Waste water gets the treatment01 October 2006

Regulations relating to reducing pollution from industrial activities have been around in the UK for more than 150 years, while the present Pollution Prevention and Control regulations came into force in 1999, with a transitional process to complete their implementation by 2007.

Until now, the Environment Agency has been paying most attention to air pollution, while still feeling its way on water pollution. Operators have to apply the principle of 'Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Cost' or BATNEEC. This does not mean companies can plead expense as a reason for doing little or nothing, nor that pollution control and monitoring equipment constantly requires replacing by latest models.

Nobody likes pollution and it is in everyone's interest to keep it to a minimum. MCERTS - the Environment Agency's Monitoring CERTification Scheme - includes five elements pertaining to water: continuous water-monitoring equipment, portable water-monitoring equipment, self-monitoring of effluent flow, direct toxicity assessment and validation of software. Industry inspections involve a site-specific audit of the local quality management systems and a site inspection. Initially, larger installations are getting higher priority.

A requirement to use MCERTS equipment is being included within permits and consents. However, there is no need to replace uncertified existing equipment, if it can be shown to be operating within the agency's requirements.

When new equipment is deemed to be necessary, MCERTS instruments should be purchased, unless it can be shown no MCERTS instruments are yet available for the most appropriate technology for a particular process.

The first non-water industry site to receive an MCERTS site certificate is Scottish and Southern Energy's Aldbrough gas storage facility. "The project team are very pleased to obtain the certificate," says Scott Maxwell, SSE's leaching engineer, "and we are happy to work together with the Environment Agency and the MCERTS inspectors to ensure the compliance of our equipment. With gas storage a major UK issue, it's good to know we're meeting all necessary standards to protect the environment as we develop this important new facility."

The first instrument manufacturers to receive MCERTS certificates were Siemens and Aquamatic at the inaugural WWEM (Water and Wastewater Environmental Monitoring) event at Bretby, near Burton on Trent, in June last year. John Tipping, who manages MCERTS for the Environment Agency, comments: "I congratulate those organisations that already have MCERTS certificates and I am delighted that a large number of companies have applications underway."

This year's event, (for more information, see www.wwem.uk.com) is to take place at the Telford International Centre from 1-2 November and will again focus on regulations, procedures and technologies involved in compliance monitoring of aqueous discharges to the environment. It will include a conference, workshops, and an exhibition and presentation dinner.

The conference programme will be in two parts. Repeated on both days will be sessions on Modernising Regulation, MCERTS, OMA (Operator Monitoring Assessment scheme) and WITS (Water Industry Telemetry Standards). The keynote lecture is to be given by Chris Howes, the Environment Agency's head of modern regulation, about their modern regulation agenda.

On 1 November only will be a session on 'The importance of analytical techniques in water and environmental monitoring'. The keynote lecture is to be given by Professor Graham Bonwick of the University of Chester at 3.15pm, posing alternatives to traditional methods of analysing environmental samples by proposing the use of 'Biomolecules'.

The cost of attending the conference is £50 for one day or £75 for both days, which includes lunches and refreshments.

Entrance to the exhibitions and the 50-plus workshops will be free to all those who register in advance (or £20 on the door). The full list of workshops will be published on the website. Topics include: discharge monitoring, residual chlorine monitoring, VOC analysis, optical monitoring technologies, non contact turbidity, on-line river monitoring, trace element analysis, heavy metals testing, errors and uncertainty in flow measurements and ground water monitoring.

Producing the goods
Several exhibitors have already announced details of products and workshops they will be offering at WWEM - the Water and Wastewater Environmental Monitoring) event.

Krohne (Stand 114) will be showing its new Waterflux 2070 electromagnetic, battery-operated water meter which, the company claims, is the only such meter with enough stored energy to allow it to run for more than 10 years. It has no filters and is designed for measuring potable water and water with suspended particles, and is capable or measuring bidirectional flow.

Jumo will be conducting a seminar on 'Measuring the electrolytic conductivity in drinking and waste water. Advantages and disadvantages of inductive and conductive measurement methods'. The company will be exhibiting products from its extensive range of sensors, transmitters, controllers and recorders for pH, Redox, conductivity, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, ozone, oxygen, ammonia, RTD and thermocouple temperature measurement.

Hach Lange, on Stands 39 and 40, will run workshops on, 'Industrial effluent monitoring - how confident are you with your data?' and 'Mechanical sludge dewatering and sludge thickening - a cost reduction by applying process automation'. The company will be showing on-line, laboratory and portable equipment.

DataTaker, a subsidiary of Grant Instruments, will be launching its new DT81 data logger with SDI-12 sensor and Modbus communications, web-enabled features and a USB interface to allow use of low-cost memory sticks to unload, control or reprogramme multiple loggers.

Paul Cherry, flow specialist and MCERTS inspector with Mobrey Measurement, a division of Emerson Process Management, will be holding a workshop on 1 November on MCERTS effluent flow compliance and certification for industry. The company will be showing ultrasonic level transmitters, continuous sludge blanket controllers and suspended solids monitors.

Visitors to Dionix (Stand 95) can attend a workshop on Thursday, 2 November, 'Environmental analysis by liquid chromatography'. Attendees will hear about innovative developments in ion chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography and sample preparation techniques for environmental analysis.

Variable speed control is generally acknowledged as offering considerable advantages, in terms of energy efficiency, and the Danfoss VLT Aqua drive is specially dedicated to constant and variable torque applications in the water industry, such as pumps, blowers, travelling bridges, PD pumps and centrifuges. The drive has an operating efficiency in excess of 98%.

Cefas, on Stand 80, has been at the forefront of ecotoxicological testing for more than 20 years and can provide a suite of ecotoxicological tests, using standard marine and fresh water organisms. The company also hopes to be able to announce its successful MCERTS registration at the event.

SOE

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