- Wastewater
Penthaz (Switzerland)
Penthaz: pioneer in micropollutant treatment
in Switzerland
With the wastewater treatment plant in Penthaz (Vaud canton), the fight against micropollutants in wastewater has entered a concrete phase in Switzerland. The plant, managed by the Intercommunal Association for Wastewater Treatment (AIEE) of Cossonay-Penthalaz – Penthaz – Daillens-Bettens, is the first Swiss facility to be equipped with a microgranular activated carbon micropollutant treatment, in accordance with the federal law on water protection that came into effect in 2016.
The challenges
- Implementing the federal law on the obligation to treat micropollutants in Swiss wastewater. This law requires the introduction of an additional step to remove 80% of micropollutants (such as pharmaceutical residues, biocides, anticorrosive agents, etc.) in the effluents of wastewater treatment plants.
- Contribute to improving the water quality of the Venoge River and Lake Geneva, a drinking water reservoir for over one million residents.
- Implementing a user-friendly process in a limited available space.
Our solutions
The treatment process of the Penthaz wastewater treatment plant was enhanced in 2018 with the addition of a micropollutant treatment stage using fluidized bed activated carbon in microgranules (patented CarboPlus® process).Reliable and easy to operate, the CarboPlus® process has proven to be a relevant choice as it enables the removal of a wide range of micropollutants and ensures compliance with the required purification rate of 80%.
Benefits
- A plant compliant with Swiss environmental standards.
- An improvement in the ecological status of the Venoge River.
- A simplified and cost-effective operation.
- A regeneration of used activated carbon without waste production.
« An example to follow in the fight
against micropollutants ».
against micropollutants ».
324
m3/h
15,000
population equivalents
2
CarboPlus® reactors
for micropollutant treatment
for micropollutant treatment
Other achievements
