Wastewater Treatment Plants
Process Benchmarking of wastewater treatment plants has been performed since 1996. In the meantime there are available experiences from 15 successfully executed project rounds. More than 200 different wastewater treatment plants in the German speaking area with a connection capacity between 1,000 PT and some million PT have participated – to the greater part already repeatedly.
Both operators of smaller as well as of larger wastewater treatment plants (participation annually of some 30 wastewater treatment plants > 100,000 PT) here find an outstanding platform for comparison and exchange of experience.
Object of analysis and results
The project procedure follows the proven steps of benchmarking in accordance with DWA Advisory Leaflet DWA-M 1100E and, in addition, also takes into account concrete requirements of the participants.
Situation assessment and documentation of the plant development
Using the data gathered with the process benchmarking of wastewater treatment plants and the assessments made available, a serious situation assessment for the own wastewater treatment plant is enabled.
The uses of benchmarking show themselves in particular with regular participation. Operators of wastewater treatment plants obtain a comprehensive documentation on the development for their own wastewater treatment plant. On the basis of this, the success of already executed measures for operating and cost optimisation, and also with a corresponding value development, the necessity of measures not yet carried out, is shown.
Root cause analysis, assessment of potential and plant development
Inherent project component is the determination of causes and potential optimisation for which all necessary information is made available in an easily comprehensible form.
Through a comprehensive consideration of costs, human resources, employment of energy and resources as well as treatment performance and the taking into account of the specific local and technical constraints, a serious evaluation of the determined performance indicators is guaranteed. Objective of the root cause analysis and determination of potential is the development of suitable measures for plant optimisation.
Exchange of experience
At concomitant project workshops, at which all participants come together as a comparison group, an intensive and open exchange of experience takes place.
Here, thematic focal points are in particular:
- Energy management
(energy consumption, generation of own energy and energy procurement) - Human resources management
(strategies for personnel employment and personnel development)
Methodology
Through our experiences in benchmarking over many years we can ensure that even wastewater treatment plants with different constraints can be compared within the framework of the benchmarking. This is enabled through a survey concept, continuously optimised in many project rounds, which is based on sub-processes and has been elaborated in collaboration with the participating wastewater treatment plant operators.
In the following diagram you can find an extract from the sub-process model
Diagram: Extract from the sub-process model
Provisional project sequence for the survey year 2010
Data acquisition:
Quality assurance and preparation of assessments
2nd/3rd Quarter 2011
Workshops for discussion of results, root cause analysis and presentation of measures:
3rd/4th Quarter 2011
Processing of root cause analysis and determination of potential:
3rd/4th Quarter 2011
Forwarding of final reports and presentation of results in companies on request:
4th Quarter 2011 /1st Quarter 2012
For the preparation of assessments and the execution of workshops suitable comparison groups will be assembled by aquabench.
Further products for the operators of wastewater treatment plants
In addition, aquabench offers further products for certain target groups of wastewater treatment plant operators, which are matched to their special requirements:
| Project name | Further information |
| Basic module wastewater treatment plants | Addressees: operators of smaller wastewater treatment plants (Size Classes 2, 3 and 4); specific feature: significantly smaller survey and scope of key data. |
| Comparison of performance indicators of industrial wastewater treatment plants | Addressees: operators of wastewater treatment plants with industrially characterized wastewater. Within the framework of this project the antitrust conditions in accordance with Article 81 (1) of the EC Treaty (ECT) and §1 of the [German |
Law against Limitation of Competition are taken into account.
European process benchmarking for wastewater treatment plants##Addressees: German and European wastewater treatment plants with a capacity > 50,000 PT; project language: English{100/0/70:30/1}]
Contacts process benchmarking wastewater treatment plants
| Name | Telephone | |
| Stefan Grinwis | s.grinwis(at)aquabench.de | +49(2203) - 359 29 – 19 |
| Patrick Meyer zu Berstenhorst | p.mzb(at)aquabench.de | +49(2203)- 359 29 – 13 |
| Eva Wortmann | e.wortmann(at)aquabench.de | +49(2203)- 359 29 – 24 |
Reference customers process benchmarking wastewater treatment plants:
| Company / Name | Telephone | |
| Wupperverband – Godart, Bernadette | go(at)wupperverband.de | +49(202) - 583-265 |
| Stadtentwässerung Hannover - von Roden, Helmut | helmut.vonroden(at)hannover-stadt.de | +49(511) - 168-473-40 |
