Getting the Most Out of Your Wastewater Biosolids

Overview:

Wastewater treatment facilities are generally installed for one purpose - to clean up dirty water so that clean water can be discharged back into the environment. Nearly all municipal treatment plants rely on biological processes for wastewater treatment whereby bacteria and other microorganisms, frequently called 'bugs,' do this job of cleaning up the water. In these treatment processes, new bugs are constantly growing and old bugs must be continually removed to keep the process healthy and working properly. Once these bugs are removed from the treatment process, they become a byproduct of treatment that the industry calls 'biosolids.' Dealing with these biosolids can be costly and in some cases, amounts to more than 50% of the cost of operating the wastewater treatment facility.

So while treatment of biosolids is not the primary objective of most wastewater plants, doing it effectively and efficiently can be very important to controlling costs. Many factors influence the cost of treating and disposing of biosolids; however, there are a few that are common to most treatment facilities. Find out which ones.