Additional Advantages
Additional advantages in comparison to typical municipal systems such as extended aeration and sequential batch reactors. The additional advantages include:
• Small foot-print allows for cost effective architectural design
• Totally enclosed system
• Safe - no open ponds or exposed tanks
• Blends easily with surrounding community
• Easily expandable with modular design
• Addresses today's needs today and easily accommodate future designs
• Low power consumption
• Huge biomass inventory
• Segregated biomass development
• Very low noise levels
• High Resale value
• Life-cycle costs of a BIODISK facility are substantially less than for comparable treatment processes
Architecture: The small footprint allows cost effective architectural design of a totally enclosed system. Land can be expensive. It is a fact that in some locations the smaller space required for an RBC will save the owner enough space to pay for the system.
In Jakarta Indonesia, the RBC is sited in the basement car parking area. On several projects the RBC was 27 car parking spaces smaller than the competition. At $27,000 per parking space the client's revenue increased by $729,000 US and more than paid for the complete system.
In most instances, just the savings in concrete or brickwork can be an advantage. A small structure is not as ominous and a small building blends in with the surrounding architecture easily. When it looks like a treatment plant, the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) process kicks in. When it looks like the New Horizons project in the Applications Section, it just adds elbow space to the neighbour's property. A covered treatment plant is also safer from a health perspective; there is no airborne bacteria or exposed wastewater.
Low Power Consumption: The BIODISK operates at one half to one eighth of the power requirements for other forms of aeration equipment. The largest drive on the biggest BIODISK is less than 10 hp. There are no high power requirements for the supporting equipment. Phosphorous is removed with a fractional hp chemical feed pump that is flow proportioned by a flow meter. Sludge is returned from the final tank by a small hp submersible pump. Filtration and disinfection power draws are consistent with other technologies.
The low power required not only affects the daily operation of the disk but it also reduces the size of the standby generator when required. The prospective owner of a BIODISK wastewater treatment plant needs to be aware of the total installed electrical draw of the plant as compared to other installations.
Biomass Inventory: The high biomass inventory is an inherent feature of the BIODISK process. The RBC is referred to as a fixed film system. The biomass is attached and cannot be washed out. Attached growth systems (fixed
It is next to impossible to wash the biomass off the disks with a hydraulic surge. The biomass is like the seaweed that grows on the rocks on an ocean shoreline. The wave action cannot wash off the seaweed and hydraulic surges cannot
A suspended growth system for other forms of treatment has a final clarifier influent of about 2,250 mg/L. Wastewater strength of this magnitude can and does cause sever pollution in surface water during washout conditions. If the process discharges to a filter bed with a strength of 2,250 mg/L, it can overwhelm the filter bed. Even a normal operating suspended growth system will periodically discharge rags and debris that end up in the filter bed.
Mr. Farley Fry has tested the response time to hydraulic upset in the RBC at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Fry has said the RBC will recover in 24 hours for BOD and five days for nitrification. An operator has commented on
Organic shock can also be accommodated in the BIODISK. With an inventory of 5 to 10 times more biomass the assimilation capacity is proportionally bigger. The microbes are like foragers that accumulate organic material in the
Segregated biomass development: Allows for more efficient treatment. The BIODISK is a self-regulating process. The operator does not have to perform tests to balance the system. There are no mixed liquor suspended solids to
Noise Levels: Noise levels are very low eveninside the BIODISK. The only sound is the gentle rotation of the disk in the water. The mechanical components are limited to a shaftmounted reducer and the gentle hum of the electric motor can be heard. Resale Value: The BIODISK has resale value. Two of the school projects in the Applications section have benefited from the resale of a treatment works. It is often suggested that if the treatment works has a short life span, then use a full steel tank. Many steel tank systems have been moved from location to location successfully. Construction camps, for instance, are a good example of use and reuse of the BIODISK. If you cannot find a buyer for your system we will help. Used systems are in demand.
Life Cycle Costs: The lower power consumption is one of the biggest life cycle cost savings of the BIODISK. At 1/2 to 1/8 the power draw of comparable forms of treatment the electrical cost saving over the life of the works can more than cover the capital expenditure. The small RBC footprint reduces house-cleaning time. There is no requirement to have an onsite lab to monitor the process. In some jurisdictions a lower level of operator certification helps to reduce costs. If the process discharges to a tile field then the field will have an indefinite life. No rags or high strength wastes will be discharged to the bed. Control panels do not have any programmed logic control (PLC) requirements. Simple mechanical timers can easily be adjusted by the operator without the need for computers or associated programs. Sludge disposal can be labour intensive and expensive. There is less sludge to dispose of in the BIODISK process and the stored sludge does not have to be aerated or have any process requirements.
Source: http://www.biodisk.ca/pdf/additional_advantages.pdf