Upthane™

The treatment solution utilises anaerobic microorganisms to - in the absence of oxygen - digest incoming biodegradable material, i.e. convert it into methane. This methane is then recovered and used for electricity production and heating. The energy recovered from the Upthane™, combined with the low energy requirements of the system translate into an energy neutral WWTP making the Upthane the ideal solution for WWTPs designed for the removal of carbon pollutants.

Upthane™ has a unique methane recovery system that prevents the release of methane, a powerful green house gas, to the atmosphere. This recovered methane is then utilised for energy generation.

TREATMENT PROCESS

To insure the optimal performance of the Upthane™ unit it is necessary to screen and degrit the sewage prior to it entering the reactor. Sewage enters Upthane™ through a gravity fed influent distribution system that guarantees maximum contact between the incoming sewage and the anaerobic biomass in the reactor. Sewage enters at the bottom of the reactor and following an upflow path passes through a thick anaerobic sludge blanket. Here, through the process of anaerobic digestion, wastewater is converted to biogas.

A gas-liquids-solids (GLS) separator is located in the upper section of Upthane™. The positioning of deflectors prevents biogas from entering into the settler section and instead directs the biogas into the gashood from where it can be collected. The biogas contains approximately 75 % methane and can be utilised to provide the energy needs of the entire WWTP in a combined heat and power unit.

Finally solids are entrained into the settling zone where in the absence of biogas bubbles, they settle and slide back into the digestion zone.

The treated wastewater is then collected uniformly from the top of Upthane™ by a precisely engineered system of perforated pipes.