PUMPS & PROCESS SYSTEMS

Crystallising leachate salts for SUBSEQUENT CONTAINMENT

Landfill leachate contains high concentrations of harmful contaminants, especially salts and organic content that pose a threat to the environment when not contained. ReSource speaks to Rob Holmes, managing director: TTM at Tecroveer, and Hugo du Plessis, senior project engineer at KSB Pumps and Valves, about combined technology solutions.

he formation of leachate is a Dynamic vapour recovery huge benefits for South Africa,” adds Holmes.

Tchemical process that occurs in “When it comes to leachate treatment, there’s KSB product examples that would typically be landfills as organic and inorganic conventionally been one type of technology to employed for a DyVaR process setup are the materials leach out of the landfill treat organics, and another one to deal with the WKLn, ETA and ETAnorm range of pumps, all space. Since it’s a highly toxic salts. Tackling both at the same time requires of which are made at KSB’s Germiston, by-product, management and containment are unique and advanced treatment processes,” Gauteng, factory. legislative requirements and an environmental says Holmes. imperative. The key issue is the salt composition “To target the opportunities and environmental KSB’s pump and valve solutions in the leachate, which can build up in potentially priorities, we’ve partnered with European Current and recent Tecroveer projects where harmful concentrations. technology company Salttech, which has KSB has supplied OEM solutions include

“The historical practice of containment, developed a proprietary dynamic vapour recovery a major bulk water supply and irrigation treatment and recycling the scheme in eSwatini, plus leachate back into a landfill various municipal wastewater

Dynamic vapour recovery technology removes the salts from the treated

just tends to increase the salt brine effluent and delivers purified water in one process treatment works (WWTW) content over time, exacerbating upgrades for South African

Vapor

the problem,” Holmes explains. Fan municipalities that are ongoing. “This is because mainstream Fresh water KSB has also supplied key reverse osmosis processes products for various local employed to purify the effluent WWTW waste-to-energy projects don’t actually remove the salts, Brine in DyVaR designed and commissioned by but just separate them into a Secondary Pump Primary modules Tecroveer. Clients here include

Heat Heat

concentrate stream. exchanger exchanger an automotive manufacturer,

“Even though the leachate plus FMCG clients. At one has been purified to a fair site, this entails the extraction degree, with significant of biogas to run a 500 kW volume reduction, the Salt turbine generator. Another site dissolved salts in the brine currently being commissioned effluent have not been will have the potential capacity extracted, since this requires to produce up to 3 MW. an additional process stage. So, when, in this (DyVaR) process that does both simultaneously Further waste-to-energy opportunities in the case, brine is returned to the landfill, there’s and very effectively,” says Holmes. public sector are being investigated on an a resulting escalation in toxicity over time,” As an added advantage, the DyVaR solution ongoing basis, since Tecroveer believes there’s he continues. comes in a containerised format that takes up huge potential in this area.

Tecroveer is a water and wastewater a small footprint. It’s also designed to ‘plug “KSB is an expert solutions partner in all plant design and contracting company with and play’ with the existing process network. areas of water, wastewater and allied power more than 40 years of experience in the Essentially, leachate can be treated in a single generation projects, with a well-established municipal and general industrial environment, step, removing high-quality water from the landfill, South African manufacturing and supply base,” working with KSB as one of its preferred with the dissolved salts and organics having been says Du Plessis. technology partners. separated and removed as a crystallised solid. “Our research and development teams are

In recent years, Tecroveer’s traditional focus The latter can then be safely encapsulated. constantly responding to new opportunities has evolved with the adoption of advanced “We’re currently in discussions with private that meet customer demands for greater technologies for industrial applications, water and public sector landfill owners, consulting efficiencies. Our ‘plug and play’ single- or dualreuse, waste-to-energy, and now landfill engineers and specialist contractors, and pump stations serve as a prime example,” leachate treatment. believe that DyVaR technology will deliver Du Plessis explains. These are supplied as

KSB’s Amamix submersible mixer series is a popular choice for biogas projects, alongside mainstream wastewater applications that include leachate treatment KSB’s CK 800 packaged single- or dual-pump station serves a broad range of applications. These include the disposal of wastewater in the private, commercial, industrial and municipal sectors

a ready-to-connect package system with a fibreglass collecting tank for buried installation. Process capabilities range from 500 litres to 5 m3 .

“As a water and wastewater design company, selecting the right components and materials for the medium you’re dealing with is crucial. That’s why we trust KSB to deliver the right suite of products,” Holmes concludes.

KSB’s Amarex submersible motor pump designed for handling wastewater

The DyVaR process system is housed in a container for ease of shipment and setup on site. This ‘plug and play’ functionality enables the technology to sync with the existing wastewater treatment setup. An added plus is that DyVaR is highly energy efficient