Entex Technologies

IFAS and MBBR In Depth

Wednesday, 16 June 2010 16:39

Biofilm on Entex BioPortz Moving Media I get a lot of emails from engineers all over the world looking for help designing an MBBR or IFAS wastewater treatment system. Many are seeking an easy design formula that can be widely applied and does not seem to be found anywhere in textbooks. It's not easily found because it does not exist. The research and full-scale experiences with IFAS and MBBR technology are ongoing around the world and new information and ideas are published constantly. Here at Entex we continue to do research and contribute to the water industry knowledge base all while adjusting our design methods almost daily. New models and tools have come out in the past several years that I have tested and put to use in our quest to optimize our solutions for our clients' changing needs.

If you are searching for answers to questions about these rapidly changing technologies, I urge you to register and attend the WEF/IWA Biofilm Reactor Technology Conference this coming August. It will be held in Portland Oregon over four days and brings together many of the brightest minds in research, design and operations of fixed-film systems. The technical program is available at the WEF website for previewing and it is impressive. Rip Copithorn, one of the foremost experts in IFAS technology, is moderating a workshop on Sunday that is definitely worth attending. The opening session with talks from Denny Parker, Mark Van Loosdrecht and Henrick Aspegren is sure to interest anyone in attendence. And the papers and posters come from universities and engineering firms all over the world, sure to be filled with cutting edge research and hopefully some practical applications. I'm particularly looking forward to Monday afternoon's session on MBBR and IFAS with papers from Marc Deshusses of Duke (the partnering university on our North Durham pilot study), Mark Steichen of Black and Veatch, Jamie Gellner of Hazen and Sawyer (who also worked with us on the North Durham project), Jim McQuarrie of CH2M Hill, and Hallvard Odegaard from Norwegian University of Science and Technology. I'm also anxious to check out a poster on IFAS operations from our friend and neighbor, Don Howard at the City of Greensboro, NC.