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ECOfluid

ECOfluid Systems Inc. is a provider of advanced biological wastewater treatment technology - USBF™ The USBF process is a modification of the conventional activated sludge process that incorporates an anoxic selector zone and an upflow sludge blanket filtration clarifier all in one integrated bioreactor vessel. The treatment includes efficient reduction of BOD5 and TSS but also biological nutrient removal (BNR) by the processes of denitrification and "biological luxury uptake". The ensuing compact, modular system takes up less space and contains very few moving parts. The result is an efficient, highly affordable wastewater treatment plant with low maintenance and operating costs. USBF technology has no inherent capacity limits and is used in a wide range of applications. Plants serving the domestic and municipal sectors or treating industrial, food processing and agricultural wastewater are in successful operation worldwide. The high treatment efficiency of the advanced secondary USBF process opens the door to cost effective tertiary post-treatment. The process has been increasingly utilized in the design of tertiary effluent (Class A or Title 22) water reclamation plants •	Proven Technology - more than 100 installations across North America. •	Sited by the University of California at Davis as the best performing biological treatment system on the market out of 67 competitors. •	Low energy requirements, low maintenance, low cost, small footprint, no capacity or growth limits. •	Ideal advanced treatment for municipalities, subdivisions, developments, industrial and agricultural applications. •	Provides advanced treatment (Class A or Title 22) to meet new regulations for nutrient removal. USBF™ Upflow Sludge Blanket Filtration ECOfluid USBF process is an advanced biological wastewater treatment process that in a unique way incorporates two well established processes, extended aeration and upflow sludge blanket filtration.

Originally developed for water pre-treatment, upflow sludge blanket filtration was later adapted for treatment of wastewater and it has been commercially used in that application for well over thirty years. The resulting highly efficient modification of extended aeration process has been issued a number of patents and a new patent has been applied for recently.

Many hundreds of plants have been supplied to clients worldwide and since 1998 approximately hundred plants have been in successful operation in North America and the Caribbean. Reviewed by Frost & Sullivan in 2006, ECOfluid USBF has been awarded Packaged Wastewater Treatment Technology Leadership of the Year Award.

What makes the technology different and what are the beneficial features?

First, it is the upflow sludge blanket clarifier. The clarifier utilizes a fluidized bed or ‘counter current’ filtration movement. This dynamic method is superior to the conventional clarifier sedimentation method and it results in vastly improved efficiency of suspended solids separation.

Next, it is incorporation of all biological processes in one circulation loop. The USBF process continually circulates mixed liquor through anoxic compartment, aeration compartment, the clarifier and back to the anoxic compartment. This not only facilitates biological nutrient removal by processes of denitrification and phosphorus ‘luxury uptake’ but it also paves the way for the next design feature.

The USBF clarifier and the ‘selector’ function of the anoxic compartment of the circulation loop enable operation in higher range of MLSS concentrations. This third design feature subsequently results in smaller foot print, longer sludge age and its aerobic stabilization, and better biological efficiency.

As you will see, the process is relatively simple. In its basic rendition the bioreactor consists of a tank divided by the clarifier insert into the anoxic and aeration compartments. Wastewater enters the anoxic compartment and it is mixed with sludge recycled from the bottom of the clarifier. The mixed liquor subsequently flows into the aeration compartment where it is aerated by fine bubble aeration diffusers. A stream of mixed liquor enters the clarifier at the bottom and its flocs rise toward the overflow at the top of the clarifier. However, because of the prism shape of the clarifier, their upward velocity decreases as the cross section area of the clarifier increases. When their buoyancy is equal to their mass, the flocs become stationary, and form the filter media itself. Smaller rising flocs impact with larger stationary flocs, which grow larger by agglomeration until too heavy they descend to the bottom of the clarifier. The entire flow from the wastewater entry to the anoxic compartment to filtered effluent overflow at the top of the clarifier is by gravity. Recycle of sludge from the bottom of the clarifier to the anoxic compartment is accomplished an airlift pump or by low energy input mechanical pumps.

The hydraulic component is self regulating within the USBF clarifier. In low flow conditions the upward velocity of the sludge flocs will be low and the top layer of the sludge blanket will be formed correspondingly low within the clarifier.

