Introduction of an online hydrogen sulphide analytic device for the creation of an efficient and economical and ecological sustainable waste water infrastructure in Europe

Project Information

H2S ANALYZER

Grant agreement ID: 782091

DOI

10.3030/782091

Project closed

EC signature date 21 July 2017

Start date 1 August 2017

End date 31 January 2018

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

ECH ELEKTROCHEMIE HALLE GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - H2S ANALYZER (Introduction of an online hydrogen sulphide analytic device for the creation of an efficient andeconomical and ecological sustainable waste water infrastructure in Europe)

Reporting period: 2017-08-01 to 2018-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The wastewater consists of a large number of dissolved and undissolved substances from industrial, commercial and domestic wastewater. As a result of declining wastewater volumes, often due to demographic change and the economical use of drinking water, there are longer residence times in wastewater structures. This causes the formation of anoxic and anaerobic conditions - H2S is formed.
Hydrogen sulphide represents the greatest health hazard potential in the sewage system. H2S oxidizes through the air oxygen present in the channels to highly corrosive sulfuric acid, which precipitates on the damp and cold channel walls. The pH at these points is at pH <1, which destroys metallic components and concrete. High costs arise in the sewage system due to sulphuric acid corrosion in pipelines, shafts, and special structures. For cement-bound building materials, concrete removal rates of 0.5 - 1.0 mm per year were determined, under extreme conditions up to 20 mm per year. The estimated investment requirement for the wastewater system in Europe is > € 250 billion.
In order to be able to reliably eliminate high short-term and locally occurring H2S concentrations in wastewater, high quantities of chemicals are currently required due to the uncertain and incomplete analysis. However, the use of chemical additives could be drastically reduced by taking measures at the waste water collection point, i.e. at the gas generation process, to specifically prevent gas development. However, this requires a measurement system that can perform online and in-situ measurements of H2S.
We have managed to develop a new measurement method that solves this problem. The aim of the SME Phase 1 project was a feasibility study for an innovative H2S analysis device. The newly developed H2S analyzer can accurately and reproducibly determine the sulfide/H2S content in wastewater using a new method and also determine the H2S formation potential with high precision. It is a measuring instrument for fast H2S on-site analysis in liquids and gases. The determination procedure measures directly in the wastewater and can be used for online process control.
As a result of the feasibility analysis, an economic, political and legal feasibility of a project implementation could be determined. In terms of organization and resources, all the prerequisites for broad international establishment have been created within the ECH, but these now have to be implemented. A sales and marketing department was established within the company within the last year. The upcoming planning of the increase of the production capacity will take place together with the suppliers in order to have all materials available just in time, especially in the initial phase.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Work carried out as part of the feasibility study:
• Description of the user market
• Description of technical requirements based on user needs, product definition
• Potential analysis / business area analysis, evaluation of market positioning
• Identifying business areas, strengthening relationships with existing partners, presenting new attractive business models and innovative further developments
ECH uses the H2S analyzer primarily to address the municipal and private waste water industry, but also industrial waste water treatment plants from chemical industry plants and refineries. Areas of application are: Sewerage, wastewater treatment, wastewater treatment plant, groundwater, geological exploration, surface water, industrial wastewater, process water, product analysis and biogas. Customers have the following technological requirements to reach the markets: Precise and reproducible measuring method, fast measurements with a high degree of automation and environmentally friendly.
The market launch strategy provides for intensive customer acquisition with high customer commitment. ECH benefits from the high level of expertise that can be conveyed to customers. All employees in the areas of management, R&D, applications, and service have detailed product knowledge. This experience is also incorporated into standardization work. Important customers can be found in the standardization circle. ECH can gain customer experience early on and integrate it into subsequent development, application, and sales activities.
A sales concept was developed for market implementation. An important approach is participation in conferences and symposia. ECH will give lectures describing the measuring instruments and their applications. Furthermore, the employees from application, R&D and management are supported by the sales staff at trade fairs, exhibitions, and presentations, so that the high level of employee competence can be conveyed to the customer right from the start.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The core innovation of the process is the coupling of a highly effective gas extraction with a selective detection method, with which the sulfide/H2S content can be determined in aqueous solutions (especially waste water). For this purpose, a water sample is first dosed in the H2S analyzer and then acidified. This causes the release of H2S gas, which is then expelled from the water sample with the aid of a continuous gas stream. The H2S gas is then transported to an electrochemical sensor. This very selectively detects the previously extracted gas. With this indirect method, the detector is not contaminated with the waste water sample, so that a very high accuracy of the analyses is achieved compared to the previously customary determination methods.
We at ECH Elektrochemie Halle are currently the only company to offer an H2S analyzer based on the new measuring method. This makes it possible for the first time to detect the smallest H2S deposits from 0.01 ppm in wastewater quickly and online. Competing solutions can currently only cover individual areas of application on the basis of their respective measuring principle (in particular photometric methods).
The positive economic effects of the project are that the service life of the partially obsolete sewer system in Western Europe and the USA will be significantly increased. The new measurement method offers a high-quality and simple method to avoid damage in the sewer system due to the creeping risk of destruction by H2S.

H2S Analyzer