[...]Malta The Ta' Barkat sewage treatment works, often referred to as the Malta South STW, is at the heart of Malta’s wastewater management system. It is situated near Xgħajra on Malta’s south-east coast and officially came into operation in 2011. It is the country’s largest sewage treatment works and treats around 60,000 m³ of wastewater every day. This corresponds to around 80 per cent of the island’s total wastewater volume. The plant uses a modern biofiltration process that alternates between aerobic and anoxic environments to efficiently treat the wastewater. Its commissioning has significantly improved water quality at beaches in the south, such as Marsascala and Kalkara. ‘New Water’ project An important feature of Ta’ Barkat is its reclaimed water treatment plant, which allows the water to be used for agricultural irrigation. Here, the already treated water is further purified through ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) to such a high standard that it can be used as high-quality irrigation water for agriculture. The result is Class A water, the quality of which, according to the operator Water Services Corporation (WSC), even exceeds the standards set by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) for the irrigation of food crops. Currently, up to 9,000 m³ of ‘New Water’ is produced daily. However, it is expected that daily production will need to be increased to 20,000 m³/d by 2028. In the long term, the project is intended to cover up to 35 per cent of the agricultural sector’s water requirements. The main objective is to achieve a ‘net-zero impact’ on the natural water cycle by replacing illegal or excessive extraction from wells with sustainable reuse. To protect the downstream ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis plant (UF-RO system), drum filters were originally used as ultra-fine screens downstream of the secondary clarifier. However, these did not provide the necessary purification performance. The TSS values in the effluent from the drum filters were regularly in the range of 20–40 mg/l, leading to high operating costs for the UF membrane and, consequently, plant downtime. For this reason, the operator conducted an in-depth review of alternative technologies for ultra-fine filtration of the treated effluent. Ultimately, it was decided to replace the drum filters with cloth filters in order to ensure a better effluent quality for the operation of the UF-RO system. HUBER solutions in use In January 2024, HUBER SE was commissioned via a local partner to upgrade the plant with a cloth filtration stage. At the WSC’s request, the system was installed in tanks. Following intensive detailed discussions and coordination with all parties involved, three HUBER Pile Cloth Media Filter RotaFilt®, size 2700, were delivered to Malta in November 2024. After more than a year of satisfactory operation, a routine inspection carried out by a HUBER service team in collaboration with the operator identified potential for improvement in the overall functioning of the plant. The aim is to increase plant availability and improve operational performance. This is because the pile fabric filtration stage must also significantly increase its net daily throughput in the course of 2026. Meanwhile, construction work on the expansion of the downstream filtration stages is also in full swing, to ensure the plant is optimally prepared for future requirements.[...]
[...]Magdeburg, Germany The sewage treatment works Magdeburg/Gerwisch was officially commissioned in 1999 after a construction period of two and a half years. It is designed for 426,000 PE and operates with 90 percentage utilisation. An annual average of 17 million cubic metres of wastewater and stormwater is treated on this sewage treatment plant. All coarse waste material is retained in the three-line and two-line screening plant. When the sewage treatment works was planned 15 years ago for the installation of three fine screens, additional space was already planned for the later installation of three upstream coarse screens. In order to prevent the operating troubles which especially occurred with increased screenings volumes after storm events the plant operators Städtische Werke Magdeburg GmbH recently decided to order the three coarse screens. The order for the coarse screens was placed with HUBER and we supplied and installed three RakeMax® screens with 20 mm bar spacing each. The channel width on site is 1,800 mm, channel depth is 1,500 to 1,900 mm. The type of coarse screen we supplied has an effective screen rack width of 1552 mm and a rack height of 1,650 mm. The screen design and hydraulic layout is based on 1,040 l/s per screen. The bar rack is designed to ensure the individual screen surface segments can easily and quickly be replaced even one against the other. The design with the bar rack divided into small segments instead of individual bars increases the static stiffness of the screen rack. Stability is increased even if the screen rack is exposed to higher loads. A total of six rake bars with screw-fastened screen combs are installed on the chain system. Also the screen combs are made up of individual segments for easy and quick replacement if required. Due to