Municipal wastewater facilities must have reliable, efficient measures in place to remove biosolids from their liquid waste. This is an essential step in keeping tanks, digesters, and lagoons clean and clear, both promoting efficiency while also ensuring compliance with all relevant ecological standards.

In order to take this essential step, it’s important to have state-of-the-art technology, including dewatering equipment. Mobile dewatering technologies can be rented both on a short-term basis and on a long-term basis, meaning there are plenty of options to consider. The question is, which type of rental makes the most sense for your application?

Short-Term Rentals for Mobile Dewatering Equipment

One option is to rent mobile dewatering equipment for a shorter time frame. There are a number of reasons why you might consider this option:

• Short-term rentals make a lot of sense for small-scale projects.
• Renting for a short term can be the logical option for pilot scale testing.
• Short-term rentals work well for those who are unsure what type of equipment they really need, and want to try something out on a trial basis.

The bottom line? If you’re renting for the first time and have any reservations about what you need and for how long you’ll need it, shorter rental agreements can be the most judicious.

Long-Term Rentals for Mobile Dewatering Equipment

For others, long-term equipment rentals make more financial sense. We recommend a long-term rental if:

• You know that you have ongoing dewatering needs.
• You have significant dewatering, dredging, sludge removal, or tank cleaning projects to complete.
• You have already used mobile dewatering equipment and have a good sense of what you need.

Long-term rentals can be especially well-suited for municipalities, industrial facilities, and commercial applications, which might include food processing, drinking water processing, or baby food formula processing.

Further Considerations

Deciding between short-term and long-term rentals is an important first step, but there are some other choices you’ll need to make as you weigh your dewatering equipment needs.

For example, some dewatering equipment providers will have multiple types of machinery that they can offer. At PHS, we boast a couple of centrifuge systems: the full-scale Maximus System and the middle-weight Spartan System. Both are efficient, precise, state-of-the-art, computer-controlled systems, though they differ a little bit in terms of their capacity. As you explore different options, our consultants are always happy to provide insight and clarity.

Why Choose PHS?

Dewatering equipment rentals can make a huge difference to your wastewater management efforts, whether you choose a short-term rental or something long-term. 

PHS has long been at the forefront of mobile equipment rentals. We’re a trusted partner for several reasons:

• We always deliver equipment in proper working order.
• We can offer rush deliveries for emergency situations.
• We provide all the training you need to use your equipment effectively.
• Our best-in-class machinery ensures maximum throughput, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Ready to learn more about your options for renting sludge dewatering equipment? We’re here to chat whenever you’re ready. Contact PHS at your next opportunity.

Sewage disposal is one of the most consequential ecological processes in the United States, with huge implications for the health of individuals, communities, and the natural world.

For generations, the wastewater treatment industry has prioritized methods to stop the spread of waterborne diseases while finding safe ways to release solid, organic wastes back into the environment. There are robust systems and infrastructures in place to facilitate these processes. One of the most critical technologies is the sludge dewatering centrifuge. Simply put, sludge dewatering centrifuges play a vital role in municipal wastewater management, which means they benefit all of us.

What is a Sludge Dewatering Centrifuge?

Given the significance of sludge dewatering centrifuges in our everyday lives, it benefits all of us to know a little bit more about how these systems work.

Imagine a large cylinder, or bowl, which spins at a very fast speed. This motion causes wastewater solids to become separate from the liquid. In other words, it removes water altogether and leaves behind a “cake” of solid waste. This process means that waste storage takes up less space, and waste transport is more cost-effective.

The Pros and Cons of the Centrifuge Method

Though the centrifuge method is widely considered to be the superior option for separating solid and liquid wastes, it’s not the only method, and neither is it faultless. Indeed, there are both some pros and some cons to consider.

The Pros of Sludge Dewatering Centrifuges

• By turning heavy and voluminous waste into something quite a bit lighter and more compact, the centrifuge method can reduce waste transport costs by as much as 75 percent.
• Centrifuge equipment may be built close to any wastewater treatment facility, making it convenient and cost-effective.
• The cakes produced via this method can be easily placed into a landfill, or mixed with other green waste and then turned into compost.
• The water that is removed via centrifuge can be used in industrial applications or for irrigation.

