Nutrient removal is one of the most pressing challenges facing lagoon operators. State EPAs, in the interest of protecting waterways, have been enacting increasingly stringent effluent requirements for ammonia, nitrogen, and phosphorus. (A previous blog, Wastewater Lagoon Phosphorus: The Crackdown Is Coming, covers this subject in detail.)
Triplepoint’s NitrOx® Process is a proven solution for ammonia removal. Now we’re proud to introduce PhosBox™, our cost-effective upgrade for tertiary lagoon phosphorus removal. In an earlier article, Wastewater Lagoon Phosphorus Removal Methods, we provided an overview of the science behind the chemical precipitation of phosphorus. Triplepoint has leveraged the best practices for phosphorus removal in the development of our tertiary filtration system: PhosBox.
Introducing PhosBox
PhosBox is a low maintenance tertiary lagoon phosphorus removal system designed to achieve effluent phosphorus limits as low as 0.07 mg/L. As wastewater flows into the PhosBox it is inoculated with coagulant/flocculant that binds to the phosphorus; the combined mixture is then filtered out by a proprietary cloth media. The clean water is then discharged and the reject phosphorus is automatically backwashed and sent to a storage lagoon.
Financially Feasible
PhosBox is a highly efficient tertiary filter that can be installed between the final lagoon and the discharge/disinfection point. Given its small footprint and low equipment requirements, capital costs are kept to a minimum. Moreover, the filter operation and periodic backwash cycles are completely automated, so no hand holding is needed. When maintenance is required, the low cost filter media can be replaced in minutes with zero downtime.
Simple Operation
Lagoons are simple to operate—they are low maintenance, low hassle, and offer lots of flexibility—making them the perfect wastewater treatment solution for small communities. We designed PhosBox with precisely this in mind: wastewater hydraulically flows through the system, sensors continuously monitor phosphorus levels and control coagulant addition, automated backwash cycles clean the filter media, and system alerts tell you when media needs to be replaced based on an increase in backpressure through the filter. All of these features are designed to make the job of operating a PhosBox system as simple as an aerated lagoon.
Proven and Predictable
The PhosBox filtration technology has been independently tested and is Title DHS 22 Approved by the State of California. The proprietary cloth filter media has been proven capable of solids capture to 10 micron. This, coupled with decades of treatment performance with hundreds of filter installations in the field, ensures that each PhosBox system will reliably and consistently achieve your phosphorus removal requirements.
Triplepoint: Your Complete Lagoon Nutrient Solution
Triplepoint’s processes and technologies can help you meet all your effluent limits for nutrients. The NitrOx Process removes lagoon ammonia in any weather. The NitrOx+D Process denitrifies to remove Total Nitrogen from your effluent.
For more information on any of our nutrient removal technologies, contact us!