the hydraulic conditions on site tear-drop shaped bars are used, which have well proven in operation already. Due to the flow-optimised design of the bars a significantly lower head loss can be achieved than with flat bars. The rake tines, extending at least 20 mm deep and far through the bars at the narrowest points of the screen rack, ensure that all screenings are taken up very reliably. The chains are driven by an electric motor. Maintenance-free ceramic bearings are used in the underwater areas. The chain side bars and bushings are made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. The rollers are made of special plastic material due to the low frictional resistances. An electro-mechanical overload protection system (spring assembly with deflection monitoring) reliably ensures that the process is interrupted when the preset overload is reached, or in case of a blockage. A wiper pushes the removed screenings from the rake shelf by into the feed hopper of the downstream wash press. Each wash press is designed for a throughput of 3 m³ screenings per hour and achieves a DS content of at least 35%. The compacted screenings are dropped into the customer’s double-screw conveyor which transports the screenings to the disposal container. The three coarse screens and the wash presses were installed line by line as two lines always had to be available to ensure reliable wastewater treatment on site. After the successful exchange of data with the process control system and functional test of all switching and control units the respective coarse screen was put into operation for a test period of on average 5 weeks. The test operation of all three screens went off without problems. They have also operated without disturbances since their commissioning in April 2012. On this occasion we would like to thank all parties involved in the project, especially everyone at the Magdeburg/Gerwisch sewage treatment works and PWU Planungsgesellschaft Magdeburg, for the trust placed in HUBER.[...]
[...]Winterthur, Switzerland With each of the following projects our customers substantially contribute to achieving CO 2 reduction goals. Utilisation of heat from wastewater for the Wintower high-rise building at Winterthur 22.000 m² is about the size of three football fields but is also the floor space of the 28 storeys of the Wintower in Winterthur, Switzerland. It is a real heating technology challenge to cool such a building in summer (= additional benefit) and heat it in cold winter months. About 600 kW heating energy is needed in winter. The HUBER ThermWin® system was installed and successfully put into operation at the beginning of this year. An amount of approximately 50 l/s wastewater is taken from the sewer and pre-treated in a ROTAMAT® Pumping Stations Screen RoK4, size 4,700/3. Two submersible pumps deliver the water to the two RoWin Heat Exchangers size 8 installed in the cellar of the Wintower. Heat transfer to the cooling medium takes place inside the heat exchangers. The medium is heated and supplies the heat pump with the necessary energy. About 600 kW are in this way provided for the heating system. The plant is also used for cooling in summer, extracting up to 600 kW from the building. It is an ideal energy sink not only due to its far higher heat capacity but also due to its temperature of about 20 ℃. All-year-round utilisa-tion and high coefficients of performance of the heating/cooling machine guarantee high saving potentials so that investment costs pay off soon. Project data Wintower: Technical data: – 2 RoWin Heat Exchanger units – 1 HUBER Pumping Stations Screen RoK 4 Operating parameters: – Load case heating: - Max. 480 kW extraction of heat from the wastewater - 585 kW heat input into the building – Load case cooling: - 600 kW extraction of heat from the building - max. 840 kW heat input into the wastewater – Wastewater volume: max. 50 l/s Utilisation of heat from wastewater in the thermal spa Burgerbad at Leukerbad Burgerbad is the biggest alpine thermal spa in Europe. Located at 1,400 m above sea level, its 10 thermal baths are constantly fed from several natural springs that are 50 °C hot. The vitalising thermal water is rich in minerals and invites to relax all year round in the middle of an impressive Alpine scenery. The wastewater from the baths contains grease from suncreams, skin particles, hairs, sand, etc.; the constant flow of 8 l/s still has a temperature of 30 °C. In the future, this energy will be used to heat buildings instead of being discharged to the sewage treatment works. The flow to the sewer outside the building transports the 30 °C hot wastewater into a concrete channel where the two HUBER Heat Exchangers, type RoWin B (= tank version) are installed below ground surface level. The cooled wastewater can be discharged to the sewer. Automatic cleaning of the exchanger surfaces of the HUBER RoWin Heat Exchanger ensures constant heat transfer. The secondary circuit of the two heat exchangers, coupled with a parallel plate exchan-ger for clean water, transfers the combined wastewater heat energy with a temperature of about 20 °C to the new heat pump plant for a heating capacity of > 1000 kW. Plant start-up will take place in autumn 2011, the old