Sand-Cycle applied in Switzerland

Full scale trials at WwTP Barbengo in Switzerland are executed to remove micropollutants in the waste water effluent, which is discharged into Lake of Lugano. EAWAG is managing the project which will focus on powdered activated carbon dosing prior to the tertiary continuous sand filters.

In collaboration Techfina from Switzerland and Nordic Water GmbH Sand-Cycle will be implemented to monitor the sand filter performance during the trials. This is the first Swiss Sand-Cycle reference.

Switzerland is ahead of the European market for micropollutant removal from municipal waste water, governed by  national legislation. Tertiary DynaSand filters, which have often been applied for nutrient removal may now contribute to achieving this new objective. Proper monitoring and control of these filters is therefore becoming even more important. Sand-Cycle is a powerful tool to optimize the plant performance, and supporting the operators to run the filters smoothly.

The trials will be executed in a timeframe of 6 months, the results will become available at the end of 2021.