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Solving Wastewater Problems

Most SolarBees have been deployed in municipal or industrial wastewater systems. These systems often have serious problems ranging from odor control to EPA discharge permit violations to high energy costs. SolarBees have been effective in many different types of wastewater systems, as mentioned below and can be viewed Testimonial Excerpts and Photos and Customer Comments.

Facultative Ponds: Facultative ponds work great in theory and often in practice. But due to the vagaries of nature, and because populations and industrial use can grow beyond prior estimates, these ponds often need some help. The SolarBee can correct problems of overloading, odors, algae blooms, duckweed(in many cases), high BOD, high suspended solids (TSS), high ammonia (N), high phosphorus (P), high pH, low DO, and excessive volatile sludge buildup. For more information, see Enhancing Your Existing Facultative Pond brochure.

Partial-Mix Ponds: In these ponds, the SolarBee can correct many of the same water quality problems that occur in facultative ponds and, in addition, in many cases the energy saving will pay for the SolarBee(s) in one to five years. Partial-mix ponds, due to their heavy loading, exert a downward pressure on pH that ultimately leads to unnecessary sludge buildup in the front-end ponds and high nutrient loading in the final pond. After several years of operation, these conditions can cause algae-related BOD and TSS problems, and high ammonia (N) and phosphorus (P) in the effluent. The SolarBee can usually correct all of these problems. For more information, see Enhancing Your Existing Partial-Mix Pond brochure.

Complete-Mix, AIPS, High Performance, and Anaerobic Ponds: Each of these types of wastewater pond systems have their own unique theories of operation and their own unique problems. The SolarBee usually has a place in each of these types of systems, to accomplish goals ranging from energy saving to odor control. Go here for information specific to sludge storage basins and anaerobic ponds.

Regardless of what type of wastewater system you have, you can be assured that the PSI SolarBee team knows the theory of operation of your system, and understands the likely causes of your problems, and will not propose a solution for you unless it has a high confidence level that the solution falls within both the capabilities and the limitations of the SolarBee.

For further information on applying the SolarBee in wastewater systems, see:
EPA SolarBee SB10000W Pond Re-Circulating Pump Evaluation (PDF for downloading (2.6m) / View online in html format)
Evaluation of Phosphorus Reduction in Wastewater Ponds by Injecting Aluminum Sulfate(Alum) Into A High Flow Solar Powered Circulator, Spring 2004 (1.5m)
A brochure about Simplified Pond Biology.
A brochure on how the SolarBee takes advantage of DO created by both photosynthesis and surface reaeration, DO Provided by the SolarBee.
A brochure about using SolarBee's for odour capping in sludge storage basins.
A sample of a Wastewater Evaluation Worksheet showing pond dimensions, BOD loading rates, detention time, expected BOD reductions in each cell, and the expected effects of the SolarBee in each cell. PSI provides this worksheet with each SolarBee wastewater quotation.

If you have an interest in the SolarBee for improving your wastewater treatment facility, please contact us. We will provide all the information you need to evaluate the SolarBee for your system, and a SolarBee quotation. And if your system needs are similar to those of some existing SolarBee customers, which is likely, we will give you all of the information you need to get in touch with them. We hope to hear from you. Thank you for your interest in the SolarBee.