oil-fired boiler will be dismounted after plant start-up. Project data Burgerbad Technical data: – 2 RoWin B Heat Exchanger units (tank design) Operating parameters: – Load case heating: - Max. heat extraction from process water: 585 kW - Heat input into the building: 780 kW – Max. wastewater flow: 50 l/s Utilisation of heat from wastewater in a wood processing industry Can you imagine how much heat energy is hidden in a flow of 150 m³/h process-internal circulation water with a temperature between 50 °C and 58 °C, or how it is cooled by about 8 °C by the HUBER RoWin Heat Exchanger? About 1,200 kW of energy (cooling capacity) is available to heat the production halls and offices in a wood processing industry. The production plant operates 24 hours, its circulation water contains a lot of wood fibres and critical aggregates. Every type of heat exchanger tested before had the problem that its surface got almost completely blinded within a very short time. It turned out that only the HUBER RoWin Heat Exchanger with automatic surface cleaning and solids removal is able to ensure the reliable utilisation of waste heat. Basic tests over several weeks proved that the exchanger surfaces are perfectly cleaned every day and encrustation is reliably prevented. In summer, however, the circulation water sometimes reaches a temperature of up to 58 °C, which is a critical range that can have a negative impact on product quality. It is therefore an obvious solution to utilise the HUBER RoWin Heat Exchangers in summer to cool the circulation water. This can be achieved by introducing the cooling water extracted from the nearby river to the secondary circuit of the same heat exchangers (= additional benefit). So, the huge waste heat potential can be used to heat buildings in winter and guarantee constant product quality in summer. Under economic aspects, there should be a strong incentive for the use of this system. Project data wood processing industry: Technical data: – 2 RoWin Heat Exchanger units Operating parameters: – Load case heating: - Max. heat extraction from wastewater: 1000 kW - Heat input into the building: 1300 kW - Max. amount of process water: 42 l/s – Load case cooling: - Heat extraction from process water: 940 kW - Max. heat input into the receiving water body: 940 kW - Max. amount of process water: 17 l/s Other projects for wastewater heat utilisation in process Chemical production Potatoe processing industry Thermal spa Muncipal wastewater upstream and downstream of a WWTP Sea water Paper production Slaughterhouse wastewater The HUBER ThermWin® system with the RoWin Heat Exchanger in a tank or as a submerged version for sewers offers new solutions for the recovery of heat from wastewater and for cooling media that have been impossible previously.[...]
[...]Easy to open by a single person and made of a robust, durable material: these are features of HUBER manhole covers that have been a matter of course for a long time already. But what are other, equally important requirements on a manhole cover? 1. Meets legal regulations and normative standards HUBER manhole covers always meet currently applicable standards, thus providing safety and the required level of protection for the operating staff. All our covers raised from ground are designed and constructed according to the latest version (April 2018) of DIN 1239 ” Coverings for wells, spring water chambers and other water supply constructions ” . Our manhole covers for traffic areas type SD7 are tested and certified to DIN EN 124:2015. Also this standard has been revised and requires now that manhole covers undergo an extensive EC-type examination and an internal factory own production control at the manufacturer’s as well as regular control by a recognized body. These measures provide a much higher level of safety for operators. By the way, since March 2017, manhole covers for traffic areas must be certified to the revised version of DIN EN 124 of 2015! It is therefore especially recommended to request certifications from the manufacturer! 2. Burglar resistance – highly topical and in great demand An increasingly important point when selecting a manhole cover is sufficient and measurable protection against unauthorized access. Even the revised version of DIN 1239:2018 refers explicitly to sufficient burglary protection of manhole covers for wells, spring water chambers and other water supply constructions. Long gone are the times when “burglar resistance” was technically defined by just using a safety lock. Burglar resistance is regulated by DIN EN 1627. Considering violence-prone criminal groups, available tools and attack time, it is differentiated between the six resistance classes RC1 to RC6. The modified raised HUBER Manhole Covers SD3 and SD4 as well as the load-bearing trafficable SD7 cover have been certified to resistance class RC3 by an external test institute, thus setting new standards for burglar resistance of manhole covers. 3. Available cover sizes There is an easy answer to this question: any! We manufacture the suitable cover perfectly customized for any opening. Our standard sized are of course available within few days directly from our huge stock, such as 80 x 80 cm or 100 x 100 cm covers![...]
