A team of experts is available for onsite evaluation of efficiency of existing treatment processes or desk top study of proposed plants.

Specific Services Provided

Water Treatment Plant process troubleshooting

• Consultative services for evaluation and troubleshooting of existing treatment plant processes on water treatment issues, such as chemical dosing points, filter optimisation and dealing with sudden water quality changes and seasonal variation.

Water Treatment Plant design evaluation

• Expert scientific evaluation of requirements for new or retro-fitted drinking water treatment plants including pilot scale evaluations, monitoring schemes and disinfection requirements.

Coagulant Optimisation

• Determination of optimum coagulant and coagulant aid doses for treatment of drinking water or wastewater sources by sedimentation and dissolved air flotation-filtration (DAFF) for removal of turbidity, colour, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) or algal cells.
• Can be useful in determining if plant is operating at maximum efficiency or responding adequately to water quality changes. This can also identify changes needed to meet water quality or contractual requirements.

Alternative Treatment Options

• Investigation of alternative and advanced treatment technologies including polymerised coagulants, MIEX®, activated carbon and membrane filtration for application to potable water treatment.
• For providing ‘proof of concept’ of proposed treatment process changes when a new treatment technology is being considered.

Activated Carbon selection and optimisation

• Testing of the suitability of particular powdered or granular activated carbons (PAC, GAC) for specific water treatment issues or contaminant removal as well as surveys of available carbon products.
• This is an effective means of assessment of activated carbon supply tenders for removal of target contaminants in particular waters.

Disinfectant demand and DBPs

• Determination of disinfectant demand, decay curves and simulated distribution system (SDS) testing for a range of disinfection processes including chlorination, chloramination, and ultra-violet (UV) irradiation.
• Disinfection by-products (DBPs) and DBP formation potential measurements can also be accommodated in isolation or combined with disinfection tests.

Ozonation optimisation

• Assessment of ozone demand and decay curves using laboratory scale batch and semi-batch contact experiments.
• Important for determination of required ozone dose for disinfection, pre-oxidation or polishing in a pre-existing potable or wastewater process or calculation of design capacity requirement for a new plant.

Water Quality Characterisation

• Measurement of water quality parameters including colour, turbidity, UV absorbance, UV transmittance and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration.
• Interpretation of results is also available from our experienced team of water quality scientists.

Natural Organic Matter (NOM) characterisation

• Organic matter characterisation in drinking water sources, treated waters and wastewaters. A variety of tests are available including analyses such as high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) for determining molecular weight distribution and rapid resin fractionation for humic and fulvic acid concentration and hydrophobicity.
• Allows operators to predict the applicability of coagulation to remove organics (DOC) and to predict the required chlorine demand. Enables better understanding of formation of disinfection by-products.

Bacterial Regrowth Potential (BRP) and Biodegradable Organic Carbon (BDOC)

• Evaluation of the capacity of waters to support bacterial growth in a distribution system both in the bulk water body (BRP) and on immobilised surfaces such as filter media and pipe walls (BDOC).
• Useful tool to compare biological treatment of a range of processes and in periodic monitoring of biological stability of treated water.

Point of use device and product evaluation

• Testing of point-of-use water purification devices for effectiveness and suitability as well as evaluation of water related products such as water conditioners and aquarium neutralisers.