Wastewater
We assist your company with wastewater management, ensuring minimal hassle and optimal cost-efficiency.
We help your business optimize wastewater processes to improve your bottom line and minimize resource consumption. We design, assemble, develop, and tailor solutions that ensure compliance with environmental regulations, allowing for uninterrupted production.
Our experts combine advanced technologies—such as membrane filtration, biological treatment, and ion exchange—to create the optimal process for your specific wastewater. With our support, you can reduce operating costs, recover valuable resources, and maintain positive relationships with environmental authorities and utility providers.
Compliance and Production Freedom
We know that a strong relationship with utility providers and environmental authorities brings peace of mind—and the freedom to focus on production.
We also understand the critical importance of accounting for how production fluctuations can lead to significant changes in the composition and volume of wastewater. We analyze how treatment processes can be combined to ensure robust performance under all conditions.
Furthermore, we identify where water is wasted within the production process and where specific substances are introduced—areas where decentralized solutions can deliver greater value.
How can the Danish Technological Institute help you?
Our project model centers on the business case, employing an iterative approach—based on analysis and experimentation—to clarify reservations, assumptions, uncertainties, and unknowns.
Consequently, we can test any conceivable process on your water, at a scale that offers the flexibility to make changes and adjustments.
This includes, for example, combinations of the following:
- Biogas processes (water treatment with gas production; gas yield from waste/by-products)
- Membrane filtration (RO, UF, NF, MF)
- Biological treatment (high-rate COD and nitrogen removal; treatment of soaps, xenobiotics, antibiotics, and organic solvents)
- Ion exchange (removal of heavy metals, chlorides, etc.)
- Precipitation and flocculation (for COD, emulsified fats/oils, and heavy metals)
- Filtration processes (belt filtration, filter presses, rotary filters, etc.)
- Phase separation (flotation, centrifugation, decanters, lamella separators, etc.)
- Electrodialysis (removal of ions, salts, and heavy metals)
We offer test facilities at a scale that makes it practical to design and tailor the optimal solution—rather than simply testing a pre-packaged solution from a single supplier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of companies can you assist regarding wastewater? We support manufacturing companies across a wide range of sectors, including the food industry, pharmaceuticals, the chemical industry, and more. We provide consultancy to companies that operate their own treatment plants as well as those connected to municipal wastewater treatment facilities. What our clients have in common is a desire to optimize their wastewater management, ensure compliance with environmental regulations, or reduce costs and resource consumption.
What types of complex wastewater do you have experience with? Our experts work with highly complex and challenging process water. This includes wastewater with high organic content (COD), nitrogen, emulsified fats/oils, heavy metals, salts (chlorides), micropollutants, antibiotics, or organic solvents. We have particular expertise in handling significant fluctuations in the composition and volume of wastewater that arise from changes in production.
How do you ensure that we comply with environmental regulations and discharge permits? We base our approach on your specific discharge requirements and ongoing dialogue with environmental authorities and utility providers. Rather than relying on quick, off-the-shelf solutions, we design a robust treatment process that is proven to be reliable—even during peak loads or shifts in your production. This provides operational peace of mind, fosters good relations with the authorities, and allows you to focus on your core production activities.
Can you help us reuse wastewater or recover resources? Yes, absolutely. Modern wastewater management is not just about treatment; it is also, to a large extent, about the circular economy. We frequently investigate whether wastewater can be treated for reuse in production (e.g., via membrane filtration) or whether organic waste can be converted into green energy through biogas processes. This helps minimize both your water bill and your carbon footprint.
What does a typical project look like at the Danish Technological Institute? We follow an iterative model that places your business case at the center. The process typically begins with an assessment and analysis of your wastewater, alongside the identification of decentralized opportunities (such as pinpointing where water is being wasted during production). Subsequently, we test and adapt relevant technologies—such as membrane filtration, biological treatment, or ion exchange—at a laboratory scale.
When further documentation is required under operational conditions, we conduct pilot-scale trials in collaboration with relevant technology suppliers. In this way, we resolve technical and economic uncertainties, providing you with a well-documented basis for decision-making before you invest in a full-scale system.