The European Waste Water Management Conference is one of the few events in the UK that deals specifically with problems and solutions for the management and treatment of wastewater.

We will have an active presence at this year’s event, presenting two papers and exhibiting in the main conference hall. our first presentation will focus on operational experiences of our high-rate multimedia filtration technology, FilterClear, and how it fits in with Severn Trent Water’s phosphorus removal strategy. The second paper will explore the impacts and benefits of our award-winning HYBACS process, through numerous reference sites around the globe.

Conference Programme

Bluewater Bio Limited, a leading provider of treatment solutions to the water industry, is pleased to announce that its high rate multi-media filtration technology, FilterClear, has been selected for three further plants by three different Water Companies in order to achieve compliance with tighter phosphorus consents. BwB will provide in each case a fully automated Tertiary Solids Removal (TSR) plant.

The Company will work with Severn Trent Water’s (“Severn Trent”) capital delivery framework partner, Costain/Stantec (CiM6), in providing a TSR plant at Ledbury WwTW, Herefordshire. This marks the Company’s fifth contract with Severn Trent for phosphorus removal. For United Utilities (“UU”) and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (“Welsh Water”) –– BwB will deliver TSR plants at Barton WwTW and Dyserth WwTW, respectively. Mott MacDonald Bentley (“MMB”) are in both cases the nominated Tier 1 delivery partner.

FilterClear TSR plant installed at Codsall STW, Severn Trent

Fergus Rooksby, Commercial Director of Bluewater Bio, commented: “We are delighted that on the back of FilterClear’s impressive results in meeting low P consents at other sites across UK that Severn Trent have awarded us our fifth contract for their treatment works at Ledbury WwTW. In addition, securing two new Clients in Welsh Water and United Utilities is further testament to FilterClear’s growing reputation as an ideal solution for a chemical dosing approach to low phosphate concentration consents. We are seeing that the technology is not only effective in meeting P consents below 0.5 mg/l TP, but also performs well on works that have a variable suspended solids load profile. Indeed, FilterClear’s ability to handle higher levels of influent solids makes it an ideal candidate for trickling filter works, or on the back-end of secondary processes that are prone to occasional suspended solids peaks.”

Ledbury WwTW is a medium sized activated sludge works, consisting of two crude oxidation ditches and operating in enhanced biological P removal (EBPR) mode, serving the market town of Ledbury, Herefordshire. The site currently has a population equivalent of 14,500 which is expected to increase to 20,000 at a 2028 design horizon. The works also receives a significant industrial load. The Company will provide a fully automated 4v2800 tertiary solids removal plant, capable of treating up to 132 L/s of flow, to enable the site to meet the new consent of 0.24 mg/l for phosphorus. The project is the largest UK FilterClear installation to date.

Barton WwTW, located north of Preston, is a trickling filter works with SAF and NTF stages. It serves a population equivalent of 6,600, expected to rise to 8,700 in the near future. BwB will provide a 3v1840 TSR plant capable of treating up to 44 L/s that once completed will enable United Utilities to meet the new TP consent of 0.5 mg/l. Delivery date is scheduled for July this year with estimated completion in October 2019.

The project at Dyserth WwTW, a trickling filter site in north Wales, is one of five P removal schemes awarded by Welsh Water to assess viable technology solutions to address the tightening of phosphorus consents. These advance projects, prior to their larger P removal programme in AMP7, will give DCWW and their Tier 1 partners valuable delivery and operational experience and guide their decision making progress in AMP7. Once completed, the FilterClear plant will treat up to 29 L/s and enable the Client to meet their new phosphorus consent of 0.37 mg/l.

FilterClear is a high-rate multimedia filtration technology, capable of treating flows ranging from 2 L/s to in excess of 1,000 L/s. The technology utilizes the vessel headspace for flocculation, thereby eliminating the need to provide additional upstream flocculation with mechanical mixing stages. Additionally, the relatively low head loss offers operational cost savings against higher head systems.

Fergus Rooksby concluded: “FilterClear’s innovative patented design, modularity and DfMA credentials are proving to be an attractive proposition for the UK Water industry. Looking forward to AMP 7 we envisage there will be north of 700 schemes with tight phosphorus discharge consents, a market we feel we are in a strong position to capture a significant proportion of.”

