Modular, containerized wastewater treatment solutions like Aspiral™ can be quickly installed.
Containerized Aspiral™ wastewater treatment plants bring municipalities into compliance with regulations in no time
Around the world, regulatory bodies are tightening wastewater effluent quality regulations. For example, in the European Union, discharging noncompliant wastewater can result in fines. In the United Kingdom, fines can be as high as 500,000 pounds, and penalties are also rising throughout Asia. In the United States, violations of the Clean Water Act can even lead to imprisonment. Stricter quality standards and enforcement are coinciding with the aging of water infrastructure and the identification of new contaminants.
When inadequate municipal treatment brings the possibility of fines, coming into compliance quickly is necessary. However, wastewater treatment is not cheap, and costs can climb even higher when project timelines must be accelerated.
From full-scale plants to units that complement your existing plant, Fluence can provide modules that meet a municipality’s unique treatment and compliance needs.
Modular Design
Containerized plants have become the smart solution for quickly obtaining compliance due to their many advantages. For example, Aspiral™ Flex containerized wastewater treatment plants — which offer excellent nutrient removal and energy efficiency — take advantage of modular design to expedite logistics. All units are pre-engineered and factory-tested, offering reliable treatment quality with minimal labor onsite. The technology is packaged in 20- or 40-foot trusted weatherized carbon steel containers for low shipping costs and quick delivery.
Prefabrication
Decades of Fluence expertise go into customizing each Aspiral™ containerized plant at the factory to the specific requirements of each site for a true turnkey asset. The use of standardized components and equipment in the plants helps streamline the procurement and installation process.
Minimized Site Work
Aspiral™ containerized plants require less site preparation than traditional wastewater treatment facilities. It’s more of an installation process than a construction process, with small-footprint plants that require little more than a concrete slab, piping, and electricity for commissioning. Fluence Aspiral™ plants require no specialized or oversized pipeline. This can shorten project timelines substantially.
Fluence’s Aspiral™ Flex Containerized Plant
Why choose Aspiral™ Flex containerized solutions? The Aspiral™ line provides modular units that can be combined to suit your specific needs. Plants are easily scalable with the addition or removal of modules. The line offers a variety of units, including bioreactors, equalization units, sludge holding, ultrafiltration, and clarifiers.
The bioreactor units (Aspiral™ S, M, and Bio) come with standard activated sludge, with the option for membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) technology for ultra-effective and energy-efficient biological wastewater treatment.
Unlike membrane filtration systems such as reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration, the MABR membrane does not filter water. Air passively distributes along the surface of the spirally wound MABR membrane. The process does not require costly air pressurization like legacy biological treatment methods. Instead, the air gently passes through the semipermeable membrane microscopically at near atmospheric pressure to supply oxygen to the process.
Aerobic bacteria on the surface of the membrane form a resilient biofilm that is resistant to temperature and chemical shocks. Around the membrane in the tank, however, enough of an anoxic environment exists to support the anaerobic bacteria that complete the process.
Together, the two types of bacteria enable the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) process. That’s why Fluence has such high nutrient removal, producing effluent that meets California Title 22 and China Class 1A standards. In engineering terms, it’s the perfect example of an elegant design.
Not only does the MABR configuration slash energy requirements for aeration by up to 90%, but it also shrinks the physical footprint required for treatment by allowing the process to take place in a single tank while other forms of biological treatment require different chambers for the same outcome.
How short of a lead time is needed?
Our average delivery time for an AspiralTM Flex solution is 24-28 weeks, however, we move as quickly as possible and have delivered plants to customers in much shorter timeframes in the past.
For example, the remote town of Taiping in China’s Henan Province received its 300 m³/d Aspiral™ plant inside a record 10-day window. The total plant footprint of 38,000 square feet (3,544 m2) treats 211,000 GPD (800 m3/d), producing effluent that meets China’s Class 1A standards.
Updating Existing Wastewater Treatment Plants
In addition to containerized systems, MABR technology can also be submerged into existing municipal wastewater treatment plants to improve the effluent quality and/or capacity of the plant. Fluence’s SUBRE product uses towers of MABR modules installed in the treatment chambers of traditional activated sludge plants, with minimal interruption of service. SUBRE enhances nutrient removal, increases plant capacity, and decreases operating costs by as much as 30%.
Municipal agencies no longer need to start at square one for improved wastewater treatment. With the superior performance and energy efficiency of Aspiral™ and SUBRE, improving effluent quality is simpler than ever.
In terms of cost, Fluence offers a variety of options including leasing and Water Management Services, in which Fluence absorbs the CAPEX and OPEX of constructing a new system and the client just pays for the water or wastewater treatment services they use. Contact the experts at Fluence to learn more about your options.
