blue frog system - c&m aquatic

Efficient, Adaptable Wastewater Treatment Exclusively sold in Canada by

C&M Aquatic Management Group Ltd.

TOLL FREE: 1-877-372-0109 519-372-0109 [email protected]

™ Blue Frog System Technology

Efficient, Adaptable Waste Water Treatment

Exclusively distributed in Canada by C&M Aquatic Management Group Ltd.

Blue Frog™ System Technology





Lagoon based wastewater treatment has long been a simple, effective and reliable way to treat wastewater for a variety of different applications.

In its simplest form, lagoon-based wastewater treatment involves the discharge of untreated wastewater into a pond or lagoon where it is stored for a period of time and treated. The treated water is then discharged back into the environment. The wastewater treatment is a result of a complex combination of physical, chemical and biological processes.

Advantages Relatively low cost to build, operate and maintain lagoons Capable of treating effluent to a level that permits safe discharge to the

environment Requires less operator skill and attention than mechanical treatment

plants Disadvantages Limited ability to add more capacity without substantial costs Odour problems can occur Sludge accumulation – can require on-going clean out & disposal Potentially unable to meet tougher new discharge regulations

Lagoon-based Wastewater Treatment

2





Many existing lagoons are now in excess of 30 years old and are hard-pressed to accommodate growth and meet increasingly stringent discharge limits. Communities are generally faced with two options: Building new lagoons High cost of land acquisition and large environmental footprint Mechanical treatment plants • Several times more expensive to build than lagoons • Creates the need for full time, trained operators • Higher annual operational, maintenance & lifecycle replacement costs than lagoons • Continual need to remove & dispose of the produced biosolids or sludge There is a noticeable gap between the low cost, lower performance traditional lagoon approach and the higher cost high performance mechanical treatment plant approach.

Challenges Associated with Aging Infrastructure

The ideal solution is a wastewater management approach making use of existing lagoon infrastructure, while

significantly raising the bar with regards to treatment performance. Enter the Blue Frog System…

3





The Blue Frog System is a proven, tested, affordable lagoon-based wastewater treatment system with the following benefits:

• Enhances the natural environment to maintain a healthy lagoon ecosystem

• Increases lagoon treatment capacity allowing for community growth

• Replicates the best practices of an integrated modern wastewater treatment plant in a lagoon for less than 10% of the costs - by utilizing existing lagoons

• Reduces BOD, odour problems, ammonia, TSS & pathogens

• Greatly increases anaerobic sludge digestion within the lagoon - limiting the need for dredging & disposal

• Can be easily retrofitted to most existing lagoon setups

• From system design to installation within 6 to 8 weeks

• Requires no additional trained staff to maintain or operate

Blue Frog System Technology

4





Blue Frog System – Three Step Process

1) Floating Tank CSTR – Creates flow equalization, is an incubation selector tank and performs odour suppression

2) Additional Circulators – Creates a continuous lagoon cap while inducing gentle mixing and excellent odour suppression

3) Exit Clarification – Sinks the solids prior to discharge, allowing the cleaner less dense water to be discharged to the environment

This three step process can be repeated as needed even within a single lagoon to achieve a treatment train approach. The end result is an efficient and adaptable wastewater treatment process that virtually eliminates odours and the requirement to desludge your lagoons on an ongoing basis.

9





A Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) is added above the inflow to the lagoon. The CSTR “tank” is formed by the water leaving the Blue Frog circulator. The CSTR acts as: 1) A Flow Equalizer – by mixing high strength or low strength influent with existing water in the tank to equalize the strength of the water to be treated. 2) An Incubator – by taking the full strength influent and keeping microbes in close contact with the BOD, growing a large population of high quality microbes. 3) A Selector tank - by using the specific properties of the influent to select for sludge digesting fermentative and anaerobic microbes and against sulfur reducing bacteria.

Step 1 - The Floating Tank

4) An Odour Suppressor- by continuously directing raw influent and the associated odors towards the bottom of the lagoon to prevent release.

