A portable wastewater treatment solution from CST Wastewater Solutions packaged in a standard shipping container is being adopted by companies for remote site applications.

Designed as a plug and play system, the modular Smith and Loveless FAST process from CST Wastewater Solutions can be easily transported, installed and operated with minimal engineering and maintenance at worksite and population centres.

FAST or Fixed Activated Sludge Treatment is available in individual unit capacities of hundreds of cubic metres a day. The capacity of the patented process can be multiplied by using several interconnected units. The environment-friendly system not only allows higher loading rates within a smaller footprint, but also enables effluent produced to be recycled into suitable industrial, public facility and commercial processes.

The FAST process achieves effective nutrient removal for applications containing high levels of nitrogen, a water pollutant that has increased significantly in industrial, commercial and municipal applications, and is an environmental concern particularly to resources, engineering, construction, hospitality, marine, agribusiness, public facility and water and wastewater infrastructure organisations.

Involving a fixed-film, aerobic treatment system designed for tackling variable load and flow conditions, FAST consists of tankage packed with completely submerged media, which creates a high surface area-to-volume ratio. Combined with internal settling zones, the system maintains constant bacterial growth during low-flow and peak usage periods typical of many remote installations, resulting in stable operation on a daily basis.

CST Wastewater Solutions’ Managing Director Mr Mike Bambridge explains that the system has been proven in thousands of installations worldwide, and has been found to be highly reliable in Australia with its stable process withstanding hydraulic shock loads and preventing bacterial washouts. The system’s simple operation and maintenance eliminate the need for daily operator involvement, and also minimise annual plant maintenance.

CST is the exclusive national distributor for the FAST system with installations completed for Alcoa, BHP-Billiton, Bechtel Pacific, Blair Athol Coal, Blue Circle Southern Cement, Cadia Gold, Dampier Salt and Wakefield Colliery. Installations have also been completed for the Central Coast Grammar School, CSIRO, Hunter District Water Kiama Municipal Council, Lakeside Leisure Park and Berowra Waters Marina.

FAST is built into standard 20- or 40-foot shipping containers or concrete or fibreglass units, with each system arriving at the job site as a complete, factory-built unit or as large components for easy field assembly. FAST can also be retrofitted into existing aeration tankage to boost capacity or performance without expanding the plant.

A major FAST project being installed by CST Wastewater Solutions and scheduled to be completed this year, involves combination units with total capacities from 100 to more than 300 cubic metres a day.

Key features and benefits of the FAST system include modular design and construction; low sludge production; no moving parts, except for an air blower that provides oxygen while circulating the liquid; minimal maintenance requirement; and robust and reliable performance.

The FAST system and the complementary Smith and Loveless Titan MBR (Membrane Biological Reactor) systems are packaged aerobic wastewater plants that form part of CST Wastewater Solutions’ broad range of proprietary wastewater treatment equipment.