Roche Uses Energy from Wastewater

The pharmaceuticals company Roche Diagnostics has decided to build at its Penzberg site in Upper Bavaria, Germany a new anaerobic plant for the biological pre-processing of a partial wastewater flow. The plant, which produces energy-rich biogas, will supplement an existing membrane system. The anaerobic plant will be built by Aquantis, a subsidiary of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies.

The new system is to pre-treat partial wastewater flows which are especially rich in carbon and biologically degradable liquid waste from the bio-technological production. Employed will be 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 per cent 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 tons a year, by which Roche in Penzberg will achieve a sustainable reduction of its carbon footprint. Assembly of the anaerobic plant is planned for end-March 2011, and start-up for November 2011. The project was planned by the consulting engineering office of Dr Resch in Weissenburg.

The Biobed® system has so far successfully proved itself in more than 500 reference plants around the world, of which the Aquantis experts alone have built 60 large-scale plants. The determining factor for the Roche company’s decision in favour of a Biobed® system was the mature process technology that has been proven many times in practice. The company convinced itself in advance of its decision by comparing the operating experience of the reference plants of various competitors. This evaluation was finally so convincing that Roche decided to award the contract to Aquantis.