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Bluewater Bio of the UK has won a project to upgrade Tubli wastewater treatment plant in Bahrain that will more than double the plant’s capacity for water reuse.

Award-winning HYBACS installation at Tubli WPCC (Phase 1, commissioned 2013)

The UK government’s Export Finance programme is funding the contract worth $36.5 million.

Bluewater Bio will act as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor and technology supplier.

The company converted two of the plant’s 10 aeration lanes to its HYBACS hybrid activated sludge process in 2013, generating 100,000 m3/d of treated sewage effluent (TSE) for reuse. The plant has a tertiary treatment system comprising filtration and ozonation to prepare the TSE for reuse in irrigation.

The latest contract will upgrade a further two aeration lanes, bringing the total capacity of TSE available for reuse to 230,000 m3/d. Bluewater Bio will operate and maintain both of the HYBACS systems for 22 months.

Tubli wastewater treatment plant is the largest such facility in Bahrain serving 1.4 million people.

HYBACS is a patented hybrid activated sludge process that enables the aeration tank and clarifier in a conventional wastewater treatment plant to accept a higher load. The system contains a SMART unit, a trademarked technology that causes naturally-occurring bacteria to over-produce hydrolytic enzymes, enabling the activated sludge stage to operate at a higher loading rate.

This article first appeared on the water. reuse + desalination website on Thursday 24 January 2019. To view the full article please click here 

A MAJOR upgrade of the largest wastewater treatment plant in Bahrain will help meet the needs of an expanding population, according to a key contractor.

The £28.6 million facelift will also address the issues of limited space and an increasing need for high quality treated sewage effluent for reuse.

Award-winning HYBACS installation at Tubli WPCC (Phase 1, commissioned 2013)

The project to expand the capacity of the Tubli Waste Pollution Control Centre (WPCC) was awarded to the London-based Bluewater Bio Limited, a provider of treatment solutions to the water industry, by the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry.

The award-winning global specialist in technologies for cost-effective water and wastewater treatment is expected to complete the upgradation in 22 months.

The company will also operate and maintain the new plant alongside another of its HYBrid ACtivated Sludge (HYBACS) system, installed five years ago.

“HYBACS’ ability to increase the existing plant’s capacities by around 2.5 times, without the need for significant additional structures, makes it ideally suited to many of the region’s current needs of expanding populations, limited space and increasing need for high quality treated sewage effluent for reuse,” Bluewater Bio commercial director Fergus Rooksby told the GDN.

“Where existing plants are already overloaded the ability to build the additional capacity entirely offline and to avoid compromising the already stressed assets any further are proving to be compelling factors for a number of our clients.

“Furthermore, the technology’s modularity enables clients to phase their spending and tailor it more to their immediate needs rather than having to build plants with 10-15 year design horizons.”

The Tubli WPCC is the largest in the country serving a population equivalent to 1.4m.

The new project, marking the UK company’s second contract with the ministry at Tubli Bay, is expected to boost the plant’s waste treatment capacity by 120m litres per day (mld), delivering the total treated wastewater to 230 mld.

“Bahrain knows us and our products, as there are existing HYBACS units operating successfully within treatment works,” said Bluewater Bio executive chairman Richard Haddon.

According to the contractors, similar installations are underway in Saudi Arabia, enabling the company to use Bahrain as an important base and hub for the region.

“We have worked with Bluewater Bio over many years and know the benefits its technology brings and therefore we are looking forward to this upgrade to our plant,” said Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry Under-Secretary Ahmed Al Khayat in a statement.

“It will further enhance the water provision for both the residents and businesses of Bahrain.”

British Ambassador Simon Martin hailed the development as an excellent example of positive British-Bahraini collaboration.

The GDN reported in 2015 that experts had warned of the WPCC being overloaded and in need of an urgent upgrade.

The Tubli WPCC treats around 150m litres of sewage on a daily basis, but only one-third of that is suitable to be re-used for irrigation, according to Bluewater Bio, involved in the facility since 2011.

This article was authored by Raji Unnikrishnan and first appeared in Gulf Daily News on Monday 21 January 2019. To view the full article please click here