Waste Activated Sludge Thickening in Ontario

  |   By  |  0 Comments

How Chemistry and Mechanics Deliver Cost-Effective Waste Treatment

JWCE in collaboration with polymer suppliers design a waste activated sludge thickening system

The City of Brockville in Ontario, Canada was undergoing an upgrade to a secondary treatment system in order to meet more stringent effluent limits established by Ontario’s Ministry of Environment. However, achieving the new limits also increased waste activated sludge (WAS) volumes, which resulted in the need for additional digester capacity. The city was faced with the decision to build another $2.9 million digester or add two rotary drum thickeners for less than $1 million to process the additional sludge.

The Challenge – Varied Waste Activated Sludge:

Unlike larger municipal waste treatment plants, which tend to experience steady biological conditions and more consistent average waste activated sludge (WAS) concentrations, the City of Brockville had wide variations in both — a common situation for smaller municipal waste treatment systems. In addition, the initial design specified 100 lbs/hour solids throughput; however, operating conditions went up to 200 lbs/hour, resulting in a post-installation change.

Solution Rotary Drum Thickeners:

JWC recommended two Monster Drum Thickeners for their low maintenance, easily removable wedgewire or mesh panels, and for their adaptive controls to compensate for fluctuation in sludge concentration and flow. In meeting the new effluent requirements, Malcomnson’s team estimated an additional 20 to 30 m3 of primary sludge and another 200 to 250 m3 of secondary sludge per day. However, since secondary sludge is much thinner — 0.5 percent compared to primary sludge, which is 3 to 4 percent — the Monster Drum Thickeners converted the 200 m3 secondary sludge into 20 m3 of 5 percent thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS). As a result, less water is sent to the digesters. Although the digesters are handling an additional 40 to 50 m3 of primary and secondary sludge, they remain within their capacity. Because of the system’s flexibility, the post-installation design change was easily accommodated and did not affect project costs.

“Our system is adaptable to allow higher throughput because we feed the sludge into the screens in a proprietary pattern that separates the water more quickly than other similar WAS thickening systems,” said Bert Irwin, of JWC “The unique pattern allows us to treat lower concentrations at higher flows.”

Read the Full Story

Monster Manhole Reduces Emergency Sewer Repairs

  |   By  |  0 Comments

Case Study: Monster Manhole Reduces Emergency Sewer Repairs

Reducing Emergency Sewer Repairs in Big Box Pump Lift Stations Caused by Non-Dispersible Debris

Case Study: Monster Manhole Reduces Emergency Sewer Repairs

AQUALIS and JWC Environmental (JWCE) have teamed up to provide a solution for retailers that reduces lift station clogs caused by wipes, rags, clothing, rocks, wood, plastics and other non-dispersible debris. A growing number of major retailers are adopting Monster Industrial Manholes, from JWCE, equipped with high-powered dual-shafted grinders and proprietary cutter technology that shreds wipes, diapers and other debris into small pieces to keep lift pumps up and running – virtually eliminating the need for emergency repairs, and cutting municipality fees for
discharging pump-clogged trash into sewage lines.

Wastewater treatment plant operators have dealt with clogging problems at their plants and pump stations for decades, but the meteoric rise in the use of disposable wipes and other non-dispersible products has accelerated the problem to epidemic proportions.

Big Box Dilemma

Case Study: Monster Manhole Reduces Emergency Sewer Repairs

This problem is in no way limited to municipal wastewater treatment facilities. The growing volume of non-dispersible solids is just as much a serious and growing issue for commercial operations, such as healthcare facilities, multi-family developments, high-traffic convenience stores, and big box retailers. Many of these facilities maintain on-site pump lift stations, which are the first to be impacted by this non-dispersible debris.

Servicing one of the world’s leading retailers, AQUALIS was tasked with finding alternative solutions to the non-dispersibles problem.

Curious to see their solution? Read the full story here.

Monster Technology Helps Marijuana Cultivator Increase Efficiency While Complying with State Regulations

  |   By  |  0 Comments

Case Study: Monster Technology Helps Marijuana Cultivator Increase Efficiency While Complying with State Regulations
Case Study: Monster Technology Helps Marijuana Cultivator Increase Efficiency While Complying with State Regulations

The legalization of recreational and medical marijuana in recent years has skyrocketed cultivation of the product. The multibillion-dollar industry is growing millions of pounds of marijuana annually and production is only expected to increase in the coming years. The rapid expansion is not without its share of operational and regulatory challenges.

Within the US and Canada, legal marijuana businesses must comply with state or provincial-mandated “seed to sale tracking” for their cultivation operations. This includes accounting for plants, plant materials and harvested waste. Part of these regulations also defines specific waste disposal requirements. The disposal methods often include grinding up marijuana waste and blending it with non-marijuana waste like soil or cardboard.

Strategies for maintaining compliance are something companies like Matrix NV, LLC, a large marijuana cultivator in Southern Nevada, have had to figure out. Matrix NV has been at the forefront of the recreational and medical marijuana boom since its inception in 2014.

“As our operations grew it was difficult to get rid of all of this waste with a woodchipper”

Read on.