The Cons of Sludge Dewatering Centrifuges

• This method does have a fairly high level of energy consumption, which has prompted criticism from some green activist groups.
• The process is very noisy, too.
• Most wastewater treatment facilities will want to have a standby unit, to ensure maximum uptimes.
• While maintenance needs are minimal, they do require skilled specialists.

Alternatives

The most common alternative to the centrifuge method is what’s known as a filter press. This method feeds the wastewater into a hopper, where the waste is then pressed between two pieces of filter cloth. Rollers are then used to remove the fluid from the dewatering process. The solids are placed into a container while the filtrate is sent down a drain.

Ultimately, centrifuges provide cakes with less liquid content, and are also less expensive. With that said, filter press systems can be faster to start up and shut down, they run more quietly, and maintenance can be a bit easier.

Questions About Sludge Dewatering?

With any additional questions about different sludge dewatering methods, feel free to contact PHS at your convenience.

In recent years, the trends concerning freshwater quality and availability have been moving in the wrong direction. Indeed, high-quality freshwater is harder to find than ever before, both due to increased urbanization and inefficiencies in the wastewater treatment process.

The good news is that there have also been some substantial innovations in the field of wastewater management technology. A number of new applications provide heightened precision and efficiency, pointing toward a future where freshwater is more abundant than it is today, and wastewater less burdensome.

But what are some of these new technologies? And how do they work?

Wastewater Defined

Before we get into that, it’s important to be clear about what we mean when we talk about wastewater. Simply put, wastewater refers to water that has a significant level of contaminants, mainly caused by human use. Though most wastewater is 99 percent water and one percent solids, it can still be unsanitary and unusable.

Wastewater is generated by residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial activity, as well as by storm run-offs. 

Some of the most common contaminants include organic waste, metals, viruses, bacteria, mineral concentrations, and more.

The wastewater treatment process is employed to filter the solid contaminants from the wastewater, rendering that water fresh, sanitary, and usable once more.

Important Trends in Wastewater Management Technology

There are a number of technological applications that have revolutionized the wastewater management industry and provided some promising signs for a future where freshwater is less scarce. These new developments include membrane technology, microalgal wastewater treatment (MWWT), and microbial fuel cells. Let’s take a quick look at each of these individually.

Membrane Technology

Membrane technology encompasses the transport of components in or through a membrane. The process is really nothing new, and in fact has long been used by engineers to separate liquids from gasses. More recently, super-thin membranes with variously sized pores have been used to separate solid contaminants from liquid, providing an effective option for wastewater purification.

Some specific examples of membrane technology that have gained in popularity include microfiltration, ultrafiltration, ion exchange membranes, and more.

Microalgal Wastewater Treatment

Another advanced technology to consider is microalgal wastewater treatment. Basically, this method employs microalgae to sequester wastewater nutrients. While this method has not yet reached a high level of consensus or acceptance within the scientific community, nor in the wastewater treatment industry, it shows much promise as a “green,” environmentally-sound option for recycling wastewater. Open ponds represent one way in which this method has been attempted.

Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial fuel cells represent the third emerging technology to turn heads in the wastewater management field. This option has gotten a lot of attention due to the notion that it can treat wastewater while also producing bioenergy. While there remain some operational and functional challenges to address, this is certainly a promising frontier that could be a real boon to the clean energy sector, to say nothing of the wastewater management industry.

Explore State-of-the-Art Wastewater Management Technologies

There is always exciting work being done in the field of wastewater management technology. For decades, P&H Senesac has been at the vanguard. Our company is a leading provider of best-in-class technologies, including centrifuges and dewatering assemblies, to assist with efficient wastewater management.

We’d love to tell you more about the technologies we offer, or to highlight the benefits of choosing P&H Senesac. Contact us at your convenience.

There are a number of challenges associated with the food manufacturing industry. Certainly, food manufacturers must be diligent to guarantee high-quality products that are desirable to consumers. And of course, there are regulatory concerns to keep in mind, ensuring compliance with all applicable food safety laws.

These concerns all come to bear when selecting food manufacturing equipment. The machinery you employ must be sanitary and easy to clean. It must be capable of creating a good product, and it must be able to keep pace with production goals.

These concerns should be top-of-mind any time you buy new food manufacturing equipment, whether you’re getting that equipment brand new or you’re buying it used. Be sure you inspect and vet any piece of machinery very carefully before purchasing it.

There are a few considerations that are particularly relevant when looking at used machinery. Here are some of the top examples.

