46 | Wastewater innovators The Oraka Wastewater Project has used biological processing and tertiary filtration to clean up the wastewater and the stream. ENGINEERING Vertex Engineers T T Kelly Deeks � Process Pipework � Stainless steel fabrication � Plant installation � Mechanical fitting � On-site maintenance � Certified welding DKJ Welding Services Proud to work for Vertex on Fonterra’s newWaste Water project in Tirau 6 Newton Place, Hamilton 07 846 7867 / 021 354 899 www.dkjwelding.co.nz dkjwelding • Design & Build Projects • Industrial Electrical Installations • Control Panel Design & Build • EEHA - Hazardous Areas • Electrical Engineering • Control & Automation • Electrical Thermography • Machine Safety Systems New Zealand’s wastewater landscape is changing and Vertex Engineers is at the helm of innovative treatment solutions. Vertex Engineers is a recognised service provider for the dairy and food processing industries, and supplier of water and wastewater solutions across the municipal and industrial sectors. General manager Greg Fahey says the challenges of industrial water use have been ongoing. Instead of looking at how New Zealand’s dairy industry can reduce what goes into our waterways, Greg has been looking at it a little differently. “It’s not so much reducing what goes into our waterways but rather improving the standard of discharge,” he says. “Quality rather than quantity you could say.” At Vertex Engineers, process engineering manager Paul Signal and Greg have been redefining end-to-end water treatment systems to help manufacturers meet regional council discharge requirements. What was historically okay to put into rivers is no longer acceptable, and upgrades of wastewater treatment plants need to be environmentally sustainable. This need has been recognised by New Zealand’s largest dairy operator, Fonterra, which established a cross-industry partnership of subject-matter experts, of which Vertex Engineers is one, known as the Wastewater Community. Recognising the precious taonga that is New Zealand’s water, the Community has committed to delivering a portfolio of works over the next 10 years that will reduce water use and improve wastewater at many of the Co-op’s manufacturing sites. It’s an initiative Greg is proud to be a part of. “The irrigation solutions that have previously been utilised to reduce what goes into our waterways don’t work well, especially in wet weather when wastewater makes its way back to the waterways or into the ground,” Greg says. “We’ve been working with Fonterra at its Tirau site to significantly reduce the amount of solids going into the neighbouring stream.” The wastewater treatment solution at Tirau, aptly named the Oraka Wastewater Project for the Oraka Stream which flows through the site, has used biological processing and tertiary filtration to clean up the wastewater and the stream. “This plant is incredibly complex and our solution has had to accommodate the significant variability of bacterial levels in the water prior to discharge. Dissolved solids are impossible to filter, but microrobes in the storage ponds can gobble up the solids and carbon in the wastewater, turn it into sludge and then the sludge can be filtered out.” It’s a process that has seen Vertex Engineers achieve an industry-leading reduction of nitrogen and phosphorous levels being discharged into the neighbouring Oraka stream. “It’s great for our business to play a part in cleaning up the waterways,” Greg says. “Some of these factories probably haven’t helped the waterways, but now we have the chance to tidy them up.” It’s a first for Greg in his more than 40 years within the manufacturing and process engineering industry, and a reflection of the demand for design innovation and engineering excellence to protect New Zealand’s waterways. “With our team’s specialist knowledge of the dairy and food processing industries, not only can we ensure businesses stays compliant, they’re able to do so with economic and environmental success. Our vision is to be the most trusted engineering solutions partner, delivering innovation and value with excellence, and it’s exciting to see a commitment for innovative solutions in this space.”
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