Evoqua’s BioMag® System Selected by Severn Trent Water for Plant Expansion and Phosphorus Removal at Their Rugby, UK Facility

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 12:00 am EDT

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Evoqua Water Technologies (NYSE: AQUA) has been selected by Severn Trent Water and its design and construction partner, Costain, to supply Evoqua’s BioMag® ballasted clarification system to both increase output and reduce phosphorus at the Rugby Sewage Treatment Works. Rugby will be Europe’s first wastewater treatment plant with a permanent installation of Evoqua’s ballasted BioMag system settling technology, which has been proven in facilities throughout the United States for more than seven years.

Ed Ruswa, Senior Process Design Engineer for Severn Trent Water says, ‘’Rugby is a thriving market town and in order to improve the waterbodies in its catchment, a significant enhancement to the treated water quality and capacity for growth is going to be delivered by upgrading the existing sewage treatment works using the BioMag system. Conventional treatment methods would have required a large expansion at a higher cost, however by transferring this innovative technology from North America and following UK water industry funded pilot trials, the BioMag system will help Severn Trent deliver its customer funded objectives and continue to offer the cheapest customer bills in the UK.”

The BioMag system uses the addition of magnetite – fully inert, iron ore particles – to enhance the existing activated sludge process. As a result, the settlement across the existing final settlement tanks is greatly improved even with the predicted 25% increase in flow anticipated at the works. For communities that face challenging wastewater characteristics due to industrial discharge or dense populations, the BioMag system is the ideal solution. The BioMag system will help Severn Trent Water reduce both total suspended solids and phosphorus before the treated water discharges into the River Avon.

Algal blooms and poor river ecosystems are triggered by high levels of phosphorus in the river. To combat the blooms and restore water bodies to “good” status, the UK Environment Agency’s National Environment Programme (NEP) is imposing low phosphorus limits on many wastewater treatment plants, including Rugby. The introduction of the BioMag system will significantly decrease the amount of phosphorus that the works discharges, making this an important step to achieving compliance with the new phosphorus limit of 0.4 mg/l of total phosphorus (T-P).

‘’For Rugby, the new BioMag system will be installed to combat both the new phosphorus limit and the expected increase in the local population, which means that the plant will be able to treat more effluent waste to a better quality,’’ explains Simon Radford, UK Sales Manager of Evoqua’s Wastewater Treatment business. ’’As an alternative to adding more Final Settlement Tanks, the BioMag system allows the user to get more out of their existing assets at a fraction of the cost of such major new civil structures.”

Following installation of the BioMag system it is expected that the Rugby plant will process the 25% increase in flow to a predicted 60,000 m3/day by 2028.

About the BioMag System

The BioMag system can achieve up to 2-3 times the throughput of existing conventional activated sludge plants by improving settlement and allowing the user to run at higher Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids in the Biological tanks of the activated sludge process. BioMag systems improve settling, allows increase in throughput, gives better effluent quality and all within the existing asset making it an ideal process for expansion of existing plants. For more information, visit www.evoqua.com/BioMag.

About Evoqua Water Technologies

Evoqua Water Technologies is a leading provider of mission critical water and wastewater treatment solutions, offering a broad portfolio of products, services and expertise to support industrial, municipal and recreational customers who value water. Evoqua has worked to protect water, the environment and its employees for more than 100 years, earning a reputation for quality, safety and reliability around the world. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company operates in more than 150 locations across nine countries. Serving more than 38,000 customers and 200,000 installations worldwide, our employees are united by a common purpose: Transforming Water. Enriching Life®.

About DESOTEC

DESOTEC, founded in 1990, is the leading European provider of mobile filtration solutions through a unique and circular service concept, which helps protect the planet by enabling clean water, air, and soil. DESOTEC's customer base is constantly growing thanks to a strong focus on 24/7 service and a commitment to design and deliver the best solution in close dialogue with the customer. Through in-depth expertise of industrial applications and continuous investment in mobile filters, reactivation capacity and well-positioned hubs, DESOTEC ensures that the industry can meet the increasing regulations for a better and cleaner environment. Private equity funds managed by Blackstone acquired DESOTEC in 2021. Further information is available at www.desotec.com.

About Blackstone

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $951 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com.