Mobile system for decentralised treatment at the well level

Challenge:

Pesticide residues in groundwater wells are increasingly threatening Danish groundwater and drinking water production. The contamination increases the need for more advanced water treatment, which requires an exemption from the state. The current “solution” is to mix the water from compromised and non-compromised wells so that the water quality meets the Danish drinking water limits. However, it is only a matter of time before a contaminant (e.g. N,N-dimethylsulfamide – DMS) spreads to another well, making the current solution unsustainable. At this time, DMS has been found in 30.7% of investigated extraction wells (GEUS, 2019).

There was therefore an urgent need for the development of an innovative DMS-reducing technology, which in this project was to be done through close collaboration between the knowledge provider (TI, VIA) with their valuable professional knowledge, and the leading technology suppliers (Kemic, Aquarden), FORS supply, and representatives from Danske Vandværker (industry organisation).

Solution:

The partner group tried to establish a mobile treatment plant that could be connected to the individual contaminated water well instead of inside the waterworks. The purification was to be done through activated carbon filtration and through materials that could best absorb DMS.

The mobile plant was to be housed in a container that contained all the materials needed, such as power, cylinders, and materials.
The solution was designed to be customizable to different waterworks according to their size, as there were both large and small waterworks in Denmark. In addition, the mobile treatment plant was expected to benefit the Danish water industry by increasing security of supply in the future.