Many traditional wastewater treatment and management solutions consist of multiple processes, meaning input wastewater can go through as many as 8 different stages before the final products are separated on the other side. Even with such a rigid filtration method, it’s sometimes not possible to achieve more than 65-85% water recovery at the end of the process, though this will vary from industry to industry.
At LAT Water, we have developed a single-process wastewater treatment system called the LAT Unit, which is capable of removing heavy metal ions, organics, methane, salts, and ammonia within the single process. LAT stands for “low-temperature, ambient pressure technology” and hints at the reduced use of heat energy throughout our process – the LAT Unit is designed to capture and utilise low-grade waste heat as an energy input (instead of discarding it into the atmosphere). This method of recycling energy is the key component that makes the system so energy-efficient and sustainable. Our single-process system is powerful, too – achieving a minimum water recovery rate of 70% (and up to 95% for some types of wastewater), making it one of the most effective wastewater treatment solutions in the world.
These features together make the LAT Unit not only more cost-effective to operate but also to maintain. One of our clients, Daxin Landfill in China, experiences extreme temperature changes throughout the year – between -10.6°C (13.0°F) and 25°C (77°F) – which poses a challenge for many wastewater management solution providers. However, since installing the LAT Units on-site in January 2019, the units have delivered over 95% uptime with 24/7 operation (and fixes required only minimal maintenance and did not cause major disruptions). As the systems can be monitored remotely 24/7, faults can be found before they cause complications and resolutions can be implemented more quickly.
Alongside being able to operate within a large range of temperatures, the LAT Unit is also able to treat more complex wastewaters than other systems and provides a highly-optimised treatment solution for less than £1-2/m3 of input wastewater, delivering cost savings in the region of 50-75% for our client businesses. Each LAT Unit is specially configured for our clients and can be optimised for a range of input flow rates as required.
Find out what the LAT Unit can do for you by contacting our team and requesting a sample analysis.
FAQs:
What are the usual 3 levels of wastewater treatment?
Wastewater is usually treated in three stages: the primary treatment where wastewater is separated into solids and liquids using settlement tanks; moving onto the secondary treatment where any remaining solids are removed; and the final tertiary treatment during which the water is filtered to remove gases, viruses, and bacteria. At the end of the tertiary stage, the water is considered safe enough to release back into the environment or reuse.
The LAT Unit is capable of performing all three levels within the single-stage treatment process to achieve the high-quality results our clients have come to expect from LAT Water. (Wondering about what happens to the solids at the end of the process? See our blog post to find out more.)
What is the hardest thing to remove from water?
Some people may find it surprising that one of the most difficult things to remove from wastewater streams is a solid: microplastics such as the abrasive beads found in beauty and skincare products are notoriously difficult to remove due to their size and coating. Many research papers on the topic have struggled to find a solution that is 100% effective in removing microplastics 100% of the time.
Contact The LAT Water Team
Meet us at The World Biogas Expo 2023 at the NEC in Birmingham on the 29th – 30th of March. We’ll be available on both days of the conference at stand D205.
You can also contact our team on +44 (0)1635 635900 or by emailing info@latwater.com. Download our corporate brochure for more details about wastewater treatment solutions.
