A Process Description of the Eco-Machine

About: This is a simple introduction to the working process of and Eco-Machine for Environmental Engineers. This is to be used a reference to aid in learning about Eco-Machines and to see if this system would be a feasible alternative option for wastewater treatment. In the world today, more than 1,200,000,000 people lack access to clean drinking water. An Eco-Machine presents the realistic application of a system that will provide clean drinking water to those in dire need. It can also provide a feasible approach to wastewater treatment with a much smaller impact on the environment than a traditional wastewater treatment plant. An Eco-Machine is a miniature ecosystem that relies on a variety of forms of life to treat wastewater. It functions much like a natural wetland and is capable of meeting advanced water quality standards of the United States. Because the system harnesses the power of living things, the operating costs are very low compared to a traditional wastewater treatment plant. Eco-Machines also produce much less sludge, or the residual semi-solid material left from treatment, because these biosolids are fed to fish. Not only can it do all of these things, but the system is sustainable and based on a small scale, which is perfect for small communities. This is essential in a developing third world country, because they must have a reliable, safe source of drinking water.

Figure 1 (http://toddecological.com/about_us/) provides a good indication of the scale on which an Eco-Machine would operate. It is a reasonably sized space that could easily fit within any community to provide safe dirking water.

Eco-Machine Design
Although each Eco-Machine that is designed will differ depending on a range of factors, such as amount of wastewater flow, content of wastewater, location, available space, and climate, each follows the same general process. Including an anaerobic pre-treatment component, aerobic tanks, which serve as the primary treatment approach, followed by the polishing step. Each of these steps can be accomplished using different substrates and techniques, which will be outlined next:
Recycle

Recycle

Figure 2 is a simple flow diagram of a standard Eco Machine Process. Though the number of tanks, tank size and substrates can differ from system to system, they follow this general process. Anaerobic Pre-Treatment (the following numbers reference Figure 2)

1.) Wastewater is collected in the holding tank to be treated in the Eco-Machine. 2.) Wastewater enters these closed anaerobic tanks at its highest concentration. These tanks provide an anaerobic environment, or an environment without oxygen. This step of the process promotes the denitrification of the wastewater. That means that all of the nitrates (NO3-) are converted in a chemical process to nitrogen (N2).
Primary Aerobic Treatment

3.) The open aerobic tanks provide an oxygen-rich environment which promotes the nitrification of the wastewater. An air supply maintains the aerobic environment which in turn creates the biological oxidation of ammonia, then converted to ammonium, then into nitrite followed by the oxidation of these nitrites into nitrates. These excess nitrates are recycled, as shown in the diagram, back to the closed anaerobic tanks to promote the anaerobic environment. In the closed aerobic tanks, within this environment, plants grow and the plant roots provide a surface on which bacteria grow. These bacteria will then consume the organic biosolids.
Polishing

4.) The final step takes the treated water to the next level and ensures that it is safe to drink. Here, the clarifying of the treated water occurs where the remaining nutrients and biosolids are removed. This step can often be a series of a few steps. The water enters the clarifier which contains duckweed, which is aquatic plant that resides on or just beneath the surface of still bodies of fresh water or wetlands. Duckweed is utilized in the polishing step to remove the excess nutrients from the water. From the clarifier, any removed biosolids are recycled back to the holding tank to be treated again. 5.) The treated water enters the last step in which it enters a pond containing more nutrient-extracting plants as well as fish that will consume any remaining biosolids. 6.) The treated water that is effluent from this process meets drinking water standards in the United States. It enters the collection tank where its end use it later determined.

Process Conclusion
A community can utilize an Eco-Machine to treat its produced wastewater. The wastewater will be treated through the utilization of natural biological and chemical processes. The wastewater goes through anaerobic pre-treatment, the primary aerobic treatment, and then the final polishing steps. An Eco-Machine that treats 1,000 gallons of wastewater per day could serve twenty people in the United States or over 400 people in Africa. This shows how crucial the impact that the implementation of a simple, biological wastewater treatment process, such as an Eco-Machine could potentially have in a community with limited water resources.