The Three Simple Steps of the Blue Frog System Treatment Process:

5





The “floating tank” consists of the Blue Frog circulator encircled by a floating boom and curtain system (the CSTR) that encircles the unit to define the active circulation zone. Water water leaves the circulator flows horizontally along the surface, and piles up at a floating boom and curtain wall, creating a vertical downward driving force. The down-flowing water ricochets off the lagoon bottom and flows back to the circulator inlet, while simultaneously inducing a counter-current below the circulator. The water current gently mixes the available nutrients and microbes, facilitating new growth of large numbers of fermentative & anaerobic microbes. These newly produced microbes then exit the floating tank at the sludge/water interface on the bottom of the lagoon to begin the process of organic sludge digestion.

How The Floating Tank Works

6





Step 2 – Lagoon Layering and Mixing

Additional circulators are strategically spaced over the lagoon surface to establish and maintain a thin sweet water cap over the foul anaerobic lagoon. The cap is functionally a result of the difference in density between the top and bottom layers and is analogous to a thermocline in a natural lake. Passive circulation of the anaerobic bottom layer is induced by gases released from the increased bacterial population that is created in our inlet CSTR. Odours are effectively contained by the cap layer while passive mixing increases the amount of anaerobic activity below. Layered systems such as this are quite common in nature (e.g. seasonally stratified lakes).

7





Step 3 - The Exit Clarifier

Exit Clarification In the Exit Clarification Process the Blue Frog circulator is modified with the addition of a patented impingement aeration system. This modified circulator and CSTR (floating tank) is installed at the downstream end of the lagoon where clarification and the settling of solids is achieved; not only by the CSTR circulation pattern, but also by tiny micro bubbles created by the patented impingement aeration system attached to the circulator. The exit CSTR also acts as a disinfection step as both bacteria and algae are killed by the circulation pattern created. The killing of these organisms is also accompanied by a 17% reduction in surface tension as the fat released by dead algae and bacteria is processed into soap. The result is consistently cleaner, less dense surface water that can be discharged from the surface of the tank to the receiving environment.

8





TOP

MIDDLE

BOTTOM

Key System Benefit: Odour Suppression

How does it work? 1. Raw water is discharged only from the bottom of the inlet CSTR

ensuring that any foul odours don't breach the surface. 2. The active mixing zone generated by the circulators maintains a robust

hydraulic cap of low density sweet water over top of the lagoon. Odours and solids are contained below the surface even during seasonal turnover events.

3. Hydrogen sulphide generating sulphate reducing bacteria are outcompeted by the community of fermentative and anaerobic bacteria selected in the inlet CSTR

10





TOP

MIDDLE

BOTTOM

Key System Benefit: Surface Tension Reduction

How does it work?

1. Bacteria, algae and sludge are broken down in the exit Gold Frog CSTR releasing lipids;

2. Lipids are changed into fatty acids creating soap bubbles (see picture below);

3. Soap drops the surface tension of the water by 17% which sinks solids faster;

4. “Wetter” water with lower surface tension infiltrates soils better and will not clog nozzles for spray irrigation applications; and,

5. “Wetter” water with lower surface tension lowers maintenance cleaning of downstream UV disinfection equipment.

10





TOP

MIDDLE

BOTTOM

Key System Benefit: Sludge Digestion Results

4 Phases of Sludge Digestion Phase 1 - Initial drop as surface gel is broken Phase 2 - Apparent sludge volume increases temporarily as compact dense

sludge is “fluffed up” by gases produced from microbial growth Phase 3 - Linear decrease in volume as old entombed sludge is consumed

by sludge digesting bacteria incubated in the CSTR Phase 4 - New equilibrium is reached. Rate of new sludge deposition = rate

of sludge digestion (No net accumulation) Length of time to reach equilibrium is variable from site to site. Typically 8 to

12 months for municipal sewage lagoons

10





TOP

MIDDLE

BOTTOM

Key System Benefit: Sludge Digestion Results

10

Before After

Sludge Digestion: Hog Lagoon





TOP

MIDDLE

BOTTOM

Remote Sludge Mapping with PS1

C&M has developed a remote-operated unmanned surface vehicle called PS1. It can be quickly and safely deployed in virtually any lagoon situation to provide a very detailed and accurate representation of the lagoon biosolids. Access to a detailed map allows for better estimates of sludge volume, short circuiting and real time lagoon treatment capacity. Knowledge of the lagoon sludge is critical to effective decision making and long term management planning. Contact C&M for further information regarding the PS1 lagoon sludge

mapping service.

