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Aspekte zum Betrieb einer Anlage zur externen Phosphor- und Schwefelwasserstoffeliminierung (Pelicon) am Burgsee in Bad Salzungen – Ein Erfahrungsbericht

Aspects to the running of a phosphorus- and hydrogen sulphide elimination plant (Pelicon) at Lake Burgsee in Bad Salzungen - Report on recent experiences

Thomas Andres

 Abstract

The highly eutrophic lake Burgsee in Bad Salzungen/Thuringia (Abb. 1) was formed by several sinkholes due to tectonic activities. Chemical, physical and biological parameters of lake Burgsee have been examined between 1999 and 2002. The lake water has been treated by an external phosphorus elimination plant (PEP), called Pelicon (Abb. 2), from summer 2000 to fall 2002. The TP content of the water body decreased from 340 kg in 1999 to 60 kg in 2002, about 751.000 m³ water have been treated during the operation period of Pelicon. After most of the total phosphorus in the pelagial had been eliminated it was to be examined whether the weakly bounded phosphorus complexes in the sediment would be released, but unfortunately there was not enough time to examine that as­pect.

The water was treated with aluminium salts and iron salts to precipitate the SRP and high levels of hydrogen sulphide. The aluminium concentration in the mixolimnion, i.e. 0 – 15 m, increased during the project to 78 µg/l, compared to 20 µg/l before the operation of Pelicon. Although Al is described as a toxic agent in fresh waters by several authors, no harmful effects on water orga­nisms could be found nor could have been expected because of the neutral pH range or high Ca loading of lake Burgsee. No distinctive changes in the iron concentrations in the pelagial could be found. Probably there is a correlation between the elimination of about 680 kg hydrogen sulphide and the decrease of the sulphate content.