Berliner Stadtreinigung operates a biomass centre in Hennickendorf, east of Berlin. The site generates highly contaminated process water during its day-to-day operations, which requires reliable treatment before discharge.
The daily wastewater volume is approximately 36 m³. The treatment plant operates continuously over 24 hours and handles peak flows of up to 1.5 m³ per hour. Berliner Stadtreinigung therefore required a high-performance solution that also provided a high degree of operational flexibility.
A permanently constructed treatment plant was not the preferred approach. Instead, BSR opted for a rental system supplied by PPU Umwelttechnik. The agreed minimum rental period is twelve months.
This model is particularly well suited to the requirements of the site. Changes in the materials processed, operational conditions or permit requirements also affect the demands placed on wastewater treatment. A mobile rental system provides significantly greater flexibility than permanently installed infrastructure.
PPU designed the entire treatment line as a containerised system. All process equipment is installed inside standard 20-foot and 40-foot shipping containers. This design keeps the overall footprint to a minimum while simplifying transport, installation and eventual removal from site.
The main technical challenge lies in the exceptionally high organic load of the process water.
Chemical oxygen demand reaches concentrations of up to 10,500 mg/l in the influent. Before discharge, the COD concentration must fall to a target value of 200 mg/l. The wastewater therefore requires intensive biological treatment followed by reliable solids separation.
The physical and logistical conditions at the biomass centre added another layer of complexity. The wastewater treatment plant operates within an active waste handling and processing site. PPU therefore had to design the complete system around a compact footprint and straightforward access for delivery and installation.
Transport logistics also played an important role. PPU designed the system around delivery using a conventional 12-tonne truck. The containerised concept greatly simplifies this process and reduces the amount of structural work required on site.
Before entering the biological treatment stage, the wastewater passes through a stainless-steel rotary drum screen. The screen removes coarse and fine solids and features a 0.25 mm mesh with a hydraulic capacity of up to 10 m³ per hour.
This pretreatment stage provides the downstream biological process with a more consistent and effectively screened influent.
The core of the treatment system is a ClearFox® FBR installed inside a 40-foot high-cube container. The fixed-bed reactor comprises three biological treatment cascades with a total usable volume of approximately 50 m³.
Each treatment stage contains fixed-bed media with specific surface areas of 100, 150 and 200 m²/m³. Microorganisms colonise these carrier materials and form a stable biofilm. This biofilm continuously breaks down the organic pollutants contained in the process water. Fine-bubble diffusers supply the individual treatment cascades with the oxygen required for the biological process.
The cascaded reactor design supports stable biological treatment and makes efficient use of the available reactor volume.
Following biological treatment, the wastewater flows into the ClearFox® lamella clarifier. PPU installed this treatment stage together with the control system and air distribution unit inside a separate 20-foot high-cube container.
The lamella clarifier separates settleable solids from the treated wastewater through sedimentation. Inclined lamella plates significantly increase the effective settling area within a compact footprint. Solids settle onto the plates, slide downwards and collect in the sludge hopper. The clarified water then leaves the system through the upper section of the unit.
A central control system manages and monitors plant operation. An integrated web server provides access via Wi-Fi, while the system is also prepared for remote servicing through a modem connection.
The result is a compact, mobile and high-performance treatment solution tailored to the operational requirements of Berliner Stadtreinigung. Once the treatment requirement ends, the rental plant can be removed from the site with comparatively little effort. At the same time, the modular container concept allows additional treatment modules to be added if greater capacity is required.
With this project, PPU combines high-performance wastewater treatment technology with a flexible rental model. The ClearFox® system treats the highly contaminated process water directly at the point of generation and provides a solution specifically tailored to the requirements of the biomass centre.
The combination of a ClearFox® FBR and lamella clarifier is well suited to highly organically contaminated process wastewater that requires biological treatment followed by solids separation. Typical applications include biomass centres, waste treatment facilities, recycling plants and other industrial sites with comparable wastewater streams.
Yes, provided the wastewater characteristics and required discharge limits are compatible with this treatment concept. PPU designs every system specifically for the individual project. Key factors include wastewater volume, COD and BOD load, solids content, temperature, discharge requirements and potential fluctuations in the influent load. Based on these parameters, PPU develops a treatment solution tailored to the specific application.
Following biological treatment, the wastewater still contains settleable solids and biomass. The lamella clarifier separates these solids from the clarified water by sedimentation. Its inclined lamella plates significantly increase the effective settling area while maintaining a compact footprint.
Coarse and fine solids interfere with downstream biological treatment processes. An appropriate screening stage removes these solids before the wastewater enters the FBR. This provides the biological stage with a more consistent influent and supports reliable plant operation.
Yes. Rental plants are particularly suitable for temporary requirements, bridging solutions, refurbishment periods or situations in which operating conditions have not yet been fully defined. Longer rental periods are also available. The main advantage is that the operator does not need to invest in permanently installed treatment infrastructure. Typical rental periods range from six months to seven years.
Most of the process equipment is already fully integrated into the container. This significantly reduces the amount of installation work required on site. In most cases, the main tasks involve connecting the influent, effluent, power supply and any additional interfaces. The exact installation effort depends on the conditions at the site.
For a reliable process design, PPU primarily requires information on the daily and hourly wastewater flow as well as the wastewater composition. Relevant parameters include COD, BOD, suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus, pH and temperature. The required discharge limits and information on existing tanks, available space and operational conditions are also important.
