MMSD pilots chemical-free primary wastewater innovation

A pilot installation of up-flow media filter technology could help the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) increase the tolerance of its wastewater treatment plants to “peak flow events” caused by rainstorms.

Filtration with biological treatment

The US utility is piloting the Proteus wastewater treatment technology from Tomorrow Water at its South Shore Reclamation Facility.

Able to provide simultaneous removal of suspended solids and digestion of organic contaminants from wastewater, Proteus is a high-rate media filtration system that uses proprietary floating media.

“Small in its design, the Proteus also offers wastewater treatment plants the ability to shrink their current operational infrastructure footprint.”

It does this without the use of chemicals and can process much higher flow rates, up to four times at peak flow, compared to existing clarifiers or even settling tanks, the company claims.

MMSD’s project follows installations at the Jungrang and Seonam wastewater treatment plants in South Korea, both processing 132 and 190 million gallons per day, respectively.

A peak flow event solution

The MMSD’s Jones Island and South Shore facilities treat around 150 million gallons of wastewater per day during the dry season. However, both plants can treat around 630 million gallons a day during a rainstorm.

“The report found that the Proteus Plus, an aerated upgrade to the Proteus system, further improved removal rates to 84 per cent for TSS and 81 per cent for BOD.”

Following a successful demonstration of Tomorrow Water's Proteus system at the Anthony Ragnone Treatment Plant (ARTP) in Michigan, an independent report was carried out by Dr. Glen Daigger, President of One Water Solutions looking at the real-world impact of the technology.

The report found that the Proteus Plus, an aerated upgrade to the Proteus system, further improved removal rates to 84 per cent for TSS and 81 percent for BOD.

What more, the report found that first flush impacts were observed during the pilot, confirming Proteus’ ability to manage unique wet weather challenges.

2020 Pilot programme winner

Tomorrow Water's pilot project with MMSD was selected by The Water Council (TWC) for its annual 'Pilot Program'.

"Supporting the progression and demonstration of new water technologies is one of The Water Council's main objectives," said Karen Frost, vice president of economic development and innovation for The Water Council.

"The Pilot Program provides companies like Tomorrow Water with the opportunity to take those innovative solutions and pilot them in Wisconsin."

"Proteus has already been adopted in the real-world at large scale in Seoul, Korea, in installations that process 66 million gallons per day and 190 million gallons per day."

The Proteus pilot project at MMSD's South Shore wastewater treatment plant is expected to operate from October of 2021 until March of 2022.

“This demonstration pilot will help showcase the benefits of Proteus to other municipalities in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the United States who can benefit from chemical-free primary wastewater treatment that is highly tolerant of wet weather flows,” said E.F. Dongwoo Kim, CEO of Tomorrow Water.