From Jacobean Mansions to Municipal Treatment Plants – Advanced Wastewater Treatment Solutions

Audley End House, Saffron Walden in Essex, a site with very particular wastewater treatment needs.

Sometimes it feels like the number of different challenges for wastewater treatment is growing faster than the water industry and commercial sectors can keep up. From municipal wastewater treatment works facing increasing demand and tougher regulation, to the explosion in demand from house building and new developments, to the very individual wastewater treatment needs of smaller commercial and community sites.

That’s a lot of demands in a very tight box. But one of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.

Pure SBR is demonstrated to have both financial and operational advantages, with proven benefits that make for a greener and simpler solution to a number of different wastewater challenges.

The Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) process is not a new process invention. There are a number of different SBRs available on the market today. Plantwork Systems’ Pure SBR process, however, has been developed and enhanced in specific response to these changing and growing demands for effective wastewater treatment.

PWS’ Pure SBR is a more efficient, reliable and robust improvement, offering numerous benefits over continuous flow systems. It has been demonstrated to have both financial and operational advantages, with proven benefits which make for a greener and simpler solution to a number of different wastewater challenges. It is suitable for all biologically treatable waters, occupies comparatively little space and is suitable  for grey or black water recycling without significant additional treatment.

Pure SBR is easily installed, operated and maintained and is virtually odour free, making it ideal for new developments, country estates and commercial sites. It is also capable of growing with the development, with process tanks being installed in stages as and when they are required to treat additional flow. Furthermore, Pure SBR averages significantly lower energy consumption rates than alternative technologies, translating into further operational savings.

Pure SBR technology has been used to treat effluents from food processing facilities to caravan parks, as well as municipal wastewater. One such example of a site with very individual needs is Audley End House in Essex.

Audley End House is a beautiful Jacobean mansion located in the rural area of Saffron Walden. The house is a very popular location for visitors and is cared for by English Heritage. There are numerous facilities available on site, including two cafes, a picnic area, a museum, formal Victorian gardens and holiday cottages. The house is a regular venue for exhibitions, concerts and other events. One of the key features at Audley End House is the River Cam which twists through the gardens.

Pure SBR was chosen as the best wastewater treatment solution to manage the fluctuating needs and sensitivities of this historic site.

THE CHALLENGES FOR AUDLEY END
This type of site produces wastewater which fluctuates both in terms of strength and hydraulics. Flows vary massively between, weekdays and weekends, as well as between winter and summer months. The onsite treatment facilities discharge into a subsidiary of the River Cam, which is one of the most environmentally sensitive rivers in the region.

In addition to having a difficult influent to treat, the area available for the wastewater treatment system is relatively small, meaning a treatment system offering a small footprint was essential.

EFFECTIVE SOLUTION
Plantwork Systems Pure SBR system was chosen as the best wastewater treatment solution to manage the fluctuating needs and sensitivities of this historic site, providing the flexibility of treatment required alongside a small footprint, low energy usage, odour free operation and a robust biological process capable of producing high quality effluent all year round.

The Pure SBR system at Audley End House receives raw sewage in the balance tank where it is kept aerated to prevent the sewage becoming septic and producing odour. Sewage arrives in the balance tank via a pumping well (depending on the site specific hydraulics, it is also possible to deliver flows to the tank via a gravity supply pipe).

The sewage is transferred to the reactor in batches for biological treatment. At Audley End House, treatment is carried out using two treatment cycles per day. During periods of low flow, the control system switches operation to Energy Saving Mode (ESM) to reduce the power consumption of the plant by more than 50%. In addition to ESM, Plantwork Systems has incorporated a Winter and Summer setting within the control program. This adjusts the equipment being used to perform treatment, as average flows reduce by up to 95% in the wintertime.

Conclusion

In summary, Pure SBR offers significant benefits for a wide range of sites.

• Small footprint
• Competitive whole life costs
• Odour control
• Easy to install
• Easy to maintain
• Easy to operate with minimal training
• Low total sludge production
• Low energy use

All this translates into a more environmentally and financially beneficial system to meet the ever-growing challenges and demands for effective wastewater treatment.

Article by Adam White, Operations Director