Development of low-energy bio-wheel technology for wastewater treatment and reuse

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Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants commonly employ aerobic biological processes to degrade organic contaminants, nutrients and other contaminants in order to mitigate water pollution and/or reuse wastewater. These processes require energy-intensive aeration, which alone accounts for up to 60% of total energy consumption. As the energy cost is soaring and the demand for sustainability development is growing, many wastewater treatment plants are facing the challenges to reduce the energy consumption while meeting the more strict effluent discharge limits. In response to these challenges and realizing huge market opportunities, H2O Innovation, Inc. has recently developed Bio-Wheel technology as an energy-efficient alternative for small- to medium-scale wastewater treatment facilities. Limited applications showed that this new technology could reduce the energy consumption by ~30% as compared to the fine bubble aeration commonly being used in practice. Other potential benefits include small foot print, easy operation and better effluent quality. Nevertheless, the Bio-Wheel technology is still in early stage of development. Further research is needed to compare its reliable performance side-by-side with conventional processes, to understand fundamental mechanisms occurring in the systems, and provide the recommendations for further improvement in Bio-Wheel design and operation optimization. This project will be directed to quantify the oxygen mass transfer rates into water, examine the effects of key factors on process performance for representative Bio-Wheel configurations, and assess the relationship of dynamic microbial behaviours with operating conditions.