system arrangement allows for easy access to all plant components and ensures easy and low-cost maintenance. With a dry weather flow of approx. 160 l/s, about 50 l/s are taken out of the sewer and pre-treated prior to being fed to the heat exchanger plant. Approximately 440 kW are withdrawn from the municipal wastewater through cooling by approx. 2.1 kelvin. A heat pump uses this energy source to generate about 590 kW heat with a electrical power input of approx. 150 kw. The resulting COP (coefficient of performance) of the heat pump is approx. 4.0. This means that about 75% of Winterthur’s energy demand is delivered through its wastewater. The system of HUBER RoWin wastewater heat exchanger and heat pump is not only able to supply cheap and eco-friendly thermal energy during the heating period but can also generate cold during summer owing to the HUBER ThermWin system. About 600 kW cold are necessary to cool the Wintower in summer. Through simple switching the heat pump becomes a cooling engine and the heat withdrawn from the building can be given off to the wastewater. The energy required for this process makes up only a fractional amount of the effective output. The HUBER ThermWin system therefore provides an all the year round saving potential in terms of operating costs and harmful emissions, such as carbon dioxide. Maximum heating and cooling of the wastewater has been limited by the responsible project managers to 0.16 K during winter and 0.26 K in summer. As these limits are met, any impact on the function of the sewage treatment plant can be excluded. Due to the owner’s sustainable thinking the Wintower shines in its old splendour after extensive renovation. The HUBER ThermWin system is contributing its share.[...]

[...]Beijing, China 1. General During the past 20 years China has significantly stepped up its efforts to improve wastewater treatment. Already 3,243 sewage treatment plants were built until June 2012. These state-of-the-art plants clarify an average daily amount of 130 million m³ wastewater. Frequently, however, problems occur especially with sludge digestion due to sediments which hinder optimal digestion and cause wear on the sludge dewatering systems. The problems are caused by the numerous building projects going on in China's cities. A lot of debris, grit and silt, i.e. a lot of inorganic material, is washed into the sewer network and further on into the sewage treatment plants. The grit traps are often unable to cope with these large amounts so that these mineral materials arrive in the preliminary clarification tanks and even in the digester towers. Investigations have shown that the organic content in digested sewage sludge is only 30 - 50% in China. In Germany, this rate is about 20% higher because fewer minerals are washed into the sewers here and the sewers are cleaned regularly. The customer defined his requirements for a new treatment plant as follows: the plant must remove and wash coarse material, sand and silt from the sewer grit. organic material must be separated from the sewer grit. the wash water must be discharged directly into the STP Qinghe. 2. Description of the treatment plant The plant is installed on STP Qinghe in Bejing in a new separate building and is designed for an hourly throughput of 6 t/h. During peak periods the daily throughput can increase to up to 60 tons. Design data: Throughput capacity: 60 t/d or 6 t/h Operating hours per day. 8 to 16 h Sewer cleaning and transport is during the night from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Main delivery from March to May and September to November (80% of the annual amount) Input material: 10 – 70% DR; on average 62 % DR with 16% organic material Structures: Underground receiver silo Treatment hall Office and control panel room Technical process flow (see fig. 2): Grabbing crane Intermediate storage and dosing plant RoSF7 size 1 Wash drum RoSF9 size 2 with screw conveyor 2 Grit Washer RoSF9 units, size 2-S3 Hydrocyclone with classifying screw RoMesh screen, size 3, with screw conveyor Longitudinal grit trap with horizontal removal screw Pumping station for service and circulation water Biofilter 3. Detailed description of the process flow 3.1 Receiver silo: The sewer grit is delivered to the sewage treatment plant by a suction vehicle as a sludge mixture, or in already dewatered form by a truck, and immediately emptied into a receiver silo. The storage volume of the underground concrete silo is 150 m³ (8 m × 5 m × 4.5m [L x W x H]). A grate is fitted above the silo to retain trash. A dewatering channel in the silo ensures that the seepage water can by gravity flow into a pump from where it is delivered into the RoSF9 Wash Drum by a submersible pump ( 15 m delivery height). A biofilter is installed outside directly beside the silo. The exhaust air is sucked from the silo via a DN 500 pipeline and is introduced directly into the biofilter. 