Category: Treatment Plants

• September 22, 2019

  Milorganite

  

  Milwaukee might be known for having the second best team in NL central right now, but the home of the Brewers is also known for exclusively producing the microbe-based fertilizer Milorganite. Microbes are used in the aeration part of the wastewater recovery process. There, they are coaxed by bubbles and lots of nutrients (aka waste) to…
• May 5, 2018

  Activated Sludge

  

  Imagine you are on a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is circling around a box of pizza. Every time you get close enough, you take a slice of pizza. If the conveyor belt moves too fast, you can’t grab the pizza. But if it’s too slow, you’ll starve and the pizza won’t be nice and…
• November 20, 2017

  Blowing Bubbles

  

  Did you know that bubbles can clean water? Specifically, dissolved air flotation (DAF) and ultrasound are two methods of making water safer with bubbles. DAF can be used to replace sedimentation in municipal drinking water treatment. Large particles are typically settled out using gravity, but with DAF, bubbles are produced by an oxygen tank pumping…
• December 27, 2016

  Running Water

  

  For my friend James, running water is a soothing noise. For me, gushing water is the definition of aggravation. I can’t help but think of all the other uses for clean water besides going down the drain, while someone brushes their teeth in the mirror. But all this talk about water brings back a memory.