Technical Guides
Water & Wastewater Treatment Guides
Plain-English engineering references on the unit processes behind municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment — how each works, how it's designed, and who builds it.
Biological Treatment
Activated sludge, SBR, MBBR, IFAS, MBR, oxidation ditch, lagoon systems
Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Technology: Complete Guide
Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology combines conventional activated sludge biological treatment with membrane filtration, producing high-quality effluent in
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SBR vs. MBBR: Which is Right for Your Facility?
Two of the most frequently compared technologies in municipal wastewater procurement are the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) and the Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor
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Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) Systems: Complete Guide
The sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is a fill-and-draw activated sludge system that performs equalization, aeration, and clarification in a single basin throug
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The Activated Sludge Process: How It Works
The activated sludge process is the most widely used biological wastewater treatment method worldwide, treating municipal and industrial wastewater through a
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What is an MBBR? Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor Explained
The Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) is one of the most significant advances in biological wastewater treatment in the last 30 years. Originally developed in
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What is an Oxidation Ditch? A Complete Guide
The oxidation ditch is one of the most widely used biological wastewater treatment processes in the United States — particularly for small to medium communiti
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Nutrient Removal
BNR, nitrogen removal, phosphorus removal, chemical and biological processes
Chemical Phosphorus Removal: Methods, Chemicals, and Equipment
Chemical phosphorus removal uses metal salts to precipitate dissolved phosphorus from wastewater as an insoluble metal-phosphate compound, which is then remov
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What is Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR)?
Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) is the process of removing nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater using bacteria under controlled environmental conditions
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Disinfection
UV systems, chlorination, ozone treatment, chlorine dioxide
Chlorination vs. UV Disinfection for Wastewater: A Comparison
Selecting the right disinfection technology is one of the most consequential decisions in wastewater treatment plant design. Chlorination and UV disinfection
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Ozone Treatment for Water and Wastewater: Applications and Design
Ozone treatment is one of the most powerful oxidation and disinfection technologies available for water and wastewater applications. As a triatomic oxygen mol
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UV Disinfection for Wastewater: Complete Guide
Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection has become the dominant method for final effluent disinfection at municipal wastewater treatment plants across North America. Re
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Solids & Biosolids
Dewatering, centrifuges, belt press, digestion, drying, thermal processing
Anaerobic Digestion for Biosolids: Process and Benefits
Anaerobic digestion is the controlled biological decomposition of organic solids in the absence of oxygen, producing stabilized biosolids and energy-rich biog
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Belt Press vs. Centrifuge: Biosolids Dewatering Comparison
Dewatering is the process of removing water from wastewater sludge to reduce its volume for disposal, land application, or further processing. The two dominan
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Biogas Recovery from Anaerobic Digestion: Systems and Economics
Biogas recovery transforms wastewater treatment facilities from net energy consumers into partial or full energy producers. Anaerobic digestion biogas—a mixtu
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Screw Press Dewatering: How It Compares to Belt Press and Centrifuge
Screw press dewatering has emerged as a compelling alternative to belt filter presses and centrifuges for sludge dewatering equipment at small and mid-size wa
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Thermal Hydrolysis for Biosolids: Process, Benefits, and Economics
Thermal hydrolysis process (THP) technology has transformed biosolids management at large wastewater treatment facilities by using high temperature and pressu
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Primary Treatment
Bar screens, grit removal, clarifiers, headworks equipment
Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF): Applications in Water and Wastewater
Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is a clarification process that removes suspended solids, oils, grease, and other low-density contaminants by attaching them to
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Grit Removal Systems: Types and Applications
Grit — sand, gravel, cinder ash, eggshells, bone chips, coffee grounds, seeds, and other hard inorganic solids — enters the wastewater collection system from
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Lamella Clarifiers and Plate Settlers: Design and Applications
Lamella clarifiers use inclined plates or tubes to multiply the effective (projected) settling area within a compact footprint, typically achieving clarificat
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What is a Bar Screen? Headworks Equipment Guide
Headworks is the first treatment step at a wastewater treatment plant — the point where raw sewage enters the facility and large solids are removed before any
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Filtration
Sand filters, cloth media, membrane, disk filters
Aeration
Fine bubble diffusers, coarse bubble, surface aerators, blower systems
Fine Bubble vs. Coarse Bubble Aeration: Which is Better?
Aeration is the largest energy consumer in a biological wastewater treatment plant — typically 50-70% of total plant power. Choosing the right aeration system
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Lagoon Aeration Systems: Mechanical vs. Fine Bubble
Aerated lagoon systems treat wastewater for thousands of small communities across North America, providing simple, low-cost biological treatment without the c
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Turbo Blowers vs. Positive Displacement Blowers: Which is Right for Your Plant?
Aeration blower selection is one of the most consequential equipment decisions at a wastewater treatment facility, since aeration typically accounts for 50–65
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Pumps & Blowers
Submersible, dry pit, grinder, progressive cavity, PD blowers, centrifugal blowers
Centrifugal vs. Positive Displacement Pumps in Water and Wastewater
Pump selection is fundamental to water and wastewater system design, and the choice between centrifugal and positive displacement (PD) pumps affects energy ef
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Progressive Cavity Pumps for Wastewater: Selection Guide
Progressive cavity pumps are the workhorse of sludge and viscous fluid handling in wastewater treatment, offering gentle, low-shear pumping with precise flow
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Submersible vs. Dry Pit Pumps: Pump Selection Guide for Wastewater
Every wastewater collection system includes lift stations — pumping stations that move sewage from low points to higher elevations in the gravity collection s
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What Is a Lift Station? Wastewater Pumping Fundamentals
A lift station (also called a sewage pump station) is a facility that pumps wastewater from a lower elevation to a higher elevation when gravity flow alone ca
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Drinking Water
Softening, iron/manganese, RO, arsenic removal, fluoridation
Iron and Manganese Removal in Drinking Water Treatment
Iron and manganese are among the most common aesthetic contaminants in drinking water, causing discolored water, staining, metallic taste, and distribution sy
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PFAS Treatment Technologies: GAC, Ion Exchange, and Membrane Options
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are among the most pressing contaminants in drinking water treatment. In April 2024, EPA finalized the first PFAS N
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Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Drinking Water Treatment
Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane treatment has become the dominant desalination and advanced purification technology for drinking water systems worldwide. RO mem
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Onsite & Decentralized
ATUs, drip irrigation, mound systems, constructed wetlands, small systems
Package Plants
Complete packaged treatment systems, prefab pump stations, modular systems
Municipal Compliance Pipeline
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