[...]In this unprecedented situation as COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, the safety of our employees, their families, our clients and business partners is a top priority. In view of the rapidly changing environment, we are constantly monitoring, tracking and complying with all official guidelines to protect people and contain the pandemic. Based on this information, we make timely decisions to ensure that we can continue to operate as a company to meet the needs of our clients. We have initiated measures both at HUBER SE and in our subsidiaries to minimize the risk of infection for our employees and business partners. Formation of a COVID-19 preparedness and response team to monitor the situation We use home office wherever possible Maintaining a minimum distance of at least 1.5 m between employees Disinfectants and possibilities for hand washing are given Maintaining communication with our subsidiaries, suppliers, clients and partners in order to find early solutions to problems and/or limitations that have arisen or are expected to arise in order to minimize negative effects Our production and storage facilities remain open for collection and delivery drivers according to strict guidelines and separate instructions Cancellation or postponement of all non-essential travel The participation of all employees in conferences and fairs has been postponed until further notice All internal meetings are held as virtual meetings (telephone and video conference) External meetings are also held as virtual meetings (telephone and video conference) as far as possible COVID-19 influences our entire daily life. We want to do our part to slow down the spread and to ensure that our customers are supplied for as long as possible. Together we will overcome this extraordinary and challenging time! Take care of yourself and your family and stay healthy! Sincerely, Managing Board of HUBER SE[...]
[...]Totalphütte, Alps, Austria The Totalphütte was originally a site hut for Vorarlberger Illwerke AG and served as accommodation for the construction workers building the Lünersee lake dam. Since 1964, the Austrian Alpine Club has been running the hut as a mountain refuge. Following a number of refurbishments and the reconstruction of the hut – it was severely damaged by a dust avalanche in 2019 – it has since become a popular destination for walkers and those conquering the Rätikon’s highest peak, Schesaplana, at 2,965 m. Wastewater treatment remains an important issue even in high-alpine environments. A HUBER Micro Strainer ROTAMAT® Ro9 screen is in use at the Totalphütte. It treats the wastewater daily from up to 1,000 day visitors, plus a further 150 people who stay overnight at the hut. Seasonal operation presents challenges Due to the short operating period of the sewage treatment plant, keeping the plant running smoothly and reliably is always a major challenge. This makes the pre-treatment of the wastewater all the more important before it is fed into the biological treatment stage. Furthermore, ease of operation of the plant’s machinery is of great importance. The plant must be commissioned at the start of the season in July with just a few simple steps and then decommissioned again in September after a short but intensive period of operation. A straightforward start-up and shutdown procedure was therefore a prerequisite for the plant operator. During our conversation, the hut tenant expressed her delight at how smoothly the entire project had been carried out. She also highlighted that the workload at the sewage treatment plant has reduced a lot since the new HUBER screening system was installed. An efficient solution for mountain regions and similar areas The HUBER Micro Strainer ROTAMAT® Ro9 is simple and flexible to use and easy to transport to any location. At the Totalphütte, it has been reliably reducing the load on the biological treatment system since its installation, as the screen thoroughly removes foreign matter. Thus, a simple helicopter flight has made it possible to clean the water resources in the mountains sustainably and protect the environment.[...]
