Diagrams Archives - Advanced Wastewater Treatment

Biological Sewer Sludge Treatment and Reduction

Aqua Tech’s biological process carries out complete sewer sludge treatment eliminating the need for a clarifier.

This sewer sludge treatment is based on biofilm technology. Biofilm is a dense community of attached-growth microorganisms living on specially designed plastic media. Having direct contact with wastewater, biofilm absorbs and oxidizes pollutants thus providing treatment. Multiple biozones ensure that an appropriate biological system develops according to the nature of wastewater composition. It supports dynamic balance on its own both in mass and qualitative composition according to variations of wastewater parameters (within the range of optimal adaptation rates and allowable values of design loadings).

depiction of three layer biofilm on plastic media

Multi-Chamber Design

Multiple chambers in our bioreactor create a series of ecosystems in which the excess biomass is digested and mineralized in successive chambers by higher level microorganisms. This process converts organic sludge into carbon dioxide, water and inorganic elements.

Each chamber houses specialized media to host the required microorganisms.

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Specialized Bio-Film Media

The first chamber of the bioreactor houses a smooth-surface floating media. The smooth surface coupled with high turbulence in the first chamber prevents high biofilm accumulation on the media.

Sloughed biofilm travels into the next chamber to be consumed by protozoa inhabiting porous media (Bio-Chip).

Floating media for biological film wastewater treatment plant

The Bio-Chip media mitigates biofilm overgrowth as the chips rub against each other under aeration. These unfavorable conditions on the outside of the Bio-Chip cause microorganisms to inhabit primarily the protected interior of the media. Treatment in this chamber is provided by slow-growing bacteria such as ANAMMOX which produce negligible biomass.

wastewater treatment biological reactor static media

Subsequent chambers facilitate the development of a complete trophic system with all four trophic levels. This means that the amount of bacteria are controlled by Protozoa and Metazoans that consume any surplus bacterial biomass.

The last chamber utilizes static media and minimal aeration intensity to ensuring high efficiency adsorption and mineralization of any residual suspended matter.

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Nota Bene:

The above described is the conceptual model or ideology of the bioreactors which does not change if a bioreactor has just two or three chambers. Thus, any our biological process is designed so that effluent biomass amount is within the required effluent limit for TSS.

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Nathan Wilkerson

BioTank, Diagrams, Quarticles, Wastewater Technology

Wastewater systems in the US are sized based on the maximum number of gallons per day they can treat.

A 300-room hotel, for instance, might require a 50,000 gallon-per-day system. Depending on soil loading rate*, that system might need a 2 acre drip field for effluent disposal.

An installer walking inside a wastewater system drip field dosing tank. — Every component in our systems must account for design criteria.

Here are some factors that determine how many gallons per day your community septic or other wastewater system must be able to handle:

Capacity in gallons per day is determined by state and local design specifications.
These regulatory agencies calculate required treatment capacity in terms of maximum gallons used per person per day or maximum flow per bedroom per day, etc.
Commercial wastewater systems use more complex formulas that take their specific usage into account. The hotel mentioned above might need to account for 75 gallons per bed per day but might also have a restaurant and a bar attached for which another 12 gallons per seat per meal would have to be added.
Design criteria must also assume the level of pollution present within wastewater from different sources. Very dirty wastewater takes longer to treat which means systems must have higher capacity than what is released to give the system the time needed.

Here is an example of a design criteria matrix from an actual state regulatory agency:

An example design criteria table for wastewater system capacity in residential and commercial applications. — Design criteria differ based on locality.

Design criteria tables such as the one above provide a starting point to determine size, but in most cases, regulatory agencies grant variances based on actual flow and treatment level.
We at Aqua Tech will research the design criteria required for your project and budget around them. As the build gets closer, we reevaluate your treatment needs and work with civil engineers and regulatory authorities to ensure regulatory compliance without excess expense.

Bottom line: Use this table to get a rough estimate. When you’re ready, let’s talk and get more specific.

