Percolation towers with attached biomass

The technology takes its name from the gills of fish (gill in English means gill) because, as happens in many aquatic animals in which thanks to them oxygen is transferred from the water to the fish’s organism, in the case of Biogill, the gill represented by a lamellar surface of nanomaterials acts as an exchange element capable of amplifying the transfer of oxygen from the atmosphere to the microorganisms responsible for the purification process. This particular system also allows for a significantly smaller production of biological sludge compared to traditional biological processes.

Biogill tower is the device within which the purification process takes place which is essentially based on the growth of a biological biofilm on the surface of the lamellar ceramic nanomaterial at the basis of the technology which is enclosed within a percolation tower usually positioned above ground and powered by a pump. The system represents an efficient, proven and cost-effective wastewater treatment solution. Each individual tower, depending on the type of wastewater to be treated and the polluting load to be eliminated, can achieve a flow rate of between 1 and 12 m3/day.

The wastewater raised at the top of the tower is distributed inside it through an anti-clogging system specially patented by Biogill called Hydroswirl located at the top which has the aim of favoring the spraying by gravity of the wastewater to be treated through the nanoceramic material contained inside the tower.

The particular surface structure of the “gill” creates a dense spiderweb-shaped network with a multitude of attachments in which the biological film can form, reproduce and grow, nourishing itself on the COD present in the wastewater and the oxygen that is exchanged by the atmospheric air circulating in the tower by natural convection. The lamellar nanoceramic material of which the interior of the tower is made is organized in the form of a serpentine circuit which allows the creation of two distinct areas for the biological process, the external one in contact with the wastewater and the internal one in contact with the air atmospheric: the oxygen diffuses within the biofilm passing from the side in contact with the atmospheric air to that in contact with the wastewater while the nutrients such as dissolved COD move in the opposite direction thanks to counter-diffusion processes which are 4 to 5 times faster than that of oxygen diffusion.

This aspect gives Biogill technology the ability to trigger and/or restart the purification process in a very short time compared to traditional biological processes.

Biogill Tower

Biogill tower is the device within which the purification process takes place which is essentially based on the growth of a biological biofilm on the surface of the lamellar ceramic nanomaterial at the basis of the technology which is enclosed within a percolation tower usually positioned above ground and powered by a pump. The system represents an efficient, proven and cost-effective wastewater treatment solution. Each individual tower, depending on the type of wastewater to be treated and the polluting load to be eliminated, can achieve a flow rate of between 1 and 12 m3/day.

The wastewater raised at the top of the tower is distributed inside it through an anti-clogging system specially patented by Biogill called Hydroswirl located at the top which has the aim of favoring the spraying by gravity of the wastewater to be treated through the nanoceramic material contained inside the tower.

The particular surface structure of the “gill” creates a dense spiderweb-shaped network with a multitude of attachments in which the biological film can form, reproduce and grow, nourishing itself on the COD present in the wastewater and the oxygen that is exchanged by the atmospheric air circulating in the tower by natural convection. The lamellar nanoceramic material of which the interior of the tower is made is organized in the form of a serpentine circuit which allows the creation of two distinct areas for the biological process, the external one in contact with the wastewater and the internal one in contact with the air atmospheric: the oxygen diffuses within the biofilm passing from the side in contact with the atmospheric air to that in contact with the wastewater while the nutrients such as dissolved COD move in the opposite direction thanks to counter-diffusion processes which are 4 to 5 times faster than that of oxygen diffusion.

This aspect gives Biogill technology the ability to trigger and/or restart the purification process in a very short time compared to traditional biological processes.

Main features:

• Simple installation and minimal maintenance required: the Biogill system does not require highly qualified personnel for its management.
• Particularly suitable for small/medium sized industrial and commercial applications
• Easily installed in existing systems with minimal system modifications and reduced overall dimensions
• Compact and standardized design
• Modularity: multiple towers can be installed in series or in parallel based on the flow rate of wastewater to be treated
• Process resilience: BioGill technology is remarkably tolerant to hydraulic and organic load variations typical of seasonal or discontinuous production activities
• Ease of quick restart of the system (in approximately 24 hours even after forced and prolonged stoppage)
• Greater tolerance towards the interference of compounds such as animal and vegetable oils and fats compared to traditional biological treatments
• High reduction of BOD and COD even on very concentrated flows
• Very low energy consumption and low investment cost (approximately 0.4 kWh for each tower)

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