UOP unveils new biological wastewater treatment

Honeywell's UOP announced Tuesday its commercial launch of an integrated bioreactor system to efficiently remove organic and inorganic contaminants from a wide range of industrial wastewater streams.

The UOP XCeed bioreactor system, based on Honeywell's immobilized cell bioreactor technology, helps industrial, manufacturing, and groundwater remediation facilities meet contaminant removal specifications for wastewater discharge or reuse. 

UOP's commercial launch of this technology builds on the experience associated with more than 50 successful installations.

"Manufacturers globally are subject to stricter wastewater regulations and fees, which creates a need for more cost-effective treatment solutions that meet regulatory requirements and more stringent internal treatment standards," said Mike Millard, senior vice president and general manager of UOP's catalysts, adsorbents and specialties business. 

"Using our expertise in process development, we have designed a high-performance biological treatment system that meets requirements efficiently and cost-effectively," he added. "UOP is using 100 years of experience purifying various process streams to create superior contaminant removal solutions."

UOP's XCeed bioreactor system has been proven reliable and cost-effective in food and beverage, chemical and textile manufacturing, groundwater remediation, and refinery and petrochemical applications worldwide, according to company officials.

The integrated treatment process can be delivered as a modular system and incorporates mixed-media support for immobilized bio-catalysts, or microbes. A sophisticated biological ecosystem enables longer biomass retention time and results in highly efficient biological oxygen demand (BOD) removal with low sludge production. 

The system has a relatively simple mechanical design that minimizes energy consumption and required operator attention.