하수처리 솔루션과 버지니아 기관 내 Hampton Roads 위생구역의 생산자이자 선구적인 물 산업 설계업체인 World Water Works 사가 미국 환경 엔지니어 및 과학자 협회(American Association of Environmental Engineers and Scientist)가 수여하는 환경 지속가능성 명예대상을 수상하였다. 이 수상은 이전에 유럽에서만 널리 쓰이던 효율적이고 친환경적인 DEMON 하천 암모니아 비활성화 공법을 북미에 처음 도입한 공로에 기인하는 것으로 알려졌다.

햄튼 로드 위생구역(HRSD)의 요크(York) 강 수처리 플랜트는 연속적 뱃치 반응기와 동등화 탱크를 갖추어 쉽게 공정에 장착될 수 있게 함으로써 동종 업계에서 가장 완벽한 시스템으로 손꼽힌다. 이는 DEMON 공정이 4개월 이내에 저비용에 간단히 설치될 수 있도록 돕는다. 이 방식을 통한 안정적인 운영은 올해 초 1월부터 지속되어 온 것으로 알려졌다.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, Aug. 14, 2013 -- World Water Works, Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of wastewater treatment solutions and Virginia utility Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD), received the American Association of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) Honor Award for Environmental Sustainability, for implementation of the first DEMON® sidestream deammonification system in North America. The efficient and ecofriendly DEMON® process had previously been used only in Europe.

HRSD's York River Treatment Plant proved a perfect candidate for the system because its existing sequential batch reactors (SBR) and equalization tanks could be easily retrofitted for the process. This allowed simple and inexpensive installation of DEMON in less than four months. Successful operation has continued since early January.

DEMON® removes ammonia from wastewater in a biological process that features ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), which convert half the ammonia to nitrite. A second anaerobic biological process uses Anammox bacteria to convert the combination of nitrite and remaining ammonia directly into nitrogen gas. This system reduces energy requirements by 60 percent compared to traditional nitrogen removal processes, eliminates the need for all chemicals, and produces 90 percent less sludge. The system also features a low carbon footprint.

The process is seeded with Anammox bacteria, which aids in a quick start up of a system rather than cultivating bacteria from scratch. This factor has proven to be an obstacle for other deammonification technologies. To retain the Anammox bacteria, a unique patent pending separation device provides enrichment of the specialized slowly growing Anammox biomass. The device enhances process robustness and treatment capacity and provides resilience despite changes in wastewater quality.

[원문출처 : Waterworld / 2013년 8월 14일]