Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions unveiled zeeDENSE in 2022, coupling ZeeLung MABR with continuous flow densification technology to upgrade and super-intensify activated sludge plants. ZeeLung MABR intensifies biological treatment by up to 50% by supporting the growth of a nitrifying biofilm on a gas-permeable media that also reduces energy consumption by transferring oxygen without the use of bubbles. zeeDENSE is an application of ZeeLung where continuous flow densification is added to the process to improve mixed liquor settling characteristics and increase secondary clarifier capacity by up to 50%.
Prior to 2017, the YBSD facility faced two challenges – increased organic load from population growth and industrial contribution, and a new regulatory target for phosphorous removal. Rather than adopting the conventional solution of building new bioreactor tanks, YBSD partnered with Veolia to implement a ZeeLung MABR upgrade to increase treatment capacity and implement biological phosphorous removal in the existing infrastructure. This allowed the utility to reduce capital expenditure by 75% and implement the solution in less than 18 months – much faster than a conventional upgrade. The ZeeLung MABR solution has been delivering efficient, high-quality effluent for more than five years. According to the YBSD master plan, the next bottleneck in the secondary treatment process is clarification, and YBSD anticipates the need to build new secondary clarifier capacity in the coming years. zeeDENSE offers an ecological transformation with the potential to intensify the capacity of the existing secondary clarifiers and eliminate or postpone the construction of new infrastructure. zeeDENSE was implemented at the YBSD plant in November 2022 to demonstrate this value and benefits for improving nutrient removal and reducing operating costs.
Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions unveiled zeeDENSE in 2022, coupling ZeeLung MABR with continuous flow densification technology to upgrade and super-intensify activated sludge plants
“This first implementation of zeeDENSE shows the power of ZeeLung as an enabling technology and how coupling it with other intensification solutions can deliver even more value for utilities,” said Thomas Buer, Senior Vice President, ES Technologies & Systems at Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions. “When we first partnered with YBSD in 2017, our ZeeLung solution de-bottlenecked the biological system and allowed the facility to avoid having to build new bioreactor tanks. Adding zeeDENSE can deliver more intensification by de-bottlenecking the secondary clarifiers and processing more flow in the existing infrastructure. The zeeDENSE solution allows YBSD to maximize value from their existing assets.”
zeeDENSE was bolted onto the existing ZeeLung MABR system to increase secondary clarifier capacity, optimize biological phosphorous removal, and create operating cost savings from energy reduction and chemical savings.
“The ZeeLung MABR upgrade that we implemented six years ago allowed us to reduce costs for our ratepayers and it continues to deliver excellent effluent quality today. It was a no-brainer to work with Veolia again to solve our issues,” said Cyrus McMains, Executive Director of YBSD. “The success that we’ve seen to date reinforced that ZeeLung is a transformative technology that can save capital and operating costs while also preserving plant footprint.”