[...]Munich, Germany The new HUBER Pile Cloth Media Filter RotaFilt® will celebrate its premiere at IFAT 2022: HUBER will exhibit an original machine of this filter type at the world’s leading trade fair for environmental technologies. The HUBER Pile Cloth Media Filter RotaFilt® consists of several disc-shaped and revolving arranged filter elements mounted on a center tube. These are installed vertically and fitted with special filter bags made of innovative pile cloth fabric. The pile fabric has a multidimensional structure and consists of a filter-active pile fabric layer and a support fabric. The wastewater entering the filter chamber flows continuously through the individual filter discs from the outside to the inside. In the process, particulate matter is reliably retained in the pile fabric structure. The retention of solids increases the filter resistance and the difference in water levels between the wastewater and clear water sides rises. At a certain pressure drop, the gradual cleaning of the filter discs begins. During this process, retained solids are reliably and effectively removed from the rotating filter elements via suction bars. The round filter discs ensure that no dead zones are created during the cleaning process. To prevent siltation of the basin, the settled sludge at the bottom of the basin is sucked out at regular intervals using suction lances. The HUBER Pile Cloth Media Filter RotaFilt® has a wide range of applications in advanced wastewater treatment. Typical fields of application are: Retention of fine suspended substances (sludge flakes, microplastics) Flocculation filtration for phosphorus elimination Prefiltration in the “Fourth Treatment Stage” (ozonation, granulated activated carbon) Post-filtration in the “Fourth Treatment Stage” (separation of powdered activated carbon) The HUBER Pile Cloth Media Filter RotaFilt® impresses with the following product-specific features: Maximized free surface of the filter segments due to an innovative support structure and optimized use of the filter area due to the round design of the discs Easy-to-maintain and powerful central rotary lobe pump, dry-installed for disc and bottom extraction High ease of maintenance due to optimized design of the filter discs and the suction system High cost efficiency due to minimum system footprint through optimized pulley diameter In the near future, the HUBER Pile Cloth Media Filter RotaFilt® will start operation at the Kreßberg WWTP (Baden-Württemberg) for phosphorus elimination by flocculation filtration and at the Bickenbach WWTP (Hesse) as prefiltration for advanced wastewater treatment for removal of trace substances (ozonation followed by activated carbon filtration).[...]
[...]Berching HUBER has been committed to providing innovative wastewater treatment solutions for cruise ships for many years, contributing directly to the protection of the world's oceans. Over 200 HUBER sludge screening and dewatering systems have already been installed for maritime applications. These ‘floating wastewater treatment plants’ are an indispensable part of modern cruise ships, as operating in coastal areas is not permitted without strict compliance with wastewater limits. A team from Wärtsilä Water & Waste in England visited Berching A particular highlight was the operator training course for five operators from Wärtsilä Water Systems Ltd. (UK), a leading global provider of water and wastewater treatment systems for ships with around 1,700 employees. The participants, who were technicians and dispatchers, received targeted training in the installation, commissioning and maintenance of a ROTAMAT® Fine Screen. HUBER screens play a central role in Wärtsilä's wastewater treatment process, which is based on membrane biology. A ROTAMAT® Fine Screen with a mesh size of 0.5 mm housed in a specially designed container reliably protects the sensitive hollow fibre membranes from blockages and damage caused by coarse and foreign matter. This ensures the trouble-free operation of the membrane biology system – and thus reliable compliance with wastewater limits on board. Special requirements at sea The two-day theoretical and practical training course at the HUBER headquarters focused on the unique challenges of treating wastewater at sea: Limited space for installation, inspection and maintenance. 100% wastewater treatment availability required throughout the entire voyage. Fluctuating pollutant loads require highly flexible plant technology. Rolling and tilting movements of the ship make operation and maintenance difficult. Changing operating and maintenance personnel with a wide variety of backgrounds Spare parts supply and technical support are only possible during port layovers. Practical training was carried out on a fine screen specially adapted for ship applications. Direct, constructive feedback from the operators during the training provided valuable input for the further optimisation of this ship design, especially with regard to even greater serviceability and maximum process stability in challenging on-board conditions. Positive conclusion and insights into production One participant summed it up: ‘It was a great experience and all the feedback from everyone who attended has been really positive!’ In addition to the technical training, joint dinners and a factory tour provided comprehensive insights into the HUBER product portfolio and the vertical range of manufacture in Berching. Many thanks to the Wärtsilä team for the constructive discussions and for placing their trust in us. We look forward to continuing our collaboration![...]
