Israeli wastewater treatment solutions provider Aqwise has launched its
patented attached growth airlift reactor (Agar) solution in South Africa,
exploring for opportunities in the promising local market.

Aqwise is an advanced wastewater treatment solutions provider for the
industrial and municipal markets.

The Agar technology integrates fixed filmed and suspended growth
technologies and is considered the next generation in biological wastewater
treatment methods. The Agar technology combines a distinctive, fully open
and fully protected moving biomass carrierwith a highly efficient aeration
and mixing design. This results in a greater effective surface area for
biomass growth and the best oxygen transfer efficiency.

If an industrial plant is required to produce a higher-quality effluent
owing to increased regulatory requirements or the implementation of
water-saving measures, the Agar solution alters the biological environment.

This creates optimal conditions for enhanced removal of a wide variety of
pollutants, including organic load and nitrogen.

Aqwise business development manager Idan Tendler tells Engineering News that
the Agar technology significantly increases the capacity and efficiency of
existing wastewater treatment plants, while reducing the size of new plant
deployments.

The Agar system also has a limited footprint, making it a good solution for
industrial plants or municipalities that have limited spaceand are unable to
expand. “The solution offers significant space efficiencies in the
implementation of new reactors with a 30% to 60% reduction in reactor volume
when compared with conventional systems,” says Tendler.

He explains that, by using Aqwise’s solutions, mines and municipalities can
cope with more stringent water-sector regulation, ageing infrastructure and
a growing population. Industrial plants can meet the strict regulatory
requirements for discharging wastewater into the environment or into
municipal collection systems, and solve typical industrial problems, such as
variable inflow, seasonal peaks and high organic loads.

“The solutions may additionally facilitate in-plant reuse of the treated effluent with up to zero liquid discharge,” he says.

Tendler explains that the Aqwise range of solutions may be applied to any
type of bio-logical process upgrade, including existing oxidation ponds and
activated sludge.

Further, the Agar technology can avoid or significantly decrease sludge
circulation, reducing the ongoing operation attention needed. “This makes
the system ideal for industrial plants with limited wastewater treatment
operations resources and minimal ongoing attention,” he says.

Aqwise’s technology is also currently being tested in reducing the amount of
iron in ground-water being released by mines into the environment.

• O’Donnell visited Israel recently, courtesy of the trade and economic
office of the Israeli embassy in Pretoria