10





Pictured above are Yellow Frog circulators installed in Markdale, Ontario operating at an air temperature of -21◦ Celsius (Winter 2013). As air temperatures descend lower, the open water retreats - eventually freezing right to the edge of the circulator at around -30 to -40◦C. Even at extremely low air temperatures, the circulated water continues to flow just under the ice. Ice build-up on the units and the potential for tipping is not a concern as the circulation pattern the unit creates does not cause any water to breach the surface of the lagoon. Blue Frog System technology is engineered to operate continuously and reliably during cold weather conditions.

Cold Weather Performance

11





Blue Frog System - Key Components and Technical Specifications

There are three Frog circulator models:

Blue Frog, Yellow Frog, and Gold Frog

12





A Blue Frog Is an efficient mixer and passive aerator that is able to move up to seven million gallons per day (direct flow) and has the ability to layer the treated water.

Blue Frog – Base Unit

Total Weight: 520 lbs. Diameter: 8 ft Total height: 5’ 3” Standard Float Depth: 32” Gear Motor: 3hp, 1720 rpm, 3 phase AMPS: 4.5 AMPS/460V, 9.0 AMPS/230V

13





A Yellow Frog is a specialized high efficiency aerator comprised of a Blue Frog circulator base unit with 124 feet of aeration hose wrapped around the outside of the chassis (shown above). Air is supplied by an external blower that operates within the Frog. Each Yellow Frog has a 4.25 horsepower motor is capable of adding 200 lbs. of oxygen per day to the lagoon. Each Yellow Frog unit is also capable of circulating 7,350,000 US gallons per day (direct flow). Yellow Frog units can be utilized inside a CSTR or for lagoon capping or additionally as a specialized ammonia reduction system.

Yellow Frog

14





A Yellow Frog surrounded by radiating spokes of suspended attached growth surface area is used to create a highly efficient and mobile fixed film bioreactor for ammonia nitrogen and BOD reduction.

Yellow Frog Fixed Film Bioreactor for Enhanced Ammonia Treatment

14





Gold Frog

A Gold Frog is a Blue Frog base unit that has a patented impingement aeration system attached to it. Gold Frogs are typically utilized for clarification purposes in an exit CSTR (see Step 3 page 9) .

15





The impingement aeration system is utilized for clarification because of its unique ability to lower the specific gravity of the surface water - sinking solids up to four times faster. This allows clean clarified surface water to be discharged while solids sink to the bottom for anaerobic digestion.

Gold Frog’s Specialized Impingement Aeration Process

Notice the “cloud’ forming in the water. This “cloud” is light reflecting off the millions of microscopic bubbles produced by the impingement aeration process.

16





The Blue Frog System has been successfully used for treatment of: • Municipal Wastewater • Poultry Processing Plant Wastewater • Beef Processing Plant Wastewater • Winery Wastewater • Hog Confinement (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) Wastewater • Dairy Wastewater

Proven Results in Diverse Applications

17





Lagoon Improvements

Beef Processing Lagoon at installation

24 hours later Municipal lagoon with blue-green algae issues

3 months later

Municipal lagoon with duckweed issues – July 2011

4 months later

18





Blue Frog System:

• Enhances the natural environment to promote a healthy & stable lagoon ecosystem

• Increases lagoon treatment capacity allowing for community growth

• Replicates the best practices of an integrated modern wastewater treatment plant in a lagoon for less than 10% of the cost

• Reduces BOD, odour problems, ammonia, TSS & pathogens

• Greatly increases sludge digestion within the lagoon reducing the need for costly removal and disposal of biosolids

• Can be easily retrofitted into almost any existing lagoon setup within 6 to 8 weeks of order placement

• Requires no additional trained staff to maintain or operate

• Effectively eliminates blue-green and other floating algae from lagoons

Key System Benefits

19





For more information contact:

C&M Aquatic Management Group Ltd. 954 1St Ave West

Owen Sound, Ontario N4K 4K5

519 372 0109 [email protected]

blue frog system - c&m aquatic

Documents