Key Factors to Think About When Buying Used Equipment

1) Product Handling Considerations

In order to preserve the quality and integrity of your products, you need machinery that handles good items smoothly and gently. Your equipment also needs to be the appropriate size and shape to prevent any degradation to the good products that it manipulates.

Keep in mind that the food manufacturing industry is increasingly shifting toward a machine-driven workforce, meaning there’s less and less chance for human workers to assist with food handling. So, when it comes to the integrity of your products, the equipment you select is of the utmost importance.

2) Cleaning & Maintenance Needs

In any industrial setting, it’s paramount to keep machinery clean and properly maintained. For food manufacturers, this means regular cleaning and sanitation.

Simply put, you need equipment that can be cleaned thoroughly, and you need that cleaning process to be relatively quick and easy.

Some types of equipment can only be fully cleaned when they are disassembled. This would obviously disrupt your production schedule and will likely mean you clean your equipment less frequently. That’s something you’ll want to avoid, and you can do so just by verifying that whatever equipment you buy is easy to maintain.

3) Programming

Any time you buy a new piece of machinery, there’s some chance that the software that it uses is no longer actively supported.

Before you buy any piece of food manufacturing equipment, verify that the equipment’s operating system is not out of date. Also make sure you can easily integrate the equipment with whatever other software you’re using in your facility.

4) Return on Investment

One of the great things about buying used equipment is that you tend to realize a return on your investment, or ROI, sooner rather than later. That’s because you’re getting an efficient piece of machinery for a lower price than if you bought it brand new. As such, shopping for used equipment can often be worth the extra research and due diligence.

Learn More About Buying Used Food Manufacturing Equipment?

Do you have questions about purchasing used food manufacturing equipment? We’d love to chat, and to help you ensure an informed purchasing decision. To learn more, reach out to P&H Senesac at your convenience.

Most of us just take it for granted that we can turn on the faucet any time we want and get clean, drinkable water; and, that whatever water flows down our drain is ultimately returned safely to the environment. In reality, these modern conveniences can be attributed to the diligent work of water engineers and wastewater engineers.

A Closer Look at Water Engineering

Let’s consider each of these disciplines one-at-a-time, starting with water engineering.

Water engineering encompasses all of the steps involved with taking raw water from the ground, from rivers, and from lakes; treating that water to meet public health standards; then storing, distributing, and transmitting that water to homes and businesses throughout the community.

Water engineering benefits all of us, for the simple reason that clean, drinkable water is essential to life. Without a thorough water treatment process, however, raw water is often contaminated, potentially leading to serious disease. Without a rigorous water engineering process, the water we could consume might leave us vulnerable to reproductive health problems, neurological disease, and chronic gastrointestinal distress.

Effective water engineering encompasses a number of steps and processes, among them:

• Coagulation and flocculation
• Sedimentation
• Filtration
• Disinfection
• Storage
• Transmission and distribution

 

The bottom line: Water engineers ensure that we have water fit for drinking. But what happens to the water that’s flushed down our drains? That’s where we get into the field of wastewater engineering.

A Closer Look at Wastewater Engineering

So what is wastewater engineering? Simply put, this is the process by which wastewater is collected, conveyed, treated, and safely released back into the environment.

There are several important steps involved with this process. 

• Once water goes down your drain, it gathers in a collection system. The purpose of this system is to collect wastewater from homes and businesses, then to convey it to a wastewater treatment facility.
• The wastewater conveyance process is driven by three forces: Gravity, low pressure, and vacuum suction.
• Once conveyed to the wastewater treatment facility, the wastewater goes through the primary treatment process, where solid waste is separated out. This is usually done with centrifuge technology.
• Once solid waste has been filtered out, the secondary treatment process begins. This involves filtering out any harmful biological material, like phosphorus and various microorganisms.
• Additional, tertiary treatment, including disinfection, may also be performed to ensure that the water can safely be released back into the environment.

Once fully treated, wastewater can then be used in industrial and construction applications; provided for irrigation purposes; and more.

Excellence in Water & Wastewater Engineering

Both water engineering and wastewater engineering are important for promoting quality of life, and for ensuring public health. And both fields rely on state-of-the-art technology, such as the sludge dewatering equipment we provide here at P&H Senesac.

We are proud to play a small part in the important fields of water engineering and wastewater engineering. To learn more about the different technologies we provide, we invite you to contact P&H Senesac at your convenience.