Waterloo Biofilter Systems is continually performing and publishing research in areas related to the onsite wastewater treatment industry.  Areas of interest include new wastewater treatment technologies, best practices for septic system design and operations and maintenance, as well as case studies and results from advanced decentralized sewage applications such as wastewater reuse, high strength wastewater, and landfill leachate treatment.

Waterloo Biofilter Papers

• Transportable, Communal Sewage Plants ( PDF, 243KB).  Submitted to ES&E, 2004.
  SC Shipping Container treatment units provide a ‘plug and play’ wastewater treatment solution that is shipped easily throughout the world, controls installation quality, reduces installations costs and variability, and provides more predictable treatment and operations.
• Effect of Increased Flow Rate on the Microbial Population in the Waterloo Biofilter ( PDF, 158KB).  Prepared for KEO, 2003.
  Periodic surges in flow rate or mass loading are easily handled by the Waterloo Biofilter technology with little to no effect on the effluent quality produced.
• Communal-Sized Sewage and Leachate Treatment Using Biofilters in Process Trains ( PDF, 1301KB). Published in ES&E, 1998.
  Waterloo Biofilter wastewater treatment technology applications ranging from municipal wastewater, food processing wastewater, and landfill leachate are detailed.

High Strength Wastewater Papers

• A Case Study in Designing for High Strength Wastewater ( PDF, 195KB). Presented at OOWA Conference, 2006.
  When designing systems for facilities that produce high strength or difficult wastewaters, a more holistic design approach should be taken: one that not only looks at the design elements and wastewater characteristics, but also accounts for the ‘usage of facility’ and O&M requirements.
• Treating Higher-Strength Commercial Sewage for Disposal or Re-Use ( PDF, 225KB).  Presented at ASAE Symposium, 2004.
  Challenges of high-strength sewage applications include high organic and nitrogen loading, highly variable flow rates, use of disinfectants, and untrained employees.  Strategies for dealing with these challenges and operational results using the Waterloo Biofilter technology are detailed.

Nitrogen Removal Papers

• Removal of Nitrate by ‘Anoxic Absorbent Filtration’ and Carbon Addition ( PDF, 844KB).  Published in Influents, 2009.
  Performance results of the WaterNOx, a biological anoxic filter for enhanced nutrient removal, are detailed from two separate field test sites.
• Nitrogen Removal with the Waterloo Biofilter ( PDF, 151KB).  Unpublished, 2004.
  An open letter to water and wastewater engineers details the biochemical processes involved in nitrogen removal, and provides supporting documentation from third party testing showing the nitrogen removal capabilities of the Waterloo Biofilter system.
• Predicting Nitrification Efficiency from Dissimilar Wastewaters ( PDF, 301KB).  Presented at WEAO Conference, 2004.
  An underperforming aeration treatment plant is retrofitted with a Waterloo Biofilter as a polisher to meet ammonium levels for surface discharge.  Operational data from two dissimilar wastewaters is used to successfully predict performance on a third wastewater.

Wastewater Reuse Papers

• Wastewater Re-used Successfully at Ontario Truck Stop ( PDF, 921KB).  Published in CEP, 2005.
  A truck stop in Southern Ontario is reusing treated wastewater produced by a Waterloo Biofilter sewage treatment system for toilet flushing, resulting in 60-70% water savings and significantly reduced nitrogen loading on the environment.
• Four Golf Resorts are Reusing Treated Sewage for Irrigation ( PDF, 1540KB).  Published in ES&E, 2001.
  Waterloo Biofilter sewage treatment systems allow four golf courses to re-use wastewater directly onsite for irrigation.  Advanced tertiary treatment levels are achieved throughout the year even as hydraulic flow rates fluctuate.
• Re-Use of Treated Sewage Using Biofilter Technology ( PDF, 94KB).  Presented at WEAO Conference, 2001.
  Case studies of various sewage reuse sites show that Waterloo Biofilter technology can produce treated effluent that can be used as a resource rather than a waste product.

Subsurface Disposal System Papers

• Safe In-Ground Disposal of Treated Sewage ( PDF, 268KB).  Published in ES&E, 2006.
  Septic system health and safety risks can be minimized when sewage is first treated by attached-growth, filtration-based technologies, and the treated effluent is put back into the ground via a shallow sand bed for dispersal and polishing.
• Performance Expectations of Ontario Sand Filters & Proprietary Absorbent Filter ‘Area Bed’ Systems ( PDF, 746KB).  Published in OOWA Newsletter, 2005.
  Absorbent filtration Biofilters with fine sand Area Bed disposal provide increased fecal coliform and nutrient removal compared to Ontario sand Filter Bed soil absorption systems.
• Modern Living Necessitates Double-Filtering Residential Sewage ( PDF, 222KB). Published in ES&E, 2010.
  A ‘multiple barrier’ approach to onsite wastewater treatment comprising physical biological filtration followed by soil polishing allows for verification of treatment and provides increased protection of soils and groundwater.

Septic Tank Papers

• Ontario’s New Performance Septic Tank – Why & How ( PDF, 1026KB).  Published in Influents, 2009.
  Performance-based regulations rather than prescriptive standards are important to allow for the acceptance and adoption of innovations in the onsite industry.
• Comparing the Performance of Prescribed Septic Tanks to Long, Narrow, Flooded Designs ( PDF, 246KB).  Presented at WEFTEC, 2007.
  Side-by-side testing shows the WaterTube™ septic tank from Waterloo Biofilter produces a higher quality effluent and reduces sludge and scum accumulation compared to conventional box-shaped septic tanks.
• Re-thinking Hydraulic Flow in Septic Tanks ( PDF, 1278KB).  Published in ES&E, 2005.
  Performance of conventional septic tanks prescribed by the CSA B66 standard can be improved by eliminating the airspace and providing a longer flow path that encourages laminar flow and longer retention time.
• Sulphuric Acid Attack on Concrete Tanks ( PDF, 67KB).  Published in OOWA Newsletter, 2005.
  A problem which must be addressed in the onsite industry is the corrosion and premature failure of concrete septic tanks and concrete pump tanks due to sulphuric acid.
• The Effect of Household Chemicals on Septic Tank Performance ( PDF, 231KB).  Presented at ASAE Conference, 2004.
  Field study results are detailed confirming that the use of household chemicals such as detergent with bleach have an adverse effect on BOD treatment within a septic tank.

Operations & Maintenance Papers

• Improving Safety of Septic Systems through Professional Operations and Maintenance in Mind ( PDF, 80KB).  Presented at OOWA Conference, 2005.
  The failure rates, safety, and performance of conventional septic systems can be improved through regular septic system maintenance and by designing the system for ease of servicing.
• Remote Monitoring for Wastewater Sites ( PDF, 1326KB).  Published in ES&E, 2002.
  Remote monitoring software developed for Waterloo Biofilter optimizes the wastewater treatment process, reduces operations and maintenance costs, and can identify potential problems before they occur.

Landfill Leachate Papers

• Bio-Remediation of Landfill Leachate with Remote Monitoring and On-Site Disposal ( PDF, 3183KB).  Presented at Battelle Conference, 1999.
  Two landfills in Ontario use a Waterloo Biofilter treatment system to treat landfill leachate and allow for onsite subsurface disposal or spray irrigation.