Collini metal processing plant

Introduction
The submerged membrane bioreactor plant at Collini galvanic industries in the West of Austria is a fine example of process optimization in a complex industrial environment. The plant is owned and operated by Collini and is now in its 3rd year treating wastewater from a metal processing facility. It is sited in an industrial estate and discharges into a small waterway in an Alpine region characterized by agriculture and leisure activities. The average flow is 960m3/d and the wastewater contains variable loads of non-biodegradable COD combined with organic additives and oils from the galvanizing process. The MBR is the final polishing step after a physical-chemical pre-treatment consisting of coagulation, flocculation, sand filtration and pH correction.
The plant is unmanned and employs a SCADA system with a PLC that controls plant operation and logs all main instruments and alarms. Key parameters are recorded and monitored daily by the factory staff.