Editor's Note: Innovation was a big theme at WEFTEC 2014. We'll be featuring a few of the new and better technologies found in the exhibit hall at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Watch for the Innovation logo to learn more about new products displayed at the clean-water industry’s flagship exhibition and conference.

Bluewater Bio displayed HYBACS hybrid activated sludge technology for nutrient removal. The process includes two biological treatment stages, followed by clarification. The first stage uses the company’s Shaft Mounted Advanced Reactor Technology (SMART) units, containing attached biomass. The second stage is conventional activated sludge treatment. High COD in the SMART units stimulates dense biomass to produce enzymes that accelerate hydrolysis of material in the wastewater. The hydrolyzed material is oxidized more readily in the activated sludge stage, enabling a higher loading rate and reducing tank size. The process also encourages formation of granular activated sludge floc that settles rapidly and allows higher loading rates on clarifiers.

For more information, visit www.bluewaterbio.com.