Martin Ecosystems

Baton Rouge, LA

225.292.6750

wastewater treatment

Wastewater Treatment Success Across the Globe

Wastewater Treatment

Our counterparts in New Zealand and Australia have seen great success in wastewater treatment on their side of the planet. Their stories inspire us and our vision to see the same wastewater treatment success here in the United States.

What can we learn from wastewater treatment operations in New Zealand?

Wastewater Treatment in New Zealand

Waterclean Technologies has introduced Floating Treatment Wetlands to New Zealand, becoming an industry leader for municipal wastewater treatment.

Waterclean states that Floating Treatment Wetlands are a low-cost choice for wastewater treatment: “The low-tech, biological nature of Floating Treatment Wetlands makes it a true low cost option. Compared with other water treatment solutions, very little capital expenditure and up skilling is required and the floating treatment wetlands has nominal maintenance costs.”

Waterclean is currently helping municipalities extend the productive life of existing assets by retrofitting floating treatment wetlands.

They’ve partnered with Spel Environmental, a family owned business across Australia, that specializes in stormwater and water quality improvement.

Spel has also found Floating Treatment Wetlands to be efficient and a low-cost means to enhance municipal wastewater treatment plants. Spel says, “You can retro-fit it to existing facilities with minimal cost or long-term overheads- or work the media into the design of new facilities with low operational costs… It also offers a truly environmentally-sound and sustainable way of cleaning water- something increasingly important to councils and municipalities.”                                                                              

Spel Waterclean Floating Wetlands Applications

These two companies have worked together to see a dramatic effect on municipal wastewater and stormwater applications.

They have found that Floating Wetlands can be positioned in loaded “hot-spots” in natural waterways to improve water quality. Beyond stream and lake restoration, they also make beautiful environmentally-enhancing features in waterbodies in facilities such as parks and zoos. Because they are so visually appealing, they make stunning landscaping features for private residential projects as well.

 A Solution to Cleaning Wastewater for Communities Everywhere

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, America’s wastewater infrastructure was recently given a grade of D+, and the cost to fix this problem has been estimated to cost $271 billion over 20 years. As seen in New Zealand and Australia, Floating Treatment Wetlands are a green, innovative, and cost-effective solution for cleaning wastewater everywhere that can save thousands of dollars in capital and operational costs.

Contact us to learn more about this innovative solution to your wastewater treatment needs!

 

How Do Floating Treatment Wetlands Work?

Maintaining compliance under stricter regulations with aging equipment and limited budgets is a continuous juggling act for communities around the world. This challenge lends to the desire to find cost-effective solutions for wastewater treatment.

Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTW) are an innovative solution engineered to enhance the natural processes that occur between water, plants, and micro organisms in order to remove contaminants from wastewater and stormwater in a passive and natural way.

Floating Treatment Wetlands provide a foundation for plants to grow. The matrix is open and porous in structure, which enables the plants’ roots to spread throughout ultimately creating a vast activated surface area for microbes and bacteria to live. The microbes and bacteria attach to the roots, the microscopic root hairs of the plants and on the fibers of the matrix. The microbes and bacteria secrete a sticky film called biofilm, where total suspended solids (TSS) are either trapped or settle. The microbes and bacteria digest the organic matter and nutrients, including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), nitrogen and phosphorus through a process called bioremediation.

Biological Treatment takes place below
the water where hanging root systems grow.

There are 3 Critical Elements for Effective Biological Water Treatment:
1. Surface Area

The fibrous matrix along with the roots of the hydroponically grown vegetation create an extensive network of surface area for pollutant eating microbes and bacteria to live.

  • 1 ft2 of planted Floating Treatment Wetland has approximately 3300 ft2 of surface area.
    2. Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT)

Through the use of attached flow curtains Floating Treatment Wetlands control water flow thereby maximizing retention time. This allows for more treatment time.

3. Vegetation

Through photosynthesis plant roots secrete sugar and oxygen for microbes and bacteria to feed on. The microbes and bacteria in return, give the plants food such as nitrogen, phosphorous and ammonia through a process called phytoremediation.

Floating Treatment Wetlands are Effective for:

  • Anaerobic Digestion
  • Nitrification Processes
  • De-nitrification and Polishing
  • Removal of Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
  • Reduction in Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)
  • Reduction in Fecal Coliforms
  • Reduction in Phosphorus
  • Reduction in Turbidity


Close-up view of plant roots.

What is a Floating Treatment Wetland?

Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) are an emerging innovation in green technology that have demonstrated significant potential for wastewater and stormwater management.

Martin Ecosystems’ Floating Treatment Wetlands are manufactured using 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate, commonly referred to as PET plastic, the same plastic used to make drinking bottles. The PET fibers are bonded together forming a non-toxic, non woven fibrous matrix, creating the advantage of having an open structure with a vast surface area for biological treatment to occur.

“The use of recycled plastic prevents thousands of water bottles from ending up in landfills each year.”

FTWs are designed to float on the surface, providing a medium for emergent wetland plants to grow hydroponically – plants grow above the water with root systems submerged beneath the water. It is designed with years of scientific research combined with proven biological processes.

Floating Treatment Wetlands provide value for money and benefits above those of traditional water treatment systems. The low cost and modular design allows for customization of wastewater treatment needs in both new and old systems. FTWs extend the life of existing assets by retrofitting Floating Treatment Wetlands into current ponds.

America’s wastewater infrastructure recently received a grade of “D” according to the 2013 infrastructure report card provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). With an estimated cost of $298 billion over the next twenty years to get it back into working condition, finding cost effective water treatment systems is imperative.

“In the late 1980s and 1990s, FTWs were applied to the treatment of acid mine drainage in Canada with the results published in scientific literature,” said Chris Tanner, principal scientist of aquatic pollution management at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Hamilton, New Zealand). “But over the last 10 years, we have seen a rapid expansion in the development of various experimental and commercial versions, including studies of their treatment potential.”

Floating Treatment Wetlands are a proven cost-effective alternative to traditional wastewater treatment systems. They are designed to meet the water treatment needs of communities and businesses, while also delivering a solution that provides value for money spent.

Benefits of Floating Treatment Wetlands:

  • Cost Savings
  • Proven Performance
  • Minimal Environmental Impact
  • Flexibility
  • Zero Land Use
  • Tolerate Fluctuating Water Levels


Photography provided by Water Clean Technologies.