Description of Technology

Waterloo Biofilter (General Use)

The System is a Secondary Treatment Unit (STU). The System is an absorbent trickling filter in which dissolved organic matter and suspended solids are degraded by microbial action in an aerated environment. The System is installed following a septic tank with a screened pump vault or a separate pump tank. The media in the trickling filter is comprised of 2 to 3-inch open cell foam cubes, or course shredded foam in mesh bags, that allows for microbial growth on the interior surfaces as well as the exterior surface of the foam. The mesh bags or cubes are piled randomly into a suitable enclosure or self-contained baskets that are placed in a suitable enclosure. The sides and tops of the baskets or mesh bags are exposed to air circulation through an open meshwork. The baskets can be placed in a concrete tank for burial or in a plastic lined enclosure for above ground use. The cubes or mesh bags may be placed directly into suitable polyethylene or fiberglass containers for above ground or buried use. The wastewater is applied to the foam filter media by means of spray heads discharging the wastewater from a pump in a pump tank located downstream of a septic tank or in a screened pump vault located in the septic tank. Effluent from the System can be either a single pass or have effluent re-circulation, typically fifty percent or more, back to the septic tank or pump tank.

Waterloo EC-P

The Waterloo EC-P™ reduces sewage phosphorus (P) permanently by mimicking the function of natural iron-rich soils**.  Iron plates are submerged in a septic tank or treated effluent tank (existing or new), and connected to the custom low-voltage control panel. Iron (Fe) dissolves and reacts with sewage phosphorus, and Fe-P minerals precipitate out in the downstream filter or soil component, leaving groundwater free of reactive phosphorus. The process is independent of temperature, works with hard or soft water, and has no effect on water pH.

There is little disturbance to landscaping even when retrofitted, but a 4″ sampling port is installed to 12 -24″ depth in the Soil Absorption System (or dispersal bed) to verify P removal. Phosphorus is not concentrated in the tanks, as with conventional separation methods, and thus no disposal issue. The iron plates are inspected yearly to be cleaned or recycled as needed, depending on the number of facility occupants. Power consumption is estimated at 10 – 20 cents a day.

**Note: patents pending

Waterloo Biofilter (Provisional Use)

The System is an absorbent trickling filter in which dissolved organic matter and suspended solids are degraded by microbial action in an oxygenated environment. The media in the trickling filter is comprised of 2 – 3 inch open-cell foam cubes and slabs that allows for microbial growth on the interior surfaces as well as the exterior surface of the foam blocks. The cubes are piled randomly into a suitable enclosure or self-contained baskets that are placed in a suitable enclosure. The sides and top of the baskets are exposed to air circulation through an open meshwork. The baskets can be placed in belowground or aboveground enclosures. The wastewater is applied to the foam blocks by means of spray heads discharging the wastewater from a pump in a pump tank located downstream of a septic tank. The wastewater percolates slowly down through the foam cubes and out the bottom of the filter. Biomat discoloration occurs in the upper 15 inches of the medium where most of the solids and organic matter are degraded, with the lower section of the filter attenuating bacteria and ammonium. The ammonium is nitrified in the System, and with a 50 percent or more return to the septic tank, the nitrate biochemically reacts with the organic matter in the septic tank to reduce the total nitrogen.

Massachusetts Technology Approvals

Approval Type	General	Remedial	Provisional	Pilot
Secondary Treatment
Nitrogen Removal Credit
Phosphorus Removal Credit

Please check the Title 5 Innovative/Alternative Technology Approval Letters webpage at Massachusetts DEP for the most up-to-date information.

Real-World Data

Test Center Reports & Data