Under higher flow conditions the sludge flocs velocity will increase and the top layer of the sludge blanket will form higher within the clarifier resulting in the correspondingly larger filtration area.

A Living Membrane; natural and self healing!

What are the beneficial features of the USBF? First, there are the performance related features.

To start with they include the very solid basic process treatment efficiency with BOD and TSS of less than 10 mg/l a standard.

The next important feature is the Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR). Total nitrogen can be reduced by denitrification to less than 10 mg/l, and total phosphorus by ‘luxury uptake’ to approx. 2-3 mg/l.

Alkalinity recovery which helps stabilize the process is the next significant process feature. Denitrification of nitrite/nitrates in the anoxic compartment of the circulation loop produces alkalinity, which partially compensates for alkalinity lost during ammonia nitrification to nitrite/nitrates in the aeration compartment of the circulation loop.

Another beneficial feature is the fact that even at the elevated mixed liquor concentrations, the USBF process rarely if ever experiences filamentous bacteria. This is due to the ‘anoxic selector’ function of the anoxic compartment which conditions the mixed liquor and controls filamentous bacteria growth.

The next attribute is the earlier described hydraulic flexibility and self-regulation. Meeting the high peak flows in a self-regulating manner is the USBF clarifiers’ one of the most important beneficial feature.

The next set of beneficial features includes the very important cost savings features.

To start with the USBF process does not require primary clarification. Headworks, consisting of basic screening, are typically all that is required.

The next is the modular design and build-up. Many processes can do that, but the USBF does it with a particular ease.

The fact that the USBF process operates at elevated mixed liquor concentrations translates to reduced volume and consequently reduced site area requirements. The self-regulating feature of the process, gravity flow through and minimal amount of moving parts all contribute towards easy to operate facility with reduced operating and maintenance costs.

Aerobic conditions throughout the process, extended sludge age and the sludge aerobic stabilization all contribute to virtually odorless plant. This not only makes for good neighbors but it saves sometimes high costs of odor abatement systems and their operation.

Finally, the extended sludge age and the low sludge volume index result in less waste sludge produced and that which is generated has improved structure and better dewatering characteristics. The costs of the waste sludge management and disposal can thus be significantly reduced.

Now, about the technology applications. Firstly, the technology does not have an inherent capacity limitation. It has been used in applications ranging from single residential units to package plants serving residential and commercial clusters, to custom designed plants serving small municipalities of 10,000 to 15,000 population equivalent. Secondly, because of the USBF clarifier structural independence, the technology is particularly well suited for existing plants retrofits. Give us a tank, we will insert the clarifier within and we have a plant. Simple. Retrofits typically result in capacity and treatment performance enhancement. Thirdly, extended sludge age (or we may substitute high concentration or low F/M ratio), results in high treatment efficiency. The activated sludge process becomes what we term ‘superactivated’ – in simple terms, more ‘bugs’ chasing less ‘food’. This becomes particularly important when treating ‘high strength’ industrial or agricultural wastewater. Finally, water reclamation and reuse. As you will see later, high treatment efficiency of the USBF and its BNR capability packaged together with simple post treatment consisting of post-filtration and disinfection, produce efficient and economical water reclamation facility.

Custom design plants serve developments, housing clusters and municipalities. Typically they consist of the USBF clarifiers fabricated from a variety of materials including coated steel, polypropylene (shown here) and stainless steel, installed within concrete or round coated tanks.

As mentioned earlier the clarifier structural independence facilitates underperforming plants retrofits. Shown here is an oxidation ditch retrofit (with lime addition into the anoxic compartment), and a large municipal flow equalization tank retrofitted into a bioreactor. Other plants, such as RBCs have been retrofitted in the past.

The technology has been used in a range of industrial and agricultural applications.

With the appropriately configured USBF, very high secondary treatment including biological nutrient reduction is achieved. Importantly, this is accomplished economically by the biology alone. The requirements for the subsequent more expensive physical post-treatment (additional filtration and disinfection) are then significantly reduced. This results not only in better capital and operating economy but also in a safer process due to the unit processes inherent redundancy and back-up.