At the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, a large-scale environmental project run by URALCHEM – the biological treatment facilities (BTF) of Azot Branch in Berezniki (Perm region) – has been presented at the joint stand of URALCHEM - Uralkali. 

BTF is a modern project aimed at improving the ecological situation of the Kama River basin. The capacity of the upgraded facilities is 10 million cubic metres of drains per year which can be increased to 50 million cubic metres per year. In the long term, BTF will allow the branch to switch to a closed cycle of water supply which will reduce the impact on the environment, as well as treat wastewater of other companies from the city. The total cost of the project exceeded 700 million rubles.

The complex upgrade of the treatment facilities at Azot began in 2013. It included the replacement of obsolete dynamic equipment, the introduction of aeration tanks and mixing devices, as well as a new aeration system. Modern technical solutions for the neutralisation of chemical effluents were applied; for example, the separation of existing aeration tanks into aerobic and anaerobic zones, allowing for the restoration of activity and the absorption of inorganic compounds by bacteria, was used. In addition, as part of the project, a system of collectors, the main and boosting pumping stations and a pipeline 7.5 km long were built in the territory of the plant.

The implementation of the BTF project at Azot solves a number of important problems. First of all, it significantly reduces the environmental impact and allows for the advanced treatment of wastewater. In addition, after the treatment, the water meets the requirements for fishery water according to the maximum allowable concentration of pollutants. In the future, this will allow for the return of treated water back to the plant. As a result, water intake from the Kama River will be significantly less, and Azot will be able to switch to a closed cycle of water supply, becoming the first large plant in Russia to do so. In addition, the upgraded BTF will help Azot reduce fees for its negative impact on the environment amid the constant tightening of environmental standards.

Dmitry Konyaev, CEO of URALCHEM: ‘Our Company has always adhered to the principles of sustainable development. It is symbolic that the launch of one of the largest environmental projects in the history of URALCHEM came in 2017, declared in Russia as the Year of Ecology. The upgrade of the biological treatment facilities at Azot has taken several years of hard work and significant financial investments, which undoubtedly proved to be worthwhile. The importance of the project for the environmental situation in the Perm region cannot be overestimated.’