PIRAT-Systems - Process Improvement for Resource-Amended (material, nutrient and energy-efficient) Treatment Systems
PIRAT-Systems was a research project coordinated by the department of Resource Efficient Wastewater Technologies at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. The project takes place within the scope of the project CLIENT II China funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
The project period was 01.09.2018 - 31.08.2022.
The results of the project, as well as publications and the presentations of the final conference can be found in the download area.
Project content
Wastewater disposal is changing from a disposal management to a resource-oriented approach, where important wastewater components are recovered and reused, and energy consumption is reduced. While initial approaches regarding these topics are already being implemented in Germany, further development and adaptation of system components and concepts is required worldwide. The PIRAT Systems project followed the approach of an interdisciplinary teamwork of German and Chinese players (consultants, construction companies, fertilizer processing companies, operators, government agencies and research institutes) to develop selected technologies for the Chinese market and to elaborate, based on investigations on model-wastewater treatment plants (model-WWTP), concepts for increasing energy efficiency and integration of sustainable components. In order to be able to transfer the results of the investigations on model-WWTP to other plants within and outside of China, design approaches and simulation models were developed as planning tools as well as decision-making guides. As a result, suitable operating settings and instrumentation, control and automation (ICA) strategies for an integrated operation of the system components were determined for various boundary conditions and transition paths were evaluated. In close cooperation between the German and Chinese partners, implementation and application of the results on WWTP in China were demonstrated. The system boundaries were expanded through examination of market options for recycling products. Promotion and inhibitory factors for application, including acceptance among the population, were identified. The overall goal of the project was closing the material and nutrient cycles while maintaining an extremely good cleaning performance of WWTP to meet the strict Chinese boundary values and the improvement of the environmental situation (climate protection, reduction of emissions, protection of water, air and soil).