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(479) 530-7922

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*Soils differ in how much moisture they can absorb per hour. Very dense soil might only be able to absorb one tenth of a gallon per square foot every hour while porous soil can absorb almost a full gallon per square foot. Soil absorption per hour is called its “loading rate.” The higher the loading rate the smaller the drip field needed.

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Posted on February 23, 2021 by Nathan Wilkerson

Commercial Wastewater, Complete Systems, Diagrams, Environmental Compliance, Quarticles, Residential Wastewater, Septic Systems

Secondary wastewater treatment uses natural biological processes to protect the environment from contaminants in sewage.

Wastewater poses several threats to the environment. Microorganisms use oxygen to digest the organic matter in sewage. The rate of this digestion can be measured as Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). Water with high BOD can deplete dissolved oxygen in waterways thereby suffocating wildlife.

septic tank cutaway — A common septic tank design

Septic tanks use gravity to settle out around 70% of wastewater solids. This settling is called “primary treatment.” The other 30% of solids remain in the wastewater and flow out into the environment. We measure this component of wastewater as total suspended solids (TSS). Primary treatment achieves only a 30% reduction in BOD. While better than nothing, septic systems discharge contaminated wastewater into the environment via a drain field. Larger flows, higher strength wastewater, or poor site conditions can require further treatment to protect the environment.

Enter the secondary wastewater treatment system.

While technologies vary, all secondary wastewater treatment systems use oxygen to accelerate the bacterial consumption of organics. Aqua Tech recommends and sells MBBR (moving bed biofilm reactors). MBBR technology is the most recent innovation in wastewater treatment systems. These biological reactors can treat to a high standard with virtually no operational time or recurring costs. And our MBBR’s are the best on the market.

All MBBR’s host a bacterial slime layer on a plastic media of some kind. Wastewater treatment takes place where that slime layer contacts the contaminated sewer water.

the bacterial slime or “biofilm” is actually three layers each hosting a different type of bacteria

Systems with more contact area treat more efficiently. Our MBBR’s use ultra-high density biofilm media to host up to 5000 M² of contact area for every 1 M³ of reactor space. That means our treatment reactors can do a ton of work in very little space. And smaller reactors are cheaper reactors.

7000 gallons per day of treatment capacity in this tiny box!

Through secondary treatment BOD and TSS are normally reduced by at least 85%. Our systems can reduce them by 99%.

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But BOD and TSS aren’t the only potential environmental hazards in wastewater.

Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus can choke waterways and pollute drinking water. Nutrient reduction in wastewater is called “tertiary treatment.”

Our high-density biofilm media performs tertiary treatment simultaneous with secondary treatment. A recently discovered species of bacteria metabolizes the most basic nitrogen compounds, into nitrogen and oxygen gas. The Annamox bacteria can’t grow in every kind of wastewater technology, though. Their long lifecycle requires a protected habitat for them to grow and reproduce in sufficient numbers to mitigate total nitrogen. Our proprietary “biochips” provide protected pockets for Annamox to live and do their work. After about a year, our BioTank reactors can produce effluent discharge under 10 mg/L in total nitrogen with only oxygen.

infographic of nitrification and denitrification in wastewater — Conversion of ammonia to nitrate and nitrate to nitrogen gas in wastewater.

So our secondary wastewater treatment systems really provide tertiary results.

Wanna know more about wastewater or how we can take care of it for you?

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Posted on February 17, 2021 by Nathan Wilkerson

Biofilm, BioTank, Diagrams, Effluent Standards, Environmental Compliance, Quarticles, Residential Wastewater, Total Nitrogen

aerobic wastewater treatment, biofilm, CBOD, denitrification, eutrophication, Nitrification

Several places around the US are currently experiencing a construction boom and we’re delighted to be a part of it. Here’s a mixed use system that our engineers have just designed.

This system is designed to treat 37,000 gallons of wastewater per day.

This particular system was designed to treat residential and commercial wastewater at the same time. Notice that the effluent (outflow) discharges at ground level. This is a septic system with no leach field!

Here’s the secret:

This private wastewater treatment plant removes nearly all of the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and Total Nitrogen (TN).

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