The ECOPOD-D advanced wastewater treatment system is versatile. That is the idea the staff from Pentair Flow Technologies wanted attendees at the 2015 Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show to take away after learning about the unit. According to Tim Smith, a regional sales manager with Pentair Flow Technologies, the unit can be used in many applications, from residential duplexes to large schools, subdivisions and even wastewater treatment for small communities.

“This is a system that can treat anywhere from 1,500 all the way up to 100,000 gallons per day,” says Smith. “It’s a great fit for an application that doesn’t have an operator looking it over daily. It only requires periodic attention.”

The ECOPOD-D is simple in design, requires minimal maintenance and is effective in treating BOD, TSS and nitrogen, according to Smith. The system is a larger, commercial version of Delta Environmental’s NSF-certified ECOPOD single-family residential unit.

“It is basically taking a proven system for residential wastewater treatment and expands the technology into larger applications,” says Smith. “It’s an all-in-one system that can be installed quickly and easily. It’s designed to serve as a replacement for standard
package plants.”

It reduces nutrients in the wastewater as well as BOD and TSS in a single tank. The intra-tank bioreactor can be integrated into typical wastewater tanks, including steel, stainless steel or concrete structures. Its submerged fixed film process is marketed as stable, reliable and sturdy. It has an efficient removal process and is simple to operate, with no valves or controls to manage, Smith explains. It produces a low amount of sludge, helping reduce sludge-removal costs, he says. In addition, the unit produces no mixed liquor suspended solids, eliminating possible washouts. One unit can be installed to handle smaller, intermittent flows, while units can be installed in series to handle large flows.

“Because we’re talking about a modular unit, operating multiple ECOPOD-D units in succession can be a nice solution for larger flows,” says Smith. “Pentair feels that the decentralized wastewater treatment market has large growth potential, so our goal is to provide products that fit the largest need.”

Smith says development of the ECOPOD-D is a direct result of customers asking for a product that requires little operator oversight, and is equipped to meet the needs of changing discharge requirements. “Basically, as the laws change, a lot of people are looking for other options to adapt wastewater treatment,” he says. “This unit is great for them because of its high removal rate of BOD, TSS and nitrogen. When the company built this product, it not only looked at where the regulations are now, but where they’re predicted to go in the future.”

Smith was enthused by the traffic Pentair’s WWETT Show display received, and was especially excited by the number of installers who expressed interest in the ECOPOD-D unit. “We’ve had a lot of great questions this week, which tells me that this crowd likes to keep their fingers on the pulse of the industry,” he said during the show. “Those questions are great for our staff, too, because it gives us the chance to think about some custom solutions that may not necessarily be in our typical wheelhouse.”

Smith says Pentair is at work designing new products to tackle increasingly stringent regulations across the country. “Lately we are seeing a huge increase in the importance of phosphorus reduction, in addition to increased nitrogen reduction,” he says. “I think that’s the direction everyone is headed.” 800/219-9183; www.deltaenvironmental.com.