The “precise and intelligent aeration control” technology demonstrated by a sewage treatment plant of Technology R&D Center of Beijing Enterprises Water Group Limited (“BEWG”) was successful the other day, than the original sewage treatment plant reducing power consumption by at least 20%. According to a rough estimate, after the technology is widely used in more than 300 sewage treatment plants of the company, the electricity for sewage treatment per day can be reduced by about 1.5 million yuan.

The “precise and intelligent aeration control” is an innovative technology for biochemical treatment of aeration in the sewage treatment process carried out by BEWG in 2012. According to Jia Limin, Technical director of BEWG, “the biochemical treatment unit in the sewage treatment process requires the continuous transmission of oxygen from the blast apparatus, which consumes power about 70% of the total sewage treatment plant." He said that "in order to allow the micro-organisms remain active, the whole process of sewage treatment plant is supplied with oxygen by blast apparatus. In fact, micro-organisms’ oxygen demand at different stages is different. If not so much oxygen is needed, less blast apparatus is opened. We can supply oxygen more accurately by a control system to reduce the power consumption of the blast device.”

According to reports, the preliminary demonstration effect of “precise and intelligent aeration control” technology can reduce the power consumption of sewage treatment plant by 20%. “This technology is currently demonstrated in two sewage projects of Guangzhou (200,000m3/ day) and Beijing (80,000m3/ day) of the existing sewage treatment plants. The new large-scale processing plant can save power consumption by 30%. According to Jia Limin’s rough calculations, one ton of sewage treatment consumes power about 0.3 degrees in average currently, and it can save 0.06 degrees of power by new technology saving power consumption by 20%, which is about 5 cents of electric charge. The Group now has more than 300 sewage treatment plants in the country with processing capacity of 30 million tons per day, it will at least save electric charge of 1.5 million yuan after the technology is widely applied in the future. With the expansion of sewage treatment, more electric bills will be cut.”

According to BEWG’s technical and scientific popularization plan, during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, in addition to building a new sewage treatment plant to apply “precise and intelligent aeration control” technology, the company will gradually conduct technological transformation on 300 existing sewage treatment plants, and apply this new technology into the sewage treatment plants of the company.

BEWG’s breakthrough in the “accurate aeration” has been benefited from the investment in technical research and R&D personnel team training. During the “12th Five-Year Plan Period”, the company invested more than 30 million yuan and built a technical R&D system consisting of “three bases + four centers”.  

According to Jia Limin, “the three bases include Changping Innovation Test Base established in 2011, Seawater Desalination Key Technology and Equipment Integration Cooperation Base built in 2012, and Daoxianghu Production and Research Base built in 2014 and 2015. Changping Innovation Test Base carries out a number of scientific research cooperation with Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Technology and other colleges and universities; Caofeidian Seawater Desalination Key Technology and Equipment Integration Cooperation Base is the main R&D platform of the company’s desalination research and development projects; Daoxianghu Production and Research Base is estimated to be put into operation this year. Furthermore, the company’s future monitoring analysis center and a number of key laboratories applied by research institutes will also settle here.”

BEWG’s four engineering technology centers include the National Municipal Sewage Water Treatment and Resource Engineering Technology Research Center, Beijing Reclaimed Water Quality Safety Engineering Technology Research Center, Tangshan City Desalination Engineering Technology Research Center, and Yixing City (Jianbang) Wastewater Treatment Engineering Technology Research Center. At present, BEWG has a total of 113 full-time scientific research personnel, 13 of whom have doctorate and post-doctoral degrees, 57 have master’s degree, and 21 are senior engineers. During the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, BEWG will apply to the Ministry of Science and Technology for major scientific and technological project of municipal sewage resources with Harbin Institute of Technology; participate in the major special project demonstration of water environment treatment in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period; actively participate in the black and odorous water treatment and surface water extraction technology research and development carried out by Municipal Science and Technology Commission; strive to make technological breakthrough for technology transformation of new and existing sewage treatment plants; and conduct research and technical reserves for the sponge city strategy put forward by the state.