Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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32 | JULY 2018 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk Innovation Zone wastewater treatment and sewer health Next FOG STOP (Next Filtration UK) Rather than introduce foreign enzymes and bacteria, Next FOG STOP is designed to stimulate the indigenous bacteria within the sewer to control hydrogen sulphide and rapidly break down fats, oils and grease. The product has been shown to eat channels through fatbergs and, while there is an inevitable variation in performance depending on the conditions in which it is applied, Next Filtration UK says when used holistically in the collection system it has seen 30 per cent reductions in MLSS sludge production on a consistent basis at the WWTWs. The company says the treatment's Molecular Kinetics technology – a liquid formulation containing an optimised array of fermentation-based yeast proteins, micronutrients and highly specialised surfactant chemistry – needs to be dosed at only a few parts per million to stimulate the pre-existing bacteria in the sewer and accelerate the natural bio- degradation. It cites increased dissolved oxygen, reduced effluent nitrogen, phosphorus and BOD levels, improved sludge settling and greater throughput as additional benefits alongside savings in energy consumption. Described as particularly beneficial in those sewers that contend with a high volume of fast-food restaurants, the treatment has already been used globally, including North America and Brazil, and more recently it was successfully evaluated by a UK water company. nuron (nuron) nuron is a 'sewer nervous system' utilising optical fibre sensing technology that can detect blockages, fatbergs, damage, infiltration and misconnections before they cause flooding or spills. It involves the installation of the optical fibre sensors within a sensory containment system along the length of the sewer network. It continually fires short laser pulses into the optical fibre sensors from one end and, as the light travels through, some is backscattered by imperfections in the fibre and time of flight gives location. Active components above the surface record all the sewer network data and, by analysing the backscattered light using a sophisticated algorithm, nuron can determine flow rate, depth and temperature. While conventional sewer monitoring using 'spot' sensors can leave much of the network invisible, nuron is designed to provide the information at all times and from all locations within the section it covers. The system, designed to be retrofitted to existing sewers, includes capacity for the integration of existing sensors and telemetry to create a comprehensive management network. It senses flow, depth and temperature every 5m and its designers say that, by combining multiple parameters at the same time, it allows incidents to be identified and located quickly and accurately. In addition to FOG detection, it offers further advantages including real-time detection of burst water pipes and real-time alerts on sewer collapse, as well as facilitating intelligent control of combined sewer overflows. It takes up less than 1 per cent of the space available in sewer pipes and can be installed into small diameter pipes thanks to robotic installation. The system also offers an intriguing double purpose: nuron, which is designed to be maintenance-free for over 20 years, contains a containment system that can deliver fibre optic broadband through the sewer network. In June, nuron announced that Northumbrian Water had signed an agreement to become the first water company in the world to install the monitoring technology in a live sewer system.