Innovation Walk VITO

In many drinking water installations, sand filters are still backwashed at fixed times or based on flow rate, even when it isn't actually necessary yet. That wastes water and energy, and keeps filters out of service longer than needed. With the ATi FilterSmart, you control the backwash based on the actual condition of the filter. A level sensor measures the expansion of the filter bed, while a turbidity sensor monitors the cloudiness of the water in real time.

Once the turbidity reaches the right level again, typically between 5 and 10 NTU, the backwash stops automatically. This means less backwash water, lower energy consumption and longer filter run times. In addition, the bed expansion measurement makes differences between filters immediately visible, so you can detect abnormal behaviour or problems with filter media sooner. FilterSmart is designed for drinking water treatment with gravity filters and integrates easily into existing installations.

Traditional measurement methods often only provide insight into water quality after the fact. By then, the damage is sometimes already irreversible, while strict standards and the risk of toxic discharges call for fast monitoring. The Biosensor Node from Ijinus (Hydreka) takes a different approach. The sensor measures microbial activity in wastewater and surface water in real time.

This lets you detect deviations before they can disrupt your biological treatment. That makes the sensor particularly well suited to influent monitoring at the WWTP inlet, in sewers, overflows or aeration tanks. It's also useful on surface water, for example in vulnerable watercourses, retention basins or agricultural areas. With data storage, reporting and a link to your management platform, it's also ready to use straight away.

If an oil separator isn't emptied in time, hazardous hydrocarbons can end up in the sewer system. With the idSET-OTM from Labkotec, you keep that risk under control. This smart, versatile measuring unit monitors the oil layer thickness in real time, so you always know how your separator is doing. Because the monitoring is fully online, you no longer have to wait for a visual check on site before taking action.

The system supports multiple sensors: the idSET-OTM oil sensor, the idOil-LIQ high water level sensor and the idSET-SLU sludge sensor. This way, you track oil, water level and sludge with a single solution. Incidentally, the EN 858-1 and 2 standards also stipulate that oil separators must be fitted with alarms.