3.2 Dosing plant and coarse material removal A grabbing crane takes the solids from the silo and lifts them to a geodetic height of approximately 10 m. From this height the contaminated material is dropped into a 6 m³ intermediate storage facility (RoSF7). A horizontally installed dosing screw (size 500) transports the material into the RoSF9 Wash Drum (see fig. 3). Inside the Wash Drum all materials bigger than 15 mm are separated, washed and discharged into a screw conveyor. The wash water consumption of the Wash Drum is approximately 90 m³/h (circulation water). 3.3 Grit separation and grit washing: All undersized particles in the Wash Drum (a 15 mm) are discharged into two COANDA Grit Washer RoSF4 units (see fig. 1). The Grit Washer units separate the grit from the organics/silt, wash the grit and remove it via a screw. The organics content in the grit is below 3% with grain size 0.2 mm. The wash water demand of the two Grit Washer units is approximately 22 m³/h. The wash water comes from the MBR plant on STP Qinghe. 3.4 Separation of organics and process water treatment: The effluent from the grit washing plant flows by gravity through a DN 350 pipeline into a HUBER Rotary Drum Screen RoMesh (see fig. 4) where all organics size 2 - 15 mm are separated and removed. The screened effluent flows directly into an unaerated grit trap which serves as an intermediate buffer for the process water (circulation water). The wash water demand of the RoMesh screen is approximately 12 m³/h. The wash water comes from the MBR plant on STP Qinghe. 3.5 Silt removal: The unaerated grit trap serves not only as an intermediate buffer for the circulation water but separates also silt up to a grain size of approximately 60 µm. A horizontal screw conveyor installed in the grit trap delivers the fine grit/silt from one end to the other end of the grit trap. There, with a volume flow of approximately 30 m³/h, a wear-resistant grit pump delivers all sediments to a hydrocyclone which reliably separates the fine particles with a grain size of 60 µm. The downstream water of the cyclone flows directly into a classifying screw which dewaters the silt statically and delivers it into a container. The upstream water of the cyclone is returned into the intermediate buffer through a DN 100 pipeline. The intermediate buffer supplies the wash water for the Wash Drum (circulation water). Surplus water in the intermediate buffer, if any, is discharged directly into the sewer system, i.e. into the inflow to the sewage treatment plant. 3.6 Wash water management: A total of up to 34 m³/h service water is required for the two RoSF4 Grit Washer units and the RoMesh screen. This amount of wash water is taken from the MBR plant on STP Qinghe. The inflowing service water is stored in a 25 m³ tank from where it is supplied to the consumers as needed. The circulation water from the intermediate buffer is taken as wash water for the RoSF9 Wash Drum as described above. 3.7 Exhaust air treatment: The exhausts air treatment plant with a throughput capacity of 6,000 Nm³/h consists of several components: exhaust air ventilator, humidifier, biofilter plant, sprinkler system. The biofilter plant consists of a fixed bed reactor which is filled with active carbon. The exhaust air treatment plant cleans the contaminated air sucked from different areas of the whole plant. The biologically treated air is discharged into the atmosphere. 4. First results Due to the well known separation size of its individual components this treatment solution provides cost-effective separation of sewer grit into different fractions. The table below gives an overview of the individual mass flows. With an hourly throughput of 6 tons (which is a dry mass of 3.72 tons with a DR of 62%) the sewer grit is divided into five different fractions (see fig. 5). The washed grit with a loss on ignition below 3% can for example be used as material for road building or as filling material. Also the separated silt can be used as building material. The washed coarse materials (stones, domestic waste, plastic material) are landfilled. Due to their significantly reduced weight they help saving the city's landfill capacity. The separated organic material is composted so that nutritive media can be recovered from it. Only the wastewater flow containing the fine organic material flows to the sewage treatment plant where most of it is converted into sludge gas in the digester tower. Due to regular sewer cleaning also the mineral solids load in the sewage treatment plant is significantly reduced which improves the function of the grit trap. The low amount of silt and sand in the digester sludge protects the sewage treatment plant from operational problems and reduces the costs for maintenance and wear repair. In practice, the composition of the sewer grit varies continuously during the year as well as due to different sewer structures and ways of sewer grit "production". It will remain to be seen what the results will be in the medium term. Material | Grain size | Rate Anorganic material |> 15 mm|10% |0.2 - 15 mm|41% | < 0.2 mm|49% Organic material |> 15 mm|4% |0.2 - 15 mm|61% | < 0.2 mm|35%[...]

