The Amsterdam Waste Energy Company (AEB) processes residual waste from municipalities and companies. AEB extracts as many valuable materials as possible from the waste. What remains is efficiently incinerated, generating electricity and heat for households and businesses. ‘KH Engineering plays a key role in that incineration. Together, we ensure that as few harmful substances as possible are emitted into the environment.’
‘Strict requirements apply to the emission of flue gases and the discharge of wastewater into the harbour. We want to be far below the permitted standard,’explains Kris Geluk, Project Manager at AEB. He outlines the process: ‘The flue gases are cleaned with water. The highly acidic water (pH < 1) from the quenchers of the flue gas cleaning is then neutralised with limestone and sodium hydroxide. The dissolved heavy metals are formed into flakes through a comprehensive process of coagulation and flocculation. These flakes are captured and dewatered. However, the deflocculated water still contains ammonia. In the current evaporation installation, the ammonia-containing water is heated, causing the ammonia to evaporate.’
Coordination, preparation and planning
This evaporation installation has high maintenance costs and forms a bottleneck in the capacity of the wastewater treatment, states Kris. ‘We asked KH Engineering to design an upgrade for our wastewater treatment installation. Replacing the evaporators with a steam stripping column is part of this. This increases the throughput, reduces costs and achieves lower emission limit values. One evaporator has now been removed and replaced with a stripping column. KH Engineering determines what is needed for this and where the pipes should be placed. The adjustments are made during the shutdown that takes place for one day once every three months. These adjustments must therefore be extremely well planned. Major adjustments are made during the biennial shutdown, which lasts two weeks. These also require a lot of coordination and preparation; something that KH Engineering takes on as well. In addition, KH Engineering is investigating how we can reduce CO2-emissions during the neutralisation of flue gases.’
KH colleagues
But there are more issues that KH Engineering tackles during the upgrade of this installation. Kris mentions the documentation of all pipes and equipment. ‘KH Engineering has now fully mapped this out. Furthermore, our KH colleagues handle communication with the contractors and take care of the necessary work permits and hours administration. I deliberately call them colleagues, because KH Engineering is really a part of AEB.’ Six KH colleagues are working on this project. ‘They are enthusiastic, perfectionistic and broadly oriented, as they come in all corners of the industry,’ says Kris. ‘At AEB, we have our own way of working, which is purely focused on our core activity. This sometimes requires some further coordination, but both parties learn from this. The total upgrade of the wastewater treatment installation should be completed by the end of 2024. Thanks to KH Engineering, our business operations will then be much more efficient and effective.’
