Aquantis, a subsidiary of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, will build the anaerobic plant at Roche Diagnostics’ Penzberg site in Upper Bavaria. The new system will pre-treat partial wastewater flows which are especially rich in carbon and biologically degradable liquid waste from bio-technological production. The plant will use a 480 m3 Biobed EGSB reactor (Expanded Granular Sludge Bed) for the biological treatment.
In the course of this process energy-rich biogas is produced, collected and processed. The gas will be used in a combined heat and power plant in the Penzberg site's boiler house to generate both forms of energy. The amount of electricity thus gained will cover more than 90% of the energy needs of the wastewater treatment plant, and the heat energy will be used to pre-heat the boiler feedwater in the Energy Centre.
Further savings will be achieved by the elimination of the previous upstream aerobic high-load stage. The carbon dioxide emission will be reduced by about 950 metric tonnes a year, by which Roche in Penzberg will achieve a sustainable reduction of its carbon footprint. Assembly of the anaerobic plant is planned for the end of March 2011, and start-up for November 2011.
