Nuclear power plants use significant amounts of water which is returned water courses at a higher temperature than the ambient water. Thermal pollution manifests in a drop in DO (as warmer water holds less oxygen) and a rise in pH. In addition, organic matter decomposes faster in warmer temperatures leading to an increased likelihood of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs/CyanoHABs) which ultimately results in hypoxia and an increase in water toxicity.

The Proteus can provide an efficient early warning system by monitoring BOD alongside DO, temperature and pH (with the option for others) with the option for real-time telemetry. It can provide a detailed description of “normal” conditions which could be used to regulate plant water release in order to have a more restrained impact on the surrounding environment.

Inflow

Monitoring the BOD/COD of wastewater at the inflow pipe is crucial as it is the first point of reference, which can ultimately be used to compare with the end product to assess its compliance fulfilment. The Proteus can be easily installed to monitor BOD, COD and complementary characteristics such as pH, total coliforms and CDOM.

PST

Primary settlement tanks are the first opportunity for substantial BOD and suspended solids reduction within the wastewater through velocity reduction and forced settling. Therefore, the monitoring of BOD and other parameters is extremely advantageous to ensure reduction targets are being met and in-situ combined BOD and turbidity monitoring can therefore help refine the process and boost overall efficiency.

In smaller plants, where this is the only stage in treatment, continuous monitoring of BOD is even more crucial to avoid contaminated water being released into watercourses. Traditional spot/grab sampling is insufficient as the time between samples or between samples and results being returned from laboratories allows damage to be done in the meantime.

ASP

ASP is the principal method of lowering wastewater BOD in larger plants, involving extensive aeration for bacteria to remove contaminants from the wastewater. It has the highest energy consumption of all stages and therefore in-situ monitoring is a real asset to improving efficiency as a precise equilibrium has to be maintained between the active bacteria, the dissolved oxygen (DO) and the total suspended solids (TSS). Monitoring the BOD, among other parameters, at the input to the ASP tank and/or at the output from the ASP tank drastically reduces the likelihood of any issues developing in the ASP process going unnoticed.

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Energy saving potential of using real-time BOD monitoring for feedforward and feedback control in wastewater treatment.

Clarifiers

Secondary clarification is used to remove the remaining settleable suspended solids. Not only is BOD and COD monitoring useful at this stage but also DOC/TOC monitoring. While DOC/TOC is not currently widely regulated, there is compelling evidence linking DOC/TOC to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Heavy Metals (HMs); both of which pose a considerable threat to receiving water sources.

Final Effluent

Monitoring of BOD etc., at an outflow pipe is integral in good practice of wastewater monitoring, as it ensures the wastewater has been treated in-line with the plant standards and is meeting compliance regulations. It is key in ensuring the safety of the watercourse it is being released into and the end consumers. Measuring BOD, COD in real-time will allow detection and therefore prevention of catastrophic pollution events before they cause significant harm to the environment.

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Monitoring and Controlling BOD & COD in the Activated Sludge Process

The heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides provides a unique environmental challenge for farmers, with possible contamination pathways being plentiful; these include run-off, reduced upland drainage and accidental contamination. In the UK alone, around 60% of nitrates in water bodies are estimated to have agricultural origins. When passed on to water bodies, nitrates can cause Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) which are catastrophic for the environment with devastating long-term consequences.

The use of a Proteus multi-probe for monitoring crucial indicators of pollution such as nitrates, pH, BOD, DOC/TOC can be instrumental in improving farming practises, especially at key times of the farming year. By monitoring these parameters in real-time, farmers can be safe in the knowledge that they are meeting national guidelines and the likelihood of undetected pollution events is greatly reduced.

Coastal areas are often recreational bathing hotspots, popular with locals and tourists alike. Clean water is paramount to ensuring the safety of bathers, a complex task when there can be many sources of pollution entering into the water. Factors such as combined sewer overflows and diffuse pollution sources such as agricultural run-off can make it difficult to monitor the quality of the water both consistently and accurately.

Proteus provides data in real-time and can provide three coliform subsets; Total, Faecal and E. coli as well as crude and refined oil concentrations; meaning authorities will know instantly if the water is appropriate for bathing and associated recreational activities. The data produced by Proteus can be made available in real-time to a range of users and temporal trends easily tracked which can help businesses forecast their activities.

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Real-Time Bathing Water Quality Monitoring for Total Coliforms

Disinfection

The disinfection stage destroys pathogenic bacteria which is crucial in preventing the spread of infectious disease to the end user. Traditional coliform monitoring involves lab tests which take time and are expensive, with no option for data in real-time. A Proteus Multiprobe is capable of providing real-time coliform monitoring to ensure the process is working and meeting compliance regulations 24/7.

Storage/Distribution

Water is often stored before distribution but, even in cases where it isn’t, a final monitoring station on an effluent pipe is instrumental in ensuring that compliances are being met and the water is safe for use. Traditional monitoring can involve multiple site visits in a day and a significant waiting period for the results to be generated for key parameters such as BOD.

