Ramboll has more than 50 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment.
We support manufacturing and utility clients throughout the world with process design, technology selection, equipment specification, tender appraisal, permitting, planning, construction management, start-up, and commissioning, and operations.
Our technical services also provide for cost-effective and sustainable design and operation of water and wastewater treatment systems in the face of increasingly stringent external and internal performance expectations.
Our clients often engage with us to solve challenges and realize their ambitions within areas such as:
- Laboratory services
- Industrial wastewater and leachates
- Municipal wastewater
- Drinking water and clean water quality
- Reuse of water
- Sludge management & biogas production
- Operation services
- Emissions Modeling
Water treatment processes
The design of waterworks depends on the type of water source and raw water quality. We have designed numerous waterworks based on groundwater abstraction as well as a surface water treatment plants.
Our key expertise covers process design, layout and detailed design, and we can help with both new waterworks and review and modernisation of existing facilities. We offer support through all stages -from conceptual ideas and analysis, to process dimensioning and conceptual design, detailed design and tendering, to construction and plant commissioning, SCADA system and buildings.
Wastewater treatment processes
Ensuring the quality of water requires a constant focus on wastewater discharge and well-functioning wastewater treatment plants. Our key expertise covers process design, layout and detailed design within biological, chemical and physical wastewater treatment plant process design. We can provide both new facilities and plant modernisation in areas such as tertiary treatment, sludge treatment, anaerobic digestion and sustainable sludge disposal.
We follow each project through all stages - from conceptual ideas and analysis, to process dimensioning, conceptual and detailed design and tendering, to plant construction and commissioning. We also act as lead consultant where we take responsibility for process design and mechanical engineering and can use our resources within other technical disciplines such as civil, structures, HVAC, electrical engineering and automation.
Sludge treatment, handling organic waste and reducing emissions and pollution
Ramboll is among the forerunners within sludge and organic waste treatment, offering expertise within organic waste and sludge treatment. We can also advise on how to use organic matter to produce biogas and thus reduce climate gas emissions, and how to reduce odour and pollution in matter. By combining this expertise within our waste water, energy and polluted soil and ground water services, we provide a complete solution for clients.
Operation and maintenance
Planned operation and systematic maintenance of water and wastewater treatment facilities can prevent most problems from occurring and provides clients with the confidence to commit extra resources only where necessary. Ramboll has developed a straightforward system that allows for efficient management of the operation and maintenance of basins, buildings, canals and pumping stations.
Technology Selection, Engineering, and Operations
We offer comprehensive bench-scale and pilot-scale investigations to select the most appropriate water and wastewater treatment technologies. Our process design engineering-centred approach combines elements of master planning, source control, and technology evaluation and selection to generate the most cost-effective process design for a specific application. Process design and feasibility studies include process optimization evaluations, mass balances (flow, organics, nitrogen, solids, and salt), detailed process flow diagrams (PFDs), and process instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs).
Ramboll engineers can oversee the development of water and wastewater treatment facilities from inception to start-up. From a plant retrofit to a turnkey project, we are well equipped to act as a client’s representative, program manager, project and construction manager, or engineer to the contract. Our process expertise extends to operations troubleshooting, training and 24/7 contract operations.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Emissions Modeling
Emissions modeling is generally a regulatory requirement – e.g. in relation to annual toxic release inventory in USA, change in air permit requires emissions estimates for additional Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), or other Hazardous Air Pollutants, (HAPs) – and many states in the US require WWTP emissions estimates to be submitted with air permit applications for new industrial process units. Moreover, new/updated models are often needed when upgrading WWTPs.
Ramboll has been modeling emissions for industrial WWTPs for more than 15 years. Our wastewater experts understand how industrial WWTPs work and how best to model the wastewater process units. We are fluent in Water9, ToxChem and engineering simulators, and we understand when to use which model and each model’s limitations.
Also, we understand the kinetics of biological treatment and how it relates to emissions from wastewater treatment plants and have conducted numerous site-specific Biological Oxidation Tests (BOX tests) that often improve default biodegradation rates used in the simulators.
Our emissions modeling software experience includes:
- Water9 (developed by USEPA)
- ToxChem (developed by Hydromantis)
- Engineering Simulators such as Aspen and ChemCAD
We work integrally with our clients to ensure that the models are accurate. Site visits are common, as we do not model sites without understanding them first.
