Aeration efficiency; the next frontier for Australian WWTP sustainability
Aeration remains the single largest energy consumer in wastewater treatment, often accounting for 50–70% of total electricity use.
As Australian utilities push toward ambitious net-zero and cost-reduction targets, the inadequacy of legacy air-flow control equipment has become increasingly obvious.
What many operators lack is not new blowers, it’s intelligent control.
Modern biological plants operate under dynamic loading, making variable-speed and often over-sized blowers, simple butterfly valves, and traditional DO control loops incapable of keeping pace. The result is chronic over-aeration, unstable DO levels, and excessive energy use.
Watch; Ready to push aeration control to the maximum with better discharge values?
The VACOMASS® system, developed by Binder Group, addresses this gap by combining high-precision air-flow meter, specially for aeration air developed control valves with a coordinated real-time control strategy that adjusts oxygen supply. Instead of controlling DO indirectly through blower pressure or actuator position, VACOMASS® directly controls the actual mass flow of air delivered to each aeration zone.
Pump & Valve is the distributor of Binder Group products for ANZ region.
This changes everything.
The system reacts instantly to diurnal load variations, storm flows, ammonia spikes, and seasonal temperature changes, maintaining tight DO bands and eliminating unnecessary aeration. Plants adopting the system typically report:
- • up to 35% reduction in total aeration energy
- • Improved effluent stability and reduced ammonia excursions
- • Demand-driven distribution of oxygen across basins
- • Smoother blower operation and reduced mechanical stress
- • Lower OPEX and extended asset life
As Australia faces rising electricity costs and stricter effluent quality compliance, advanced aeration control is no longer optional. With over 20 years of proven global installations—including many in Europe, the USA, and APAC—the VACOMASS® approach has become a benchmark in energy-efficient biological treatment.
WATCH: Struggling to optimize the air consumption of your wastewater treatment plant?
For utilities planning upgrades in 2026–2027, aeration control should be the first system evaluated—not the last. The ROI is immediate, measurable, and aligned with the industry’s push toward sustainability and decarbonisation.
For more information or enquiries contact Tony Girach of Aeration Control Systems at tony.g@pumpandvalve.com or in New Zealand contact Justin Engels of Pump & Valve at justin.e@pumpandvalve.com
Case Study: optimisation of air distribution and aeration control in a plug-flow tank
The need to increase energy efficiency while stabilising process and meeting the new environmental goals of the city of Kiel in the EU required a comprehensive modernisation of the existing aeration system. The long rectangular tanks were splitted into 2 control zones, equipped with new control valves and a dynamic real-time controller, significant savings were achieved and process stability was sustainably improved.
Customer Benefits
→ Annual energy savings: approx. 300,000 €
→ Demand-based air supply and distribution of air flow into long, narrow tanks
→ Reduction in oxygen carryover improves biological nitrogen removal
→ Stable treatment performance even during sudden load fluctuations (e.g. heavy rainfall)
→ Flexible, future-proof operation with expandable control functions due to a fully modular design
The challenge
The wastewater treatment plant is the largest municipal energy consumer in the climate-conscious city of Kiel.
Each long rectangular aeration tank with a plug flow was equipped with a common control valve. That led under normal conditions to an insufficient air supply in the first half and over-aeration in the second half (up to 5 mg/l). Especially in the night dissolved oxygen was carried over into the denitrification tanks, disturbing biological nutrient removal every day for several hours.
During high load conditions, the oxygen supply and so the treatment performance was insufficient, ammonia broke though during every heavy rainfall, which happens often in the Baltic Sea area.
The high pressure loss of the common valves required an increased power consumption of the blowers. Non-linear control characteristics led to a limitation in the usable control range of the valve to a range with especially high head loss (20 to 80%). Test measurements were done and confirmed expected numbers of 40 to 70 mbar.
Only a complete modernisation could unlock the full optimisation potential.
The solution
Process & Control improvement:
The four rectangular tanks were divided into two indepen-dent controllable zones, each one equipped with one air flow meter and control valve.
The AI-supported algorithm of the installed aeration controller calculates dynamically in real-time the air flow requirements along the flow path and the related required stroke of the valves. The system was integrated into the existing SCADA infra-structure with minimal effort and in a short time.
Reduction of power consumption:
The VACOMASS® jet control valves have an extra-ordinary venturi design and so related pressure drop of the valves is significantly lower compared to the common valve.
The intelligent control algorithm adjusts the DO-SET concentration based on actual needs. In low load times the DO-concentration can be reduced – this saves another portion of blower´s energy consumption.
“With flexcontrol, we were able to largely automate our biological stage—this gives us greater process stability, less manual operation, and a noticeable efficiency boost.” said Michael Wuttke, Head of Process Engineering, Bülk Treatment Plant.
The post Aeration efficiency; the next frontier for Australian WWTP sustainability appeared first on Utility Magazine.
