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.
