(SUNSET HILLS, Mo.) — Scienco/FAST introduces an easy way to deal with sludge. A standard MarineFAST marine sanitation device meeting MEPC.159(55) or providing secondary treatment incorporates about one month of internal sludge storage or three months with larger systems. For vessels requiring a longer period, the MarineFAST BMS provides an aerobic sludge digester with long-term internal storage to extend the sludge storage.
Operation is completely automatic and hands-free. The sludge is completely enclosed in tanks and piping — no need for personnel to come into contact with sewage or sewage sludge.
MarineFAST BMS is a complete sludge management system:
• Reduces sludge volume by 65 percent compared with other systems.
• No strainers, filters, membranes or centrifuges — clogging is virtually impossible.
• Proper operation does not depend upon the skill of the operator.
• Does not affect the dimensions, weights or operation of the FAST unit.
• Vents to weather through the FAST unit — no separate vent piping required.
Process basics
The MarineFAST BMS system uses an aerobic process — no corrosion or terrible odors from septic sewage or sewage sludge. Tanks are designed to ABS deep tank standards, protection against corrosion is exceptional and all machinery, piping and controls meet USCG requirements for inspected vessels. When settled, the activated sludge exhibits about 4 percent concentration in water (other methods only achieve 1 percent to 3 percent).
At the same time, the more complex biota within the MarineFAST media tank includes higher ordered organisms that predate upon simpler life forms, effectively removing up to one-third of the mass and volume of the stored sludge. Conservatively speaking, properly settled sludge from the FAST process will produce about 3 percent / 4 percent X 66 percent = 50 percent of the volume of sludge to be expected from a suspended growth process.
This digestion and dewatering provides another 30 percent reduction so that the amount of sludge produced by a FAST unit and MarineFAST BMS working together is about 50 percent X 70 percent = 35 percent that of a conventional system, a 65 percent reduction. Also, the FAST sewage treatment system will continuously reprocess excess water returned from the BMS system and will discharge the treated effluent overboard to get the maximum possible reduction in mass and volume.
This is well established technology and is based upon the proven biosolids management system process used in Bio-Microbics land-based MyFAST systems. Every FAST wastewater treatment system is the product of over 40 years’ of knowhow with over 2,000 heavy marine and offshore installations and over 48,000 land installations. These range from harbor tugs to cruise ships and from single homes to small cities. The largest MarineFAST systems process 195,000 gpd (739 m3/d) and the largest land FAST systems process 1.5 mgpd (5,680 m3/d).
