How the Aqarius Process Works

The MSABP™ (Multi-Stage Activated Biological Process) is an innovative and advanced proprietary process for treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater based on spatial microorganism succession and trophic hydrobiont chains. A sequence of one organism feeding the other is known as spatial succession or a food chain. A feeding stage within a food chain is also known as a trophic level. MSABP™ systems incorporate this spatial succession and food chain.

A spatially segregated trophic microorganism chain provides for conditions in which microbes are consumed by primary microorganisms while the latter are consumed by higher organized vulture filtrators of different trophic levels. Such a spatial microorganism succession provides a high degree of purification by means of aerobic and anaerobic destructor microorganisms.

The system consists of two trains in parallel each utilizing 12 tanks in series that contain fixed film media. By flowing wastewater through 12 individual tanks, the system is encouraging different populations of microorganisms to grow on the fixed film media and to feed on each other as the wastewater progresses from one tank to another. The key benefit to the Aquarius treatment system is a greatly reduced, if not zero, production of sludge (solid) material from the system that requires further treatment. Energy usage in the system is reduced as wastewater flows through the system by gravity and the only energy needed is for the blowers that provide air to the tanks. The Aquarius treatment system is designed for an average daily flow of 0.750 million gallons per day.

This MSABP™ trophic-chain design leads to a total consumption of waste activated sludge by primary microorganisms, with no need for waste sludge handling. The MSABP™ has been successfully implemented in numerous municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants worldwide.

Imagine a wastewater treatment plant with no waste activated sludge . . .

Aquarius Technologies Inc. MSABP™ process has turned this vision into reality.

MSABP™ key advantages:

• No waste sludge and no primary or secondary settling required
• No return sludge pumping
• Hydraulic and organic shock load stability
• High quality effluent
• Energy efficient operation
• Compact footprint
• Adaptable to existing treatment processes

The MSABP™ continuously receives raw wastewater which has been finely screened and degritted. The screened degritted wastewater is then fed to the bioreactor. The bioreactor is comprised of 8-16 stages consisting of aerobic and anaerobic phases. The aerobic/anaerobic space ratio can vary depending on the composition of impurities. Each stage is supplied with an individually controlled air supply intended for maintaining vital activity of microorganisms and optimum oxygen transfer. A proprietary hybrid media from synthetic material provides immobilization of microorganisms within each stage.

Wastewater purified in the bioreactor is directed to further treatment processes such as disinfection or filtration if necessary. Treated wastewater can then be discharged into the receiving body or for reuse. Control of the process is automatic and requires very little operator attention. Process equipment maintenance is also minimal and simple.

How the Aquarius System Will Operate in Wayne

Key features to the treatment system include the lift station, headworks, clarifiers, and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. Flow entering into the treatment site must first be lifted to allow it to flow through the treatment system by gravity. Wastewater entering the site passes through a 1/4" fine screen that will remove any large debris in the flow stream and auger the material to a waste receptacle at the surface. After flowing through the screen, the wastewater enters into an approximately 35-foot deep, 10-foot diameter wet well that contanis four 1,000 gallon per minute pumps to lift the wastewater into the treatment system. Once the wastewater has been lifted, it flows by gravity into the headworks where it first passes through a degritter to remove any heavy inorganic material and then passes through a 1 mm fine screen that removes small inorganic particulate. Wastewater leaving the headworks flows through the Aquarius treatment system and then into one of two clarifiers. In the clarifiers, the wastewater is allowed to settle out any solids that may be remaining in the wastewater. The clear effluent is allowed to flow off of the top of the clarifiers and through a UV disinfection system before being deposited into the creek.

Typical removal efficiencies of waste constituents are:

BOD5 = Biochecmical demand of wastewater during decomposition occurring over a 5-day period

COD = Chemically oxidizeable material in the water (gives an approxmiation of amount of organic material present)