Market launch of an autonomous and online based hydrogen sulfide (H2S) Analyzer for the implementation of IIoT - digitalization of the sewer system

Project Information

H2S Analyzer

Grant agreement ID: 849704

DOI

10.3030/849704

Project closed

EC signature date 28 February 2019

Start date 1 March 2019

End date 28 February 2021

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 2 497 500,00

EU contribution

€ 1 748 250,00

Coordinated by

ECH ELEKTROCHEMIE HALLE GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - H2S Analyzer (Market launch of an autonomous and online based hydrogen sulfide (H2S) Analyzer for the implementation of IIoT - digitalization of the sewer system)

Reporting period: 2020-03-01 to 2021-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

H2S is causing significant damage throughout the world's sewerage systems. Sulfide-rich extraneous and precipitation water in the sewer system, decreasing wastewater volumes due to demographic change, and conservation of industrial water lead to decreasing flow velocities and drag / wall shear stresses. As a result, the deposits increase and more and more H2S is formed in the sewer, causing damage and costs to the wastewater infrastructure.

However, this problem can be significantly reduced if early H2S concentrations in wastewater can be eliminated where they occur. The H2S-Analyzer project addresses this problem and has introduced an H2S-Analyzer in different variants to the market as part of the project. A worldwide new, patented analysis method coupled with treatment was used. Gas extraction of H2S is coupled with high sensitive gas detection in a measuring sequence. It is an indirect method, the detector is not contaminated with the wastewater sample. The H2S-Analyzers, which were launched on the market based on this method enable fast H2S analysis in liquids and gases.

Conceptually, several H2S-Analyzers can autonomously measure the H2S content at different points of the wastewater pipe without the need for personnel. A control system connects the H2S-Analyzers with each other and precisely determines, on the basis of the measurement results, the required quantities of required wastewater chemicals. It enables the digitalization of the wastewater industry with a comprehensive innovative wastewater strategy and serves to optimize/minimize chemical dosages. In the entire sewage system, the H2S concentration can thus be kept continuously at zero with the approach - and thus the negative effects of H2S on the infrastructure can be prevented. The entire concept is based on a completely new approach compared to previous technologies, in that H2S formation is prevented from the outset and the digitalisation of the wastewater industry is driven forward.

The basic objectives of the project are

• The analytical method in the H2S-Analyzer is to be established worldwide as a new standard for measuring H2S/Sulfide concentrations.
• The use of the measuring device is intended to ensure that in future as few chemicals as possible have to be used in wastewater treatment or, in the best case, that environmentally harmful substances can be dispensed with completely.
• This measurement technology provides the basis for far-reaching new possibilities for targeted wastewater treatment in all municipal and industrial wastewater systems in and outside Europe.

The defined technical and commercial goals were largely achieved. Specifically, the following progress was made:

1) The H2S-Analyzer was technologically revised and the product successfully upscaled for large-scale production. New applications were developed for different variants of the H2S-Analyzer.
2) Process upscaling of the production process has been completed, validation has taken place.
3) Packaging concept has been completed and successfully tested. Appropriate shipping is practiced on a daily basis and a newly established export department is working according to plan.
4) Maintenance concept has been developed and is applied. Documents have been prepared.
5) Market introduction has been completed nationally and internationally and test measurements with validation have been carried out at various customers and in all areas.
6) Standardization has been further advanced. An updated draft has been submitted to ASTM for balloting. The DIN procedure will be adopted in the 11th amendment of the Wastewater Ordinance (applicable to Germany).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The technological project activities included:
• Optimization of the product for 4 device variants. This includes: instrument concept and housing, revision of mechanical and pneumatic parts of the instrument, automated calibration process with calibration gas or standard, automated control of the entire analysis process, user friendly design of glass parts, service and cleaning procedure, new user interface, software enhancements of parameterization and automation, remote maintenance routines developed and maintenance concept created.
• Optimization of production and production line. This includes: Upscaling and commissioning of the production process, test of produced instruments, QM documentation and workflows defined.
• Service manuals created and augmented reality tested.

Commercial project activities included:
• Expansion of indirect sales. This includes: Established partner, sales network, trained sales partners, created training materials and webinars, advanced internationalization.
• Activities in direct sales. This includes: Participation as exhibitor in face-to-face events of conferences and trade fairs, participation as exhibitor in virtual online trade fairs, presentations and lectures at trade conferences, training of customers in the form of virtual online meetings, device presentations nationally and internationally in the form of online meetings, acquisition of reference customers.
• Promotional materials. This includes the creation of new application notes, product flyers, creation of a project homepage and videos.
• Activities in standardization work: standardization work at DIN and ASTM continued, validation of the determination procedure, drafting of a new ASTM method for H2S
• Demonstration in various application areas were successful provided

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Our business idea consists in the production of H2S-Analyzers that operate in conformity with DIN and ASTM standards and are available in various modular configuration stages. This ensures the comparability of the analysis results, which was previously not possible for the parameter H2S. At the same time, the ECH process for wastewater treatment is marketed on the basis of the analyzers, which opens up fundamentally new application possibilities for the user (onsite measurement, rapid measurement, low preparation effort) and offers numerous new advantages for sustainable wastewater treatment.

The H2S-Analyzer represents the next step in the digitalization of the wastewater industry and thus enables new potentials. It is a key enabling technology that serves as a catalyst for a far-reaching innovation that goes beyond the actual application. Further measuring techniques can be integrated into the H2S-Analyzer network structure (e.g. measurement of pH-value, redox potential). Further new wastewater treatment strategies become possible (regarding the treatment agents and new treatment approaches). Due to the high data volume of the online measurements (high data density of measurement data) more knowledge regarding basic knowledge for process engineering applications will be gained. From this, corresponding engineering conclusions can be drawn, also with the aim of optimised planning of new wastewater plants and measures for operational and process optimisation.

The key application of the H2S-Analyzer is in the market segment of water analysis for the municipal and private wastewater industry. The entry into this market segment is to take place via private companies - the industrial wastewater treatment plants. The market for such analytical instruments is estimated to be very large, as there have been no alternative solutions available to date that would lead to comparable possibilities in terms of automation and at the same time solve an acute problem with H2S in wastewater plants worldwide.

H2S-Analyzer (online version)