Invisible Gases, Visible Successes: How Linde Makes the World More Productive

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Clear as Daylight! Gases in the Water Treatment

A good example is an area not many people would immediately link to gas processes: water treatment. “Due to increasing water consumption and the limited freshwater reserves, we are forced to deal even more intensively with cleaning and purification,” explains Elisabeth Mehlan. But it is not always as dramatic as when the fire brigade was called out in Kirchberg: Oxygen can also help boost efficiency in communal or industrial sewage treatment plants. This is because increasing water consumption is putting pressure on the established, usually three-stage sewage treatment plants, with the microorganisms that are “active” in biological wastewater treatment requiring oxygen in significant quantities.

There are different ways to ensure that the activated sludge process does not run out of air: aeration with surface aerators, blowing in compressed air, or gassing with oxygen. In cases where highly polluted wastewater with a large COD (chemical oxygen demand) or with short-chain fatty acids demands maximum performance from the biological purification system, it is otherwise not always possible to keep supplying enough air. In the process, the options extend beyond use in activated sludge processes, as gas specialist Mehlan explains. “Even in areas where surface water heats up, for example in reservoirs, oxygen can help to stop decay processes in deeper-lying layers.”

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It Depends on the Application: Why Technology Expertise Is Central to Linde

With its application expertise in the field of technical gases, Linde is also a specialist in the field of water treatment. Linde not only supplies plant operators with pure gases like oxygen, but also develops and improves the matching application technology under the name SOLVOX at the same time. Johann Kaltenegger, head of Marketing Application Development Chemistry at Linde, is certain that it is precisely this knowledge about the challenges faced by the customer that makes Linde so special. From the supply of gases through application consulting to commissioning, the specialists from Linde accompany the processes of their customers every step along the way.

In the process, it is not always about merely replacing a conventional aeration system. According to the gas experts, with the aid of selective metered addition of oxygen it is also possible to absorb the demands of production peaks or maintenance periods, provide additional capacity or eliminate unpleasant odors. Here, the gas can be introduced via mat or mesh-shaped gassing modules, hoses or Venturi nozzles. While injectors are used for shallower basins, gassing hoses are ideal for much deeper basins.

However, operators of small or medium-sized plants in particular are not always able to retrofit the gassing solutions, which are sometimes very complex. In some instances they are “only” required to manage localized or temporary load peaks. What would be needed is a real “drop-in” solution that can be used to ensure a flexible and mobile means of injecting oxygen. This is exactly what Linde offers with its SOLVOX Mobile portfolio, which features compact gassing modules that can be set up in any required location even without a crane. And of course the company also supplies the necessary open and closed-loop control systems in an overall turnkey package.

Back to Nature with CO₂? A Gas Makes a Career

Even CO₂, which is generally only thought of as an atmospheric pollutant in current debates, can benefit the environment in water treatment. In its dissolved form as carbonic acid, it is an accurately dosable neutralization medium that represents a genuine alternative to aggressive mineral acids. Since CO₂ is self-buffering, hyperacidity is reliably avoided and the need to increase salinity with chlorides and sulfates is reduced. In addition, handling of the gas is simple and safe. From planning to installation and operation, Linde offers high-performance solutions for injecting CO₂ in the form of the SOLVOCARB product range, which features everything from mobile dosing units to a mixing reactor.

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