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Sewage treatment without electricity!

Product News Friday, November 13, 2009: Biobox Water & Wastewater Treatment & Filtration

Good-bye honey truck, hello Biorocks.
A mini sewage treatment plant called Biorock® beats conventional septic systems or even commonly-available sewage treatment plants on every level. Using natural fibres as a biological filtration medium, Biorock requires little or no electricity, requires less maintenance (compared to other sewage treatment systems), and produces a superior-clean effluent. It’s scalable down to use for individual homes. Farms, campgrounds, camping sites, corporate parks, subdivisions and holiday homes are other likely applications. Biorock was developed in the Netherlands and has been operational around Europe for a number of years. Biobox recently acquired the exclusive licence to supply and install the Biorock® units in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.

 

More Efficient Sewage Treatment on a Small Scale
Biorock consists of a modular block, installed underground like a septic tank. In the primary tank, solids are trapped and digested anaerobically. This tank should only require cleaning (or emptying) every four years. The second unit is the Biorock® STP which treats the effluent through an aerobic process. It contains layers of fibrous rock in netting, which are exposed to air through a natural updraft, or chimney effect. Aerobic bacteria grow inside the rock matrix, aided by the updraft, and digest the suspended solids. The Biorock exceeds the European standards for small sewage treatment plants, EN 12566-3 2005 and EN 12566-7 2006.

 

Sustainable Sewage Treatment
Biorock's ease of maintenance, simple installation, and use of recyclable materials helps contribute to a low carbon footprint. The Biorock® process itself requires no electricity, and it is designed to discharge effluent by gravity into a soak-away.

 

Sewage Treatment Off the Grid
Sewage treatment is one of the stickiest dilemmas that off-grid building designers face, especially in urban areas. The Biorock® system offers one solution for sites where a gravity discharge is not possible and pumping is required. Small scale solar panel and wind turbine components are available to help keep the system off-grid. The system could also prove useful for off-grid second homes or eco-vacation spots, even when they are not used year-round. It can be left dormant for long periods of time without damage, and it can be restarted within a day or so compared several weeks for a conventional septic tank system or even conventional sewage treatment plant start-up.