The Proteus can provide results for BOD and COD in real-time along with other widely tested for water quality parameters such as DO, turbidity, pH and temperature. This will all be within the same probe which removes the need for complicated, multiple instrument set-ups.

The raising of livestock can become incredibly detrimental to river systems if not carefully monitored. Livestock such as cattle can provide multiple threats by increasing nutrient loading to run-off as well as increasing sediment loads and likelihood of pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli being present in the water; particularly when they have direct access. There are also considerable risks from accidental silage and slurry spills.

As a multi-probe, the Proteus can measure nutrients such as nitrates and ammonium, faecal/E. coli coliforms, turbidity, DOC, BOD and more, all on the same instrument. The greater flow of information allows appropriate action to be taken to allow for environmentally conscious farming which is productive while being protective of the surrounding environment.

Boreholes are commonly used for water supplies worldwide, particularly where connection to larger water infrastructure is not possible. The water extracted from boreholes can have multiple uses including drinking, washing and cleaning. As such, it is vital that the water being extracted is of an acceptable quality. Groundwater naturally has organic chemicals, salts and metals but these can be harmful if present in too high concentrations. In addition, harmful pathogens such as E. coli and other coliforms which can transmit water-borne and water-washed diseases can also be present.

Traditionally, turbidity, Electrical Conductivity (EC) and pH have been used to assess groundwater quality but these alone are not enough to rule out the presence of pathogens and or high concentrations of nutrients such as nitrogen. The Proteus multi-probe can assess all of these parameters on a single instrument including coliforms (either total, faecal or E. Coli) using its scientifically researched algorithms. The Proteus can provide real-time data to the end user so they can have security in knowing whether or not their water supply is safe.

Reservoirs and inland lakes are tourist hotspots for a variety water sports and bathing. These lakes can easily become polluted with coliforms from natural and anthropogenic sources, increasing the potential of the users becoming sick. Many resorts have bathing water compliances to meet in order to remain operating, of which coliforms are usually a key component.

The Proteus is capable of providing data for Total, Faecal or E. coli coliforms alongside other water quality parameters such as turbidity, pH and temperature. The Proteus can be used in both freshwater and saline environments, with data made available in real-time with the possibility to be made accessible to a range of stakeholders.

Typically caused by an excess of nutrients, HABs can have devastating, long-lasting consequences for the natural environment. HABs can trigger the release of harmful toxins which can cause neurological, developmental, immunological and reproductive issues with a range of aquatic organisms. Often trigger anoxic conditions which can lead to eventual hypoxia which can destroy an ecosystem.

The Proteus can measure key causes of HABs such as nitrates/ammonium, temperature and turbidity which will provide early warning when conditions are likely to facilitate algal blooming. In addition, the measurement of DO, BOD and COD will allow real-time understanding of the oxygen level in the lake and indicate when algae levels are increasing. We also have a range of fluorometers that can monitor the actual algae level including BGA (marine and freshwater) and Chlorophyll levels.

Casual pollution from settlements can often be forgotten in the context of more obvious polluters. However, storm sewers, combined sewer overflows and increased run-off can significantly affect and change the characteristics of nearby water sources. This can be particularly problematic water bodies such as rivers are often multi-functional often providing drinking water for large areas, transport, and access to recreational activities.

A Proteus Multiprobe can provide real-time, accurate data on a range of real-time parameters including BOD, COD, Coliforms and DOC. The data can be made accessible to a wide range of interested parties on a cloud-based server, allowing complete transparency between agencies.

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Real-Time Faecal Coliform Water Quality Monitoring in Chicago, USA

Worldwide industrial effluent discharge is strictly controlled to ensure the safety of the surrounding environment and people. When effluent is not regulated, it can have catastrophic consequences for the environment and where it is regulated, large fines and other sanctions can be imposed for breach of regulations. In addition, many systems which rely on aeration or similar to treat the effluent are high energy which translates to a high cost.

The Proteus is designed to be a flexible monitoring platform that can support a wide range of industry applications in ensuring their effluent discharge is within guidelines. In addition, the Proteus can be used within many different applications to provide feedback on the processes and contribute to greater process control; this then can produce both energy and cost savings. BOD, COD, TOC, DOC, Crude Oils and Refined Oils are all accessible from the same probe alongside other staples such as pH, temperature, conductivity and DO.

Knowledge is power or, in this case, data is power. Whether for academic interest, local authority projects or as part of an NGO initiative, medium to long-term sampling projects are expensive, labour intensive and can be prone to a variety of errors; particularly those monitoring for BOD, COD and coliforms. The Proteus multiprobe is capable of mitigating this with an extensive list of parameters available to monitor with practically non-existent running costs and low maintenance requirements. We have extensive experience in providing a wide variety of different experimental set-ups and a varied choice of data delivery methods for the user(s).

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Real-Time Faecal Coliform Water Quality Monitoring in Chicago, USA