Raw sewage flows into the system from an equalization tank, where grit is settled out and the wastewater is “seeded” with bacteria to jump-start biological activity. Though systems differ widely in their specifics, the schematic below provides a typical example of how an ecological wastewater treatment plant works. At the South Burlington, Vermont Living Machine the wetland is replaced by additional tanks with aeration and ecological fluidized beds. Not included in this schematic are pretreatment and post-treatment stages, which are performed at this facility by the adjacent conventional wastewater facility. The Ballenger Creek Living Machine in Frederick Country, Maryland was designed to treat 30,000 gallons of wastewater per day (114,000 l/d). (LTI) in Burlington, Vermont, which is specializing in wastewater treatment for food processors and other industrial applications. Meanwhile, Todd’s ideas are being pursued commercially by two different companies-Ecological Engineering Associates (EEA) of Marion, Massachusetts, which owns the tradename Solar Aquatics and certain proprietary aspects of Todd’s original treatment technology, and Living Technology, Inc. The nonprofit OAI is carrying out a broad range of living machine demonstration projects in different parts of the world. John Todd, a Woods Hole biologist who founded the New Alchemy Institute in 1969 and Ocean Arks International (OAI) in 1982. The principles of ecological wastewater treatment were developed by Dr. This ecological community makes the systems more stable in the face of sudden doses of heavily contaminated water, known as shock flows, according to Steve Fluck, a process chemist at one such facility. Various chemicals are then used to precipitate out sludge and disinfect the effluent.Įcological wastewater treatment plants function in ways that are fundamentally similar but use highly varied ecosystems with a wide range of organisms-algae, aquatic plants, marsh plants, worms, crustaceans, mollusks, and vertebrates-supporting the populations of bacteria that break down wastes and eliminate nutrients from the wastewater. In conventional treatment plants, concentrated bacteria serve to partially decompose wastes in a series of aerated pools. These systems are commonly known by the now-trademarked name Solar Aquatics™ or the term “living machines.”Īll sewage treatment plants rely on living organisms to break down biological and chemical wastes. Since the late 1980s about two dozen ecological wastewater treatment plants have been built, ranging from small systems serving individual schools, to medium-sized municipal systems serving several thousand households, to waste treatment plants for industries designed to treat specialized waste-water flows. Polishing wetlands appear in the foreground, with ecological fluidized beds and open aerobic tanks beyond. This greenhouse contains an ecological wastewater system completed in 1993. Ecological engineering brings more highly evolved flora and fauna into the equation, providing an attractive and educational alternative for wastewater treatment. Conventional sewage treatment systems already rely on bacteria to do much of the work, but these organisms perform very restricted functions within a system that is generally mechanistic. Simply, the NaturalFlow system harnesses and utilises what has been proven effective in composting and decomposition over thousands of years: nature.Using the natural cycles of plant and animal life instead of chemicals and mechanical systems to process wastewater holds a great deal of attraction. An enclosed ecosystem that mimics the forest floor is established to treat your wastewater until it is ready to be returned safely into the soil and environment. The NaturalFlow DifferenceĪptly named, the NaturalFlow System harnesses free, natural processes to treat domestic sewage and wastewater. Installation is available nationwide, and you can count on our team to deliver quality support on time, every time. Operating with power-free treatment processes, the NaturalFlow system can give you great savings from day one. Treating grey water and black water separately, sewage treatment is ingeniously simplified, resulting in a quiet, odourless and smooth-running system.įrom primary to secondary treatment, our home sewage systems are built to suit the requirements of your site and give you years of optimal performance with very little maintenance. NaturalFlow brings an innovative solution to common issues in home sewage systems. Ground-breaking Home Sewage Treatment Systems
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