[...]It is a milestone in the 150-year company history of HUBER SE: On Monday, 10 January, HUBER SE welcomed its 800th employee at the company headquarters in Berching. Wilhelm Buchberger was received on his first day of work by the board members Georg Huber, Dr. Oliver Rong and Rainer Köhler as well as Georg Heinzelmann (Head of Project Management) and the HR department. Mr Buchberger officially joined the company on 1 January 2022 and will strengthen the project management team in the future. From a copper smithy to a leading global company: HUBER is growing steadily The growth in the number of employees over the past ten years alone is proof of the imposing development the company has taken: at the end of 2011, HUBER employed 603 people, but by 2014 the number had already risen to 694. In 2018, the 700 mark was reached with 703 employees at the end of the year (reporting date at the end of December). Wilhelm Buchberger is now HUBER's 800th employee – and the company's development suggests that the number of employees will continue to rise. Today, HUBER employs more than 1300 people worldwide. 150-year history (1872 – 2022): company always owned by the Huber family The fact that HUBER can welcome the 800th employee at the Berching site in its anniversary year is a double reason for joy. Since 1872 and thus 150 years, the company has been owned by the Huber family – an anniversary that will be duly celebrated in the course of the year.[...]

[...]Houten, Netherlands It is an ideal location for advanced wastewater treatment: HUBER, through its Dutch representative Dutch Spiral B.V., supplies proven stainless steel equipment from its Safe Access Solutions (SAS) business unit for the Netherlands' first wastewater ozonation plant. The scope of supply includes five HUBER Access Covers TT8a and three HUBER Pressure-Tight Doors TT7. Residues of chemical substances in drinking water Dutch drinking water is among the world's best due to its intensive purification. However, increasingly precise analytical methods show that residues of chemical substances such as medicines are present in the drinking water. A report published in 2021 by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment RIVM shows that substances that should not be present in drinking water in this quantity were found in more than 60% of the drinking water samples. Demographic change, use of medicines and quality assurance for drinking water The drought of the past years has led to an increased concentration of pollutants, but the demographic change in society and the accompanying increased use of medicines also play a role. The quality of drinking water in the Netherlands remains very good, but there is growing concern about future quality due to the factors mentioned above. Advanced wastewater treatment: Houten gets first wastewater ozonation plant in the Netherlands Advanced wastewater treatment is an important key to reducing pharmaceutical residues in surface waters. After a nationwide analysis, the wastewater treatment plant in Houten, a small Dutch town in the province of Utrecht with about 50,000 inhabitants, was determined to be an ideal location for the installation of the first water ozonation plant in the Netherlands. The most common techniques have shown that ozone is a suitable means of reducing the amount of pharmaceutical residues that enter surface waters via wastewater. It is planned to equip several wastewater treatment plants with this type of system in the future. Image Gallery Project Photos One of the installed stainless steel HUBER Pressure-Tight Doors TT7 Sight glass with wipers and LED lighting integrated into the pressure-tight doors - outside and inside view Round Access Covers TT8a with Screwed Joints Round Access Cover TT8a - detail view WWTP Houten receives five HUBER Access Covers TT8a and three HUBER Pressure-Tight Doors TT7 Ozone treatment in Houten takes place in a concrete ozone reactor equipped with aeration elements. These elements must be easy to inspect and easy to reach. A pressure-tight door is the best choice for safe and at the same time easy access. Thus, HUBER’s pressure-tight door type TT7 was chosen for the ozonation plant in Houten. The doors are located seven metres under water and are equipped with sight glass, wipers and LED lighting for easy observation of the effect of the ozone. It is a customised product with adaptations made to the sealing and glass type to prevent corrosion by the ozone. The HUBER Pressure-Tight Door TT7 is an all stainless steel, ready-to-install tank access door specifically designed for drinking water supply. The rectangular HUBER pressure doors are pressure-resistant up to ten metres, open to the pressure side, are ready-to-install, can be covered on both sides (wall thickness ≥ 280 mm) and are statically tested. The reactor consists of different chambers. In order to be able to carry out correct sampling from each chamber, pressure-tight HUBER Access Covers TT8a were installed on the ceiling of each chamber, which are resistant up to a gas pressure of 40 mbar. The HUBER access covers, specially developed for drinking water supply, are maintenance and inspection openings made of stainless steel, pressure-resistant up to 5 metres water column as standard. The round types are ready for installation, can be covered on both sides and include an interposed seal according to their field of application. A blind cover serves as a closure, to which two handles are attached for lifting, connected to the frame by screw connections.[...]

