A precise treatment system for the winery's custom needs
"A major advantage of pairing ZCL | Xerxes tanks with the BioMicrobics treatment system is that together they are scalable and modular," says Sheldon.
Three ZCL | Xerxes 22,000-gallon/83,000-liter fiberglass wastewater tanks (10-foot-diameter) replaced the previous concrete tanks. A BioMicrobics' BioBarrier® HSMBR® (High Strength Membrane Bioreactor) treatment system is installed inside each tank. The