A long-planned upgrade at Melbourne Water’s Eastern Treatment Plant includes an ozone system with installation beginning in November 2010. with peak flows of around 185 MGD of treated water production, the upgrade to advanced tertiary treatment at Melbourne Water’s Eastern Treatment Plant will make it among the largest of its kind in the world.
After pilot testing program begun in 2008 to narrow down the treatment options, the new treatment regimen incorporates ozone treatment, biological media filtration, ultraviolet and chlorine disinfection. Pretreatment by ozone oxidation allows the UV systems to be two to four times smaller than otherwise required and reduces chlorination needs as well. The ozone system has a peak production capacity of 490 kg/h ozone in total. The generators are fed by oxygen produced on-site from ambient air.
The plant is being built by the Eastern Tertiary Alliance, which includes owner Melbourne Water, construction partners Baulderstone and UGL Infrastructure. and engineering consultants Black & Veatch and KBR. The upgraded plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2012, and construction of the oxygen and ozone system infrastructure has already commenced.
The upgrade is primarily driven by an objective to improve the quality of treated wastewater discharged into the marine environment. The additional benefit of the significant improvement in treated water quality will be the production of high quality recycled water which can be used for a broader range of non-drinking applications.