Cold weather nitrification improved with BioCord Reactors
Pilot project aims to help small Ohio town improve cold weather nitrification
A recently completed BioCord Reactor pilot project provides the data needed to help a small town in Ohio improve cold weather nitrification in its wastewater treatment lagoons. The data will be used to propose a full-scale BioCord Reactor system. Bishop Water will design a customized system to fit within the existing plant footprint and help the town meet new regulatory requirements for ammonia removal.
WaterSolve, partner of Bishop Water and distributor of the BioCord Reactor system in the United States, met with operators at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). As WaterSolve worked with the town, Bishop Water designed a pilot project for the site. Once the system was ready, WaterSolve installed the system at the WWTP in September 2017. Watersolve and the town both monitored the ammonia concentrations until June 2018 when the project was completed.
“Information is power”
“Information is power,” says Mike Broering, a Project Manager at WaterSolve. “At the start of the project, we had very little data so the pilot testing was very important for us to gather information, especially in winter operating conditions. The data we gathered during the BioCord Reactor pilot project will help Bishop Water to accurately size a full-scale installation. In turn, this will help the site comply with a new state regulation to reduce ammonia in treated effluent below 5 mg/L.”
The BioCord Reactor system is like a custom-built condominium for bacteria. Densely looped polymer fibres hang on modular frames and provide a massive surface area. Consequently, this increases the growth of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms that are ideal for treatment lagoons. Thus maintaining regulatory compliance for ammonia in cold weather conditions.
“The BioCord Reactor system is very robust,” Broering says. “We initially expected the ammonia concentration to range from 5 mg/L to 20 mg/L, while the actual concentrations were higher. The influent to the system ranged from 20 mg/L to 40 mg/L. Even so, the self-regulating treatment system was able to respond quickly. The BioCord Reactor system was also able to consistently achieve the required ammonia reduction in winter conditions, even when wastewater temperatures were as low as 1ºC.”
Learn more about the BioCord Reactor system for enhancing cold-weather nitrification in wastewater lagoons.
Contact us to arrange a BioCord Reactor pilot project for your treatment plant.
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