Last week, 70 specialists from industry and research met for the 15th Water Technology Seminar at the TUM Campus Weihenstephan. Our expert Michael Russ was also there with an exciting presentation on efficient water use.
Polymers, sustainability and innovative water technology solutions were the top topics of this year’s water seminar. Fittingly, Michael Russ from our Sustainable Customer Solutions (SCS) department brought along a presentation on HydroCircle. This is a system solution that enables beverage and recycling plants to permanently reduce their water consumption by treating wastewater so that it can be reused as process water in production.
Biological wastewater treatment
HydroCircle is based on a closed-loop approach where wastewater is treated by a patented biological purification process until it can be fed back into the process. This creates a closed cycle that significantly reduces the need for primary resources.
A central element of the system is the DACS technology (Downflow Anaerobic Carrier System) by Aqana, a particularly robust form of biological treatment. It uses a floating carrier material made of recycled HDPE, which provides optimal support for microorganisms and enables highly efficient wastewater treatment even under high loads and in applications where conventional methods reach their limits. In addition, renewable energy in the form of biogas is produced.
Versatile use in production
A particularly significant advantage of HydroCircle becomes evident in the wide range of applications for the treated water. After purification, disinfection and conditioning it can be reused at numerous points in production such as in the cooling tower, in the CIP system, in cleaning machines for bottles and crates, in the rinser or as boiler feed water or greywater.
Exchange with research and industry
The positive feedback to the presentation highlights how important solutions like HydroCircle are for the future of the beverage industry. The system impressively demonstrates how modern water technology contributes to more sustainable production and how Krones sets benchmarks in water and resource efficiency. In addition, the SCS department is working within the BayWater research network on further solutions for sustainable industrial water management such as innovative wastewater solutions thereby underscoring the company’s broad commitment to a futureproof water economy.