[...]Wastewater treatment for the fish processing industry Reduce disposal costs Separate solids and impurities Dewater excess sludge Separate biomass Comply with limit values Reduce operating costs Wastewater from the fish processing industry is characterized by high COD, grease and solids contents. HUBER supplies tailor-made solutions based on standardised machine technology, adapted to the individual composition of each type of wastewater and always oriented towards the required effluent quality and the project-specific requirements. HUBER products and solutions for your requirements From our range of machines for wastewater screening , chemical-physical pre-treatment and systems for sludge treatment , we create customer-specific solutions. Prior laboratory or pilot tests provide a high degree of security for customers and operators. As we manufacture almost all components ourselves in stainless steel, individual adaptations based on best practice can be made quickly and easily and the number of interfaces can be reduced to a minimum. Different requirements with regard to material quality (e.g. due to salinity) are responded to by selecting the appropriate material. HUBER also provides solutions for onshore and offshore fish farms for the treatment and recycling of water, as well as for compacting the residual materials and the sludge for easy handling and uncomplicated disposal. Our solutions for your challenges: COD, fat and solids reduction Reliably comply with discharge limits Reduce operating costs for wastewater treatment Reduce disposal costs for waste and sludge Access solutions for manholes and tanks[...]

[...]Tailor-made solutions for fish protection We develop solutions that are both designed and implemented to be sustainable and long-lasting. This starts with resource-saving manufacturing of our screens and screening machines, and continues with optimisation of structures for water abstraction projects, right through to comprehensive concepts for fish protection. Technical options HUBER solutions for fish protection Optimal fish protection starts with the correct design of the structure and the screen concept. This also includes fish deterrent systems and specially shaped filter elements for belt screens with integrated fish return. The primary goal of fish protection is to prevent fish from swimming into the intake structure in the first place. The prevailing flow conditions at the intake essentially influence the swimming behaviour of fish. The lower the approach velocity, the better the fish can swim away. It should therefore not be more than 0.5 metres per second. Furthermore, the angle of approach to the water intake and the bar spacing of the screen play an important role. Fish deterrent systems To keep fish out of water intake channels, fish deterrent systems are often installed as a behavioural barrier. These use electrical, optical or acoustic signals to scare fish away. For this purpose, HUBER cooperates with world-renowned specialists and relies primarily on the gentle solution of stroboscopic (or flashing) lights. The system has been specially developed to be ultra-bright. It uses low-energy LEDs with lenses to intensify the light. The solution is both effective and cheap to run. Fish return If fish swim into the area of screens and screening machines, we rely on automatic return concepts. For the HUBER Band Screen DiscMax® , for example, we have developed special fish buckets that are installed on each screen element. In combination with suitable return channels, the fish buckets ensure that fish are gently guided out and back into their natural waters. Our solutions help ensure that your water intake system meets regulatory requirements for fish protection, including the strict 316(b) regulation of the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Water Act.[...]

[...]On Tuesday, 2 August, HUBER SE honoured five graduates of different apprenticeships for their successfully passed final exams. In the HUBER Forum at the company’s headquarters in Berching-Erasbach, the trainers as well as the board of directors congratulated the now former apprentices and wished them much success in their takeover departments and for their further career. All graduates were taken on by the company. In July, a marketing communications clerk, two industrial clerks and two wastewater technology specialists successfully completed their training at HUBER. Nadine Koller (marketing communications clerk) will continue to work in the marketing department. Industrial clerk Antonia Schmalz is working as team assistant in the Global Service department and industrial clerk Maximilian Kränzlein was taken on as accounts payable clerk. The two sewage technology specialists Niklas Beringer and Jonathan Meyer will in future be travelling worldwide as mechanical service technicians for the Global Service department. Congratulations from the board and trainers The management board members Georg Huber (Chairman of the Board), Dr. Johann Grienberger (Chief Technology Officer) and Rainer Köhler (Chief Sales Officer) as well as the trainers personally congratulated the graduates on their successful completions and wished them much joy and success in the departments they will be working as well as for their further professional careers.[...]