New Bio Bed Reactor Offers Three Times the Treatment Capacity

Siltbuster Process Solutions, the UK’s leading water and waste water treatment specialist, have launched Biobuster, a new moving bed bio reactor which offers companies three times the treatment capacity for the same space when compared with traditional mobile treatment solutions.

Dr Richard Coulton, CEO of Siltbuster Group says: “From our work with many major utilities and industrial companies right across the UK we know that space is at a premium on many sites. Whether a company is looking for temporary treatment capacity during planned works or wants to extend or replace an existing plant, there’s rarely lots of space or time to play with. So we tasked our technical team with designing an effective temporary treatment solution which has a small footprint and which works on a simple ‘plug and play’ basis. That’s how the Biobuster was born!”

The Biobuster’s superior treatment capacity is thanks to some ingenious design work by the Siltbuster team. It is based on established aerobic biological treatment and combines the benefits of fixed film and suspended growth processes. The Biobuster is configured with three compartments; BOD removal occurs in the first two chambers prior to ammonia removal in the third, where nitrification is required.

The aeration system uses multiple diffusers within each compartment which provide an even air distribution and mixing, whilst also maximising the oxygen transfer efficiency. Its super-capacity is due to its plastic carrier media, which has a large spherical surface area enabling it to carry more biofilm.

The movement of the media ensures biomass accumulation is regulated so there is no need for scour cycles – again saving space and time. A dissolved oxygen meter controls the air flow rate through the unit, ensuring the Biobuster provides optimum biological treatment whilst minimising energy consumption. It is also self-regulating, automatically responding to load fluctuations.

To ensure its rapid deployment, the unit’s inlet and outlet connections are at ground level and the blower arrangement is skid mounted. Available in different sizes depending on the scale of the job, the Biobuster can be used on its own or as part of a packaged system when combined with other Siltbuster treatment solutions such as its DAFs and clarifiers.

Siltbuster anticipates that Biobuster will prove particularly valuable in providing temporary treatment capacity for planned works especially in the municipal market which is gearing up for AMP6 which starts in 2015.

Richard Coulton again: “AMP6 will see water companies trying to get the most out of their existing assets and finding ways to minimise total costs of operation. That means looking to maintain and repair rather than big capital intensive replacement projects. The Biobuster will be an ideal support during such planned maintenance programmes.”

Siltbuster frequently advises companies with a sudden, unexpected wastewater issues. It believes the Biobuster will also be a useful tool in these scenarios, providing a quick solution for companies needing site compliance, or at food or drink plants which need temporary additional treatment capacity to cope with a seasonal production spike.

Companies in both the municipal and industrial sectors could use the unit when replacing or extending existing plants. According to Siltbuster it could also be deployed as part of pilot studies and process trials for upgrading activated sludge plants.