Director II tank baffles from Environetics are designed for tank-based waste treatment. The baffles are custom manufactured from heavy-duty reinforced geomembranes to improve flow patterns in circular or rectangular tanks. An alternative to concrete or fiberglass baffles, the UV- and chemical-resistant panels have stainless steel frames for durability and ease of installation without field fabrication or welding.

"If treatment solutions change over the years, this is something you can move to change the configuration over time, whereas, if you put in a concrete wall, it's pretty permanent," says Rick Winters, vice president of marketing. "This is a cost-effective and versatile solution."

The mechanical perimeter batten system provides a positive seal. Applications include selector systems for biological nutrient removal, chlorine contact chambers, anoxic zones for denitrification, mixing and clarification zones, and establishing vertical or horizontal flow. Modular components can be assembled in the tank or connected outside and set by crane.

The baffles are designed to fit specific tank profiles and can be installed in about a day. "Although we have manufactured tank baffles up to 150 feet long, wastewater treatment tanks rarely are engineered to exceed 25 feet in depth," Winters says. "Typically, these tanks are rectangular with aeration on the floor, and they're using these to create separate treatment cells within the existing tank.

"It's mostly a retrofit for older systems that had just one big open tank. Now they want to create separate treatment zones within that tank to alter the process and make it more efficient. They might have an area of higher concentration of aeration and a settling zone on the other side of the baffle. Most of the time, the baffles are 20 to 30 feet wide and 15 to 20 feet deep."

Choices include flow-over and flow-under baffles, flow-around baffles, flow-through window baffles, complex baffle intersections, weir and clean-out ports, scum and debris ports, and pipe and penetration boots. "There's no maintenance required," Winters says. "They hold up in any type of environment. The stainless steel material lasts indefinitely. The baffle material, the curtain material, has been used in wastewater applications for 30 years." 815/838-8331; www.environeticsinc.com.