System |
Purpose |
Technology |
Benefits |
Limitations |
Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) |
Removes organic contaminants |
Adsorption |
Cost-effective for removing organics |
May not remove all contaminants |
Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) |
Removes suspended solids |
Air bubbles |
Effective for removing oils and grease |
Requires air compression, can be energy-intensive |
Fixed Bed Bio Reactors (FBBR) |
Treats wastewater biologically |
Biofilm growth on fixed media |
Similar to MBBR, but with fixed media |
Requires aeration and mixing |
Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR) |
Treats wastewater biologically |
Biofilm growth on plastic media |
Efficient BOD removal, adaptable |
Requires aeration and mixing |
Anaerobic/Aerobic Digestion |
Breaks down organic matter |
Biological processes |
Reduces organic load, produces biogas |
Can be slow, requires controlled conditions |
Oxidation and Ozone Treatment |
Removes contaminants |
Chemical oxidation or ozone |
Effective for removing color, odor, and certain contaminants |
Can be expensive, requires specialized equipment |
Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) |
Enhances activated sludge |
Combination of suspended and attached growth |
Increases treatment capacity, improves efficiency |
Requires additional media |
Clarifiers |
Removes suspended solids |
Gravity settling |
Improves water clarity, reduces TSS |
May not remove all suspended solids |
Slant Plate Clarifier/Lamella |
Removes suspended solids |
Gravity settling with inclined plates |
Efficient, compact design |
Requires pre-treatment |
Oil-Water Separators |
Separates oil from water |
Gravity, mechanical, or chemical methods |
Prevents oil pollution, complies with regulations |
May require pre-treatment or additional processes |
Floc Tubes |
Promotes coagulation and flocculation |
Hydraulic mixing |
Improves settling of suspended solids |
Requires chemical addition |
Water Softening |
Removes hardness minerals (calcium, magnesium) |
Ion exchange (IX) |
Prevents scale buildup, improves water quality |
Requires salt regeneration, doesn’t remove all impurities |
Deionization |
Removes ions from water |
Ion exchange (IX) |
Produces ultra-pure water |
Requires specialized resins, can be costly |
Demineralization |
Removes all minerals from water |
Ion exchange (IX) or reverse osmosis (RO) |
Ideal for high-purity applications (e.g., boilers, electronics) |
Can be expensive, requires regular maintenance |
Ion Exchange (IX) |
Removes specific ions |
Ion exchange resins |
Targeted contaminant removal, cost-effective |
Requires regeneration, may not remove all contaminants |
Solids Handling Equipment |
Dewaters and dries solids |
Mechanical processes |
Reduces sludge volume, facilitates disposal |
Can be energy-intensive |
Microfiltration |
Removes large particles (algae, bacteria) |
Membrane filtration |
Effective pre-treatment, removes suspended solids |
Doesn’t remove dissolved substances |
Ultrafiltration |
Removes smaller particles (viruses, macromolecules) |
Membrane filtration |
Removes organic matter, viruses |
Doesn’t remove dissolved salts |
Nanofiltration |
Removes even smaller particles (organic compounds) |
Membrane filtration |
Removes a wide range of contaminants |
May not remove all organic compounds |
Reverse Osmosis |
Removes most dissolved substances |
Membrane filtration |
Produces high-purity water, can be used for desalination |
Requires high pressure, produces wastewater |
Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) |
Treats wastewater biologically and physically |
Membrane filtration and biological treatment |
High efficiency, compact design |
Requires regular membrane cleaning |
Ballasted Flocculation |
Removes suspended solids |
Recycled media and additives |
High-rate clarification, smaller footprint |
May require additional treatment |