Effluent from conventional wastewater treatment plants is a readily available, reliable, and renewable resource that we don’t take advantage of. ultraBLOX is the most versatile and advanced tertiary system for creating clean, pure, and safe water.
ultraBLOX IS USED IN THE FOLLOWING MARKETS
- Advanced treatment of secondary effluent to essentially zero solids.
- Advanced reuse such as DPR, IPR, and Title 22
- Industrial process water make-up
- UF/MF membrane plant rehab
BENEFITS OF ULTRABLOX
- Increase capacity of existing UF/MF membrane plants
- Quick and full recovery, minimize impacts of EPS and algae fouling
- Combine with ozone, PAC, enhanced coagulation, or tertiary MBR for advanced treatment capabilities
- Takes less chemical to achieve low TP limits
- Pathogen removal
- Heavy metal removal
- Lower downstream treatment (RO, UV, etc.) costs
HOW
DOES IT
WORK?
ultraBLOX is a submerged ultrafiltration membrane processes used to treat secondary effluent for numerous reuse and effluent polishing applications. Depending on the source water quality various pre-treatment chemicals, such as coagulants or oxidants, can be added to the influent prior to the membrane basin. In some cases SiC can be combined with powdered activated carbon to effectively remove organic compounds, such as DOC and PFAS, by creating a targeted cake layer on the membrane surface.
Tertiary sources contain numerous compounds that can impact long term, sustainable membrane permeability. Whether it is organic material, TSS spikes, or heavy metals, atertiary membrane systems encounter numerous fouling mechanisms that require different cleaning approaches. ultraBLOX has the most effective set of fouling mitigation methods to ensure membrane performance is stable over its entire life regardless of feed quality, which is only made possible with SiC membranes.
| Method | Backwash | Air Scour | Sprinkler Wash | Pressure Wash | Chemical Cleaning |
| Purpose | Solids removal | Solids removal | Solids removal | Dewatering removal | Organic, scale, metals removal |
| Frequency | 30 to 60 min | Continuous or during backwash | Daily to weekly | As needed | Monthly to yearly |
HOW
DOES IT
WORK?
ultraBLOX is
Title 22 Approved
| PARAMETER | ACHIEVABLE VALUE |
| Effluent TSS | <1.0 mg/l |
| Effluent Turbidity | <0.1 NTU |
| Effluent SDI | <2.0 |
| Metal Removal | >90% |
| Effluent Fecal | <2.2 MPN/100 ml |
WWTP EFFLUENT POLISHING
With tighter and tighter treatment limits being imposed on existing wastewater treatment plants, the need for reliable and effective polishing of existing effluent has never been greater. Whether it is TSS, total phosphorous, or heavy metals, ultraBLOX systems are the most effective at elevating effluent quality to meet any standard.
ultraBLOX system require less chemical to achieve low phosphorous limits due to the physical barrier layer provided by the SiC membranes. The same benefit applies to heavy metal removal where effluent levels far exceed today’s treatment standards.
Membrane Upgrade
UF/MF membranes have been widely used in tertiary filtration systems for decades but have experienced operational issues, especially in CAS plants that do not nitrify. In non-nitrifying plants, the biology has a tendency to slough of EPS due to young sludge age which can quickly foul any membrane downstream of the secondary clarifiers. While EPS can be cleaned, if it is a frequent fouling occurrence it can lead to a rapid decline in polymeric membrane performance.
ultraBLOX can be used to retrofit existing UF/MF tertiary plants that are struggling to meet hydraulic capacity or are suffering from membrane degradation issues. While EPS fouling is difficult to avoid entirely, the SiC membranes are easily and quickly recovered without experiencing any performance degradation.
Advanced Reuse
Advanced reuse applications, such as Title 22, potable reuse, and industrial process water, rely on a consistent high quality feed source free of contaminants. Continued concerns over bacteria and viruses coupled with emerging pollutants such as PFAS and pharmaceuticals stretch the limits of existing technologies.
By utilizing a membrane made from sand, ultraBLOX systems ensure the highest effluent quality due to the superior membrane integrity. This is particularly important when RO is used downstream as just a few broken hollow fibers can impact performance.
Additional treatment technologies, like ozone or powdered activated carbon, can be directly integrated into ultraBLOX systems to provide additional treatment for advanced reuse applications.
INTEGRATION
ultraBLOX-micro
Conventional, in-ground tertiary plants are often cost prohibitive for plants under 1.0 MGD in size. ultraBLOX-micro SiC Packaged Tertiary Plants are complete, skid mounted ready to operate systems that can be customized for a variety of flow ranges up to 1.0 MGD. The widest operational window of ultraBLOX-micro systems make it able to address any tertiary treatment challenge.
ultraBLOX-micro
Conventional, in-ground tertiary plants are often cost prohibitive for plants under 1.0 MGD in size. ultraBLOX-micro SiC Packaged Tertiary Plants are complete, skid mounted ready to operate systems that can be customized for a variety of flow ranges up to 1.0 MGD. The widest operational window of ultraBLOX-micro systems make it able to address any tertiary treatment challenge.
DID YOU KNOW?
ultraBLOX can remove phosphorous, algae, and heavy metals in addition to solids. It can be coupled with O3 or PAC for removing organic compounds like PFAS and pharmaceuticals.