Complete water treatment

A complete water cycle treatment solution for the disinfection, recycling, and treatment of water and waste water as offered by AquaNetto in close collaboration with partners and collaborators.

AquaNetto and IMETH’s jointly developed water treatment system offers a customised state-of-the-art solution for the pre-treatment, disinfection, and recycling of water and waste water. Making use of the appropriate complementary technologies, AquaNetto and IMETH’s complete water treatment system guarantees clean and safe potable water and permits the recovery and re-use of 60% of water consumption. The solution is specifically engineered to minimise investment costs and energy consumption while maximising value creation on-site by providing a solution that is a hall mark of green buildings and sustainable development.

AquaNetto and IMETH’s water treatment system maximises the effectiveness, efficiency, and economy of water treatment by providing the appropriate technologies, units and systems, for your individual needs and conditions. As with all solutions there is no single best way of treatment; thus, a water sample is first analysed in order to develop the most appropriate solution for your requirements, tak-ing into account various variables such as availability of water and energy, local environment, consumption habits, etc.
As per the water quality of the source a pre-treatment phase is developed which includes the use of filters or softeners to remove sus-pended particles or the hardness of water respectively. In a second step, water is disinfected and all bacteria and viruses are eliminated instantaneously by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, which affects their cellular structure. As no organism is immune to UV irradiation no resistance can be accumulated. Thus, UV technology remains one of the most environmentally friendly methods of disinfection.
Once disinfected all faucets in the building provide clean and safe potable water. To eliminate any prior contamination and avoid re-contamination the pipe network is disinfected via shock chlorination. 

‘Grey’ waste water (from the kitchen, shower, washing machine, dishwashing drains, toilet excluded) is directed to a compact wastewater treatment unit developed by IMETH AG. The treatment of waste water makes use of membrane-based and chemical tech-nologies such as ultrafiltration and flocculation to remove suspended solids and heavy solutes from the waste water. The compact waste water treatment solution is a self-cleaning and easy to operate system. The resulting treated water is re-directed to the main inlet and subjected again to the rigorous pre-treatment and disinfection of AquaNetto units and systems.
‘Black’ waste water (from the toilet) is also subjected to a similar treatment of membrane and chemical processes by IMETH and returns the water quality to near potable levels. This water is subsequently directed towards other purposes such as irrigation, cooling for HVAC systems, and car-washes. Other resulting products of the treatment process are fertilizer and brown coal.  

The jointly developed AquaNetto-IMETH solution offers numerous unique advantages. First, the selective and modular approach of AquaNetto units and systems allow for the combination of complementary technologies and processes that guarantee the highest level of treatment and a significant reduction in the consumption of resources, time, and energy.
Indeed, the AquaNetto-IMETH solution is powered by regular on-grid electric supply as well as off-grid photovoltaic, wind and hydro-electric power. Thus, by combining other environmentally-friendly forms of energy like solar and wind, the complete solution greatly reduces operational costs and its environmental foot-print. 

In addition, AquaNetto disinfection units and systems may be arranged in parallel blocks. The use of such an arrangement ensures that units are operational according to the daily consumption habits of users; thus, no energy is wasted to disinfect water that is not being used.
From an operational point of view, the modularity of the units and systems provides for a position-independent installation, fascinat-ingly easy maintenance, and daily operation. The unique and ingenious patented Head Piece allows the central UV unit to integrate peripheral products such as filters and softeners from all brands.
As security is of prime importance each UV lamp is of the highest standard and has an exceedingly long life cycle of 16,000 hours, approximately 3-4 years. Each unit is always equipped with an electronic control unit, a UV sensor, a safety valve, and in some cases a flow-former. The state-of-the-art sensor is calibrated with a unique control unit and a patented safety shut-off valve. As soon as there is any risk of contamination or drop in UV transmission the unit automatically flashes a warning and the safety shut-off valve restricts the flow of water.
The units are also equipped with flow formers that give the water a helical cycle around the quartz glass and thus provide an optimum level of disinfection. This method also avoids the formation of bio-films or limestone on the quartz glass and cleans it simultaneously.
A key feature of all AquaNetto-IMETH solutions is the emphasis on ease of operation and maintenance. Each unit can be assembled on-site, dismounted and re-mounted for maintenance, and operated by local trained personnel with the bare minimum of tools and equipment. Put simply, if one is capable of mounting furniture from kits such as IKEA then one is capable of carrying out the minimum care-taking and operation of the units and systems. In addition to the secure interface that is easy to use, installation and operation of this solution requires little tools, cabling, and additional fittings.
In conclusion, the AquaNetto-IMETH solution is ideal for new green-building and environmentally-friendly development projects as well as suited for retro-fit into already existing installations. It is a solution that defines green technology and provides clean and safe drink-ing water straight from the tap!