SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Underwater domes filled with sewage-eating bacteria, nicknamed Poo-Gloos, are being pitched as a less-expensive, lower-impact alternative to wastewater treatment facilities.
The devices, formally known as Bio-Domes, earned their nickname for their resemblance to igloos and the fact they were developed to clean up sewage from water.
A recent study found that the Bio-Domes remove pollution from wastewater at about the same rates as mechanical treatment facilities, and are being pitched as a solution for small, rural communities that rely on lagoon treatment setups but are outgrowing them.
The Bio-Domes are sold by Wastewater Compliance Systems, whose chief technology office, Kraig Johnson, developed them along with a research team at the University of Utah.
The domes each have four domes inside of them, separated by plastic film, allowing for a large area for the growth of bacteria, which cleans up the wastewater. The domes are placed at the bottom of a sewage treatment lagoon, and tubes move air through the domes, moving water through them as well.
The Bio-Domes are now being used in six states, in both pilot projects and full-scale installations.
"Every day I speak with community officials who need to upgrade their treatment facilities," Taylor Reynolds, director of sales for Wastewater Compliance Systems, said in a statement. "They come to us because they receive an engineering report recommending a $4 million to $10 million mechanical plant project that is impossible for them to pay for with their existing tax base. Not only can our Poo-Gloos or Bio-Domes help communities comply with pollution limits, but most of the projects I quote cost between $150,000 and $500,000, and the operating expenses are a fraction those at a mechanical plant."
Image: Bio-Domes - courtesy Waste Compliance Systems Inc.
The author might be referring
The author might be referring to traditional waste water treatment plants as mechanical because of all the pumps, lights, and other mechanical components that are involved in the processing of wastewater in these facilities. It appears, however, that these "Poo-Gloos" contain no moving parts and require no external energy input to operate, which is why their operating expenses are so low.
Someone is unclear on the
Someone is unclear on the concept of "mechanical" wastewater treatment. It's all biological. This is nothing new.
The process might not be, but
The process might not be, but it appears the mobility of and cost reductions associated with these smaller alternatives to treatment facilities are certainly cutting-edge.