[...]HUBER welcomes 21 trainees and 4 dual students CEO Georg Huber: “As a growing company in an industry of the future, we always rely on young employees” Induction event of several days for the best possible start into the “World of Clean Water” On Thursday, 1 September, HUBER SE welcomed 21 trainees and 4 dual students for the start of training in 2022. During an introductory event to take several days, they get to know the company, their new colleagues and the company headquarters in Berching-Erasbach – and start their professional life in the “World of Clean Water”. 15 of the trainees start their careers in the industrial sector as precision mechanics (m/f/d), metal workers (m/f/d), warehouse logistics specialists (m/f/d), mechatronics engineers (m/f/d) and wastewater technology specialists (m/f/d). Six young people start their commercial and technical training as industrial clerks (m/f/d), IT specialists (m/f/d) and technical product designers (m/f/d). In addition, two dual students in bio and environmental process engineering at the Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Amberg-Weiden and two dual students in industrial engineering at the Duale Hochschule Baden-Wuerttemberg (DHBW) Mannheim start their careers at HUBER. CEO Georg Huber: “As a growing company in an industry of the future, we always build on young employees” “As a growing company in an industry of the future, HUBER always builds on young employees – with their ideas, their commitment and their motivation,” says Georg Huber (CEO and Chief Financial & Human Resources Officer). “As the Management Board of HUBER SE, we are delighted that, despite the shortage of skilled workers, 25 young people have decided to take up a vocational training or dual study programme in our company this year. We are successful, globally active and continue to grow – that’s why we are building on the innovations and drive of young people so that together we can continue to work for the environment, the climate and the resource water.” Welcome by HR department, works council and youth and trainee representatives To make their start into the new phase of their lives as easy as possible, the HUBER HR department, the works council and the youth and trainee representation welcomed the trainees and dual students. After a company presentation and subsequent occupational safety training, the new trainees and dual students got to know HUBER better through a company rally before they were sent off into the first well-deserved after-work hours of their professional lives. Induction days for the best possible start into training and studies On the second introductory day, employees of the HR department inform about the steps of the training at HUBER, rights and duties of trainees and students, and present a “Trainee Etiquette”. Team-building measures are intended to strengthen the spirit of togetherness, while the trainee folder, a clear compilation of hints and tips, will bring order to the young employees’ plans already at the beginning of their training. Before a guided tour of the company headquarters in Berching-Erasbach, the trainees and dual students receive training in healthy working and behaviour from HUBER’s company doctor. At the end of the third introductory day, a joint excursion awaits the young people: To give them the opportunity to get to know each other and the trainers and members of the youth and trainee representation even better, a canoe trip on the Altmühl river not far from the company headquarters is on the agenda, from the Kratzmühl Lake to Grögling. On the fourth day, the industrial trainees start in their specialist department, while the others receive an introduction to the IT systems before they, too, can start their everyday working life.[...]
[...]From the screenings wash press to the container – reliable conveyor technology for any requirement After the screenings have been washed and dewatered in the HUBER Wash Press WAP® , they have to be discharged into the collection container. Depending on the amount of screenings and the local conditions, this transport operation can be simple or very complex. In the simplest case, the HUBER Wash Press WAP® discharges the screenings directly into a container standing next to the wash press. However, as soon as longer distances have to be covered and/or the screenings have to be transported from several screenings wash presses to one or more containers, additional conveying technology is required. HUBER solves such conveying needs with the proven HUBER Screw Conveyor Ro8 T (trough version) and the HUBER Screw Conveyor Ro8 (closed tube version). Reliable solutions can be created for any screenings quantity and any local conditions with this technology. Also with regard to the degree of automation, all customer requirements can be fulfilled, as the optimal filling of the containers can be ensured either with manual support as well as semi-automated or fully automated.[...]