Proved and Approved
The Waterloo Biofilter has been thoroughly tested and proven effective by a number of third-party verification programs. We pride ourselves on the high treatment levels our technology consistently demonstrates.
Our systems are designed to work even in cold climates where biological activity is decreased, so that’s where we test them – and we aren’t afraid to publish the results!
Third Party Testing Results
Bureau de Normalisation de
Québec Product Certification (BNQ)
The BNQ is the most rigorous onsite wastewater treatment technology certification program in the world. The BNQ requires 12 months of testing including 6 months of hydraulic loading and stress tests according to the NSF/ANSI Standard 40 test protocol, followed by 6 months of seasonal reliability testing using strenuous ‘working parent’ hydraulic loading. Importantly, these tests are performed in climactic conditions representative of Northern Ontario, ensuring that certified technologies are suitable for use in Canada’s colder climate.
The Waterloo Biofilter system is certified to the B-IV level of treatment under the CAN/BNQ 3680-600 Standard, and to the Class V level of treatment under the NQ 3680-910 Standard. These certifications were achieved at the Quebec City BNQ test site using temperature condition b) of the standard, where influent wastewater is heated when necessary to ensure a minimum temperature of 10°C. These certifications were also achieved during one of the coldest winters on record in Quebec! The Waterloo Biofilter averaged the following results over the duration of the program.
| Performance Measure |
Median Effluent Concentration |
Median Percent Removal |
|---|---|---|
| (c+n)BOD5 | 4.0 mg/L | 98% |
| TSS | 4.0 mg/L | >98% |
| Fecal Coliforms | 17,900 cfu/100ml | >99% |
| Fecal Coliforms after UV | 2.9 cfu/100mL | >99.999% |
US EPA Environmental Technology
Initiative (ETI)
The ETI program, performed at the Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Centre (MASSTC) located in Sandwich MA, was created “to evaluate the performance and operation costs of new and innovative wastewater disposal technologies in a carefully controlled and unbiased manner and provide this information to regulators and consumers.” For this program three Waterloo Biofilters were installed side-by-side and sampled for over two years. The three Waterloo Biofilters collectively averaged the following results over the duration of the program:
| Performance Measure |
Median Effluent Concentration |
Median Percent Removal |
|---|---|---|
| (c+n)BOD5 | 8.2 mg/L | 95% |
| TSS | 3.5 mg/L | 98% |
| NH4-N | 0.5 mg/L | 98% |
| TN | 13.9 mg/L | 59% |
| Fecal Coliforms | 22,000 cfu/100ml | >99% |
NSF & US EPA Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)
The ETV testing program was created by the US EPA and NSF “to facilitate deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information.” This program is similar to the NSF/ANSI Standard 40 test protocol but is more stringent as it involves more stress tests and lasts 12 months or more to include testing over the winter season. For this program a Waterloo Biofilter was installed at the MASSTC and sampled over 14 months. Influent wastewater temperatures fell to as low as 4°C (39°F) during the study. The Waterloo Biofilter averaged the following results over the duration of the program.
| Performance Measure |
Median Effluent Concentration |
Median Percent Removal |
| (c+n)BOD5 | 7.4 mg/L | 96% |
| TSS | 5.0 mg/L | 97% |
| NH3-N | 0.7 mg/L | 97% |
| TKN | 1.6 mg/L | 96% |
| TN | 13.0 mg/L | 65% |
