BioMag: New Technology

for Cost Effective

ENR Upgrades

Steve Woodard, Ph.D., P.E.

 Outline

Intro to CWT

Secondary clarification: the weak link

BioMag: ballasted biological treatment

How does it work?

Applications

ENR Technology

Winebrenner BioMag trial in Cascade, MD

ENR without the denit filters

Significant potential cost savings in Maryland

 The Challenges of Biological Treatment

Secondary clarification is the bottleneck of

activated sludge treatment
Filamentous bulking
Storm flow issues (I&I)
Pin floc

Limits MLSS concentration

Limits nutrient removal
capacity
Compromises effluent quality
Requires expensive
solutions to correct
 Magnetite: the Enabler

Magnetite is Fe3O4,
Doesnt rust or degrade
Completely inert

Two critical properties:

Its dense;
specific gravity: 5.2
Magnetically controllable
 The Benefits of Ballasted Biological Floc

Ballasted floc ensures

rapid, reliable settling

Facilitates increased MLSS

concentrations

Maintains control over

sludge blankets (I&I)

Frees up tankage for

nutrient removal (e.g.
anoxic zones)

Provides clean effluent

low TSS

Facilitates low effluent TN!

BioMag: Enhanced Biological Treatment
4-Stage Bardenpho Process Flow
BioMag Pilot Trailer
Magnetite Feeder
Shear Mill
Recovery Drum
Rapid Clarification Increases Capacity
 Magnets Are Used to Recover Magnetite

Video clip
Winebrenner Plant Layout
 BioMag Influent and Effluent Nitrogen
60.0

50.0

40.0
Influent TKN
Nitrogen, mg/l

30.0

20.0

10.0

Effluent NH4 + NO2 + NO3

0.0
1/22/2010 2/11/2010 3/3/2010 3/23/2010 4/12/2010 5/2/2010 5/22/2010 6/11/2010

Date
 BioMag Influent and Effluent N, lbs/day
40.0

35.0
Influent TKN

30.0
Nitrogen, lbs/day

25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0
Effluent NH4 + NO2 + NO3

0.0
1/22/2010 2/11/2010 3/3/2010 3/23/2010 4/12/2010 5/2/2010 5/22/2010 6/11/2010

Date
 BioMag Effluent TN and NH4 + NO2 + NO3
10

7
Effluent N, mg/l

2
Total Nitrogen

NH4 + NO2 + NO3

0
2/21/2010 3/3/2010 3/13/2010 3/23/2010 4/2/2010 4/12/2010 4/22/2010 5/2/2010 5/12/2010 5/22/2010 6/1/2010

Date
 BioMag MLSS
(not including magnetite)
16000

14000

12000

10000
MLSS, mg/l

8000

6000

4000

2000

0
2/1/2010 2/21/2010 3/13/2010 4/2/2010 4/22/2010 5/12/2010 6/1/2010

Date
 BioMag Effluent TSS
30.0

25.0
Effluent TSS, mg/l

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

0.0
2/1/2010 2/21/2010 3/13/2010 4/2/2010 4/22/2010 5/12/2010 6/1/2010

Date
 BioMag Effluent Total P
0.4

0.35

0.3
Effluent TP, mg/l

0.25

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
2/14/2010 2/24/2010 3/6/2010 3/16/2010 3/26/2010 4/5/2010 4/15/2010 4/25/2010 5/5/2010 5/15/2010 5/25/2010

Date
BioMag Wet Weather Flow Performance
 ENR Without the Filters

Excellent, reliable TN removal

Same for TP

Low effluent TSS (< 5 mg/l)

High MLSS and low, stable sludge blanket

Frees up tankage for anoxic zones

Often eliminates need for new process tankage and/or IFAS

Also eliminates need for filters

Mitigates impacts of I&I

Scales up very well