Waterloo Biofilter

The Waterloo Biofilter ® is a patented trickle-filter type treatment system which uses an innovative filter medium to treat residential and industrial wastewater. Wastewater is sprayed intermittently onto the medium and is allowed to drain through by gravity. Organic biomass grows quickly within the medium after start-up, oxidizing organic material and nitrifying ammonia in the wastewater as it passes over the biomass layer. Because the Biofilter medium is contained in a tank it is effective under all soil or drainage conditions and substantially outperforms its nearest rival the sand filter bed. Existing facilities are treating flows of less than 1000 L/day to more than 300,000 L/day (250 to 90,000 gal/day). The Waterloo Biofilter ® is a great improvement to the conventional septic system and can have optional add-ons to remove nitrogen, phosphorus and pathogens.

 

The Waterloo Biofilter ® system is a single-pass aerobic biofilter designed for the biological treatment of wastewater. The patented process utilizes an absorbent synthetic filter medium designed to optimize the biological degradation of wastewater. Natural microbial action in the filter medium is enhanced by its high porosity, large available surface area, excellent air flow characteristics and ease of microbial attachment. The filter medium has optimized flow characteristics which allow for high loading rate and compact size. Allowable loading rates are typically 10 times greater than sand filters or soils. The Biofilter typically removes 90-95% BOD, 85-98% TSS, 20-50% TN and 90-99% coliform bacteria.

 

Waterloo Biofilter ® is robust, compact, efficient and cost-effective.

 

The compact nature of the Waterloo Biofilter ® reduces the impact of the septic system on the surrounding environment and preserves the natural landscape, waterfront, and minimizes tree-cutting.

 

Dense clay soils, bedrock areas, high water tables, and space limitations/lot size are domestic wastewater problems that the Waterloo Biofilter ® can easily solve.

 

The quality of the treated effluent is high enough that large and space-consuming traditional tile beds are not needed. Discharge of treated effluent typically can be discharged into a short shallow trench in sand or clay.

 

Easy to operate, low maintenance and primarily passive.

 

Suitable for cold weather (-40°C) and seasonal operation.

 

The system can be easily scaled for different sized applications (1,500 L/day to >100,000 L/day) by increasing medium depth and by adding Biofilter modules.

 

The system is very effective for communal applications such as campgrounds, resorts, and rural sub-divisions.

 

Both underground and above ground configurations are available.

 

The system can also effectively treat industrial and municipal wastewater including but not limited to:

• on-site treatment and disposal of landfill leachate

• sewage lagoon effluent polishing

• nitrification and polishing of municipal wastewater

• food processing wastewater

• reducing BOD5 levels in industrial sewer discharges

 

The Waterloo Biofilter ® is a proven technology that is becoming accepted by regulators and health departments in Canada and the United States. Years of detailed monitoring of field units by independent agents have proven the system to be effective and reliable.