waste water treatment

Optum Limited
7 Agnew Way Subiaco WA 6008
Phone:+ 61 8 9 388 0000 Fax: +61 8 9 476 6184
ABN: 70 001 287 510
February 17, 2005
Manager of Company Announcements
Australian Stock Exchange Limited
Level 6, 20 Bridge Street,
SYDNEY NSW 2000
By: eLodgement No. of pages: 3
Progress Report – Waste Water Treatment System
Optum is pleased to advise of the current progress of its wastewater treatment
system.
The Optum ES wastewater treatment system TerraSanÒ has been included in
the Brisbane Water capital budget for the coming financial year. Brisbane Water
has identified a number of projects in which TerraSanÒ can be utilised in the
recycling and re-use of wastewater. These projects cover both Brisbane Water’s
own requirements as well as those of Brisbane Council. System sizes of 300kL,
500kL and 1000kl have been included in their planning program.
I
n January 2005 TerraSanÒ was recommended to a substantial industrial food
processing group in Queensland. The engineering scope and cost of this project
is currently being completed. Additional projects covering the provision of recycled
water for parks, gardens and sporting arenas are also being detailed.
The Victoria Water Trust, managed by the Melbourne Water Department of
Environment and Sustainability, have confirmed that the Optum ES TerraSanÒ
system has been recommended to rural and smaller councils for their recycling
water programs.
Optum Limited
7 Agnew Way Subiaco WA 6008
Phone:+ 61 8 9 388 0000 Fax: +61 8 9 476 6184
ABN: 70 001 287 510
Defence Minister Robert Hill, in a recent announcement referring to the
awarding of the contract with Tenix to refurbish a Naval supply ship, has
provided a breakthrough opportunity for MariSanÒ in the defence procurement
tendering process. Tenix is waiting for completion of final plans in order to
assess the complete needs and design of their waste water system (size,
volume, footprint etc.) prior to consultation with Optum ES on their exact
requirements.
The wastewater treatment systems will initially be manufactured at Marine
Environmental Partners recently expanded headquarters in West Palm Beach,
Florida USA. Optum is currently engaged in an exercise to determine the
viability of manufacturing componentry in Australia for inclusion in the
TerrasanÒ and MarisanÒ systems and for export market potential.
I
n the February issue of the WME (Waste Management and Environment)
magazine an article (attached) was published on Optum ES and the progress of
the TerrasanÒ trials at the Wynnum site in Brisbane. The paper covered the
ability of TerraSanÒ to perform consistently in the production of Class A water.
The publication of this article is due, in part, to an aggressive marketing
campaign to demonstrate to the Waste Water community the advantages and
capabilities of the TerraSanÒ system. This will be re-inforced at the OZWATER
05 Conference to be held in Brisbane in May of this year. In conjunction with
Brisbane Water the Company will be presenting an industry paper to that
Conference. The paper will also be published in the Australian Water
Association Magazine, a journal read by over 15,000 consultants, civil
engineers, government authorities, industrial companies and overseas water
authorities.
Yours Sincerely
Peter Jermyn
Chairman
30 WME ma g a z i n e F E B RUARY 2 0 0 5
Charles Fridlender, director of
Perth-based wastewater solution
provider Optum ES, is excited
about the prospects of a new technology
developed by US company, Marine
Environmental Partners. Its TerraSan
system is currently being trialled in
BrisbaneÕs Wynnum sewage treatment
plant, and Fridlender said initial results
from the 100kL/day unit were showing
all the right signs.
ÒThe Wynnum evaluation to date is
very promising, with turbidity of less
than two NTUs confidently expected,Ó
Fridlender told WME.
The technology was developed around
seven years ago to treat sewage
generated on large ocean liners.
Although it is now used on ships around
the world, Optum only brought it
onshore in Australia last May to tap into
the growing demand for sewer mining or
industrial reuse technologies.
ÒIts versatility provides a major opportunity
to close the loop in industrial and
processing plants, and similarly dealing
with agricultural discharges in venues
such as meat processing operations,
stockyards, pig and dairy farms,Ó he said.
The unit can produce Class A water
with minimum energy input, keeping
greenhouse gas emissions down. It also
helps cut the price for producing the
water to 65 cents a kilolitre (kL), said
Fridlender, compared to around 90 cents
for potable supply.
HOW IT WORKS
The TerraSan wastewater treatment
system does not use biological or
membrane processes. Rather, the sewage
is filtered down to 1mm before being
treated with UV and ozone, followed by
a dissolved air flotation (DAF) treatment.
The air used in the DAF, called IONZ, is
a trade secret but Fridlender said it was
basically UV-irradiated air with ozone.
The clarified liquid is then disinfected
again through a device which electrolyses
the sodium chloride in the water to
create chlorine. The chlorine is injected
into the water and then the
water is again exposed to
ionised air to kill any bugs
that may have survived the
process. The key to the system
is the type of UV used to
irradiate the sewage at each
step of the treatment. The
exact wavelength is protected
by an international patent.
A process logic controller
(PLC) is fitted with a touch
screen interface, although
under normal operation the
system is fully automatic and
senses water quality. Fridlender says the
system will automatically adjust for pH
or a change in solids load and adjust
disinfectant levels.
If effluent quality varies from the
programmed standard, the system has a
three-way valve controlled by the
computer which will automatically
return the effluent back to the head of the
system. This gives the system a chance to
readjust and ensure full treatment of all
of the discharged fluids to a level of
treatment selected by the operator.
The whole process takes around 15
minutes, allowing units to output from
100kL per day up to 5ML/day. The 100kL
plant in Brisbane takes around the same
amount of space as a shipping container.
Tests with the Wynnum unit report
good results, far exceeding the Class A
water requirements of BOD5 of less than
20mg/L, faecal coliforms of fewer than
10 per 100mL and a pH of 6-9. The
TerraSan water contained 2mg/L of
BOD5, one faecal coliform organism per
100mL and a pH of 7.5. Optum ES says
the unit has also achieved 0.17mg/L of
total phosphorous, less than 1mg/L of
grease and 0.65mg/L of ammonium.
More from Charles Fridlender on (08) 9388
0000 or [email protected]
Marine technology welcomed ashore
A technology developed for ocean liners ships is offering promise as an industrial
wastewater treatment process. Sara Phillips investigates.
WATER ANDWASTEWATER
The TerraSan technology can reportedly produce
Class A water for just 65 cents a kL.