UNIHA Pilot Plant for Research, Education and Future-Ready Drinking Water Treatment
UNIHA Wasser Technologie GmbH has successfully delivered and commissioned a pilot water treatment plant in Gilău, Romania, as part of the refurbishment project for the Gilău Water Treatment Plant.
The Gilău Water Treatment Plant is one of the key drinking water facilities serving Cluj-Napoca and the surrounding region, with a production capacity of approximately 230,000 m³ of drinking water per day.
The newly delivered UNIHA pilot plant is more than a compact technical installation. It is a flexible platform for research, process optimisation, technology validation and education. It enables the local public water utility, Compania de Apă Someș, together with universities, research institutions and educational organisations in Cluj-Napoca, to test and evaluate advanced water treatment processes under real-life operating conditions.
A Flexible Platform for Advanced Water Treatment Research
The pilot plant is designed to treat up to 1 m³/h of raw water. This allows operators and researchers to test different treatment processes, operating strategies and process combinations on a realistic pilot scale.
Raw water can either be taken directly from the local sources Lake Tarnița and Lake Gilău, or supplied by truck from external water sources. This gives the plant a high degree of flexibility and allows comparative testing of different raw water qualities.
The system incorporates multiple treatment stages, enabling comprehensive evaluation of various process configurations, including oxidation, disinfection, aeration, coagulation, flocculation, clarification, filtration, membrane treatment and advanced polishing steps.
Integrated Treatment Technologies
The UNIHA pilot plant combines a wide range of treatment technologies in one compact and accessible installation. This makes it possible to test individual treatment steps as well as complete process chains.
The main process stages include:
- oxidation and disinfection using hypochlorite and ozone
- aeration through coarse bubble diffusion technology
- coagulation and flocculation
- rapid and slow reaction processes with dedicated mixing systems
- lamella clarification and sludge separation
- pressurised sand filtration
- ultrafiltration using multibore membrane technology
- activated carbon filtration
- reverse osmosis treatment
This configuration allows the operator to evaluate different process routes, optimise chemical dosing, assess filtration and membrane performance, and validate treatment concepts before implementation on a larger scale.
From Pilot Scale Innovation to Full-Scale Water Supply Excellence
Although the pilot plant itself treats 1 m³/h, its impact reaches far beyond its compact capacity. It supports the optimisation of a major regional drinking water facility producing approximately 230,000 m³/day.
Pilot plants play an important role in modern water infrastructure. They allow utilities to respond to changing raw water conditions, validate new technologies, optimise operating costs, reduce technical risks and train operators under realistic but controlled conditions.
The Gilău pilot plant therefore serves as a practical link between research, education and full-scale drinking water production.
