Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) in Denmark operate under strict phosphorus effluent regulations. Coupled with sustainable obligations to progressively optimise operations, Danish WWTPs face pressure to reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining cost-effective yet compliant treatment processes.
In this light, phosphorus removal emerges as a critical process from both a financial as well as a regulatory perspective. However, due to budgetary constraints, WWTPs are often prevented from investing in advanced solutions and frequently rely on fixed chemical dosing strategies to meet discharge targets.
This approach leads to excessive chemical consumption which increases operating costs, elevates CO2 emissions, and heightens the threat of ecological harm.
At Otterup WWTP, a mid-sized facility managing both residential and industrial wastewater, phosphorus removal was previously achieved through a fixed, manually controlled chemical dosing strategy. While effective in maintaining compliances, the approach did not account for fluctuations in phosphorus levels leading to excessive chemical dosing. This consequently inflated operational costs and surged the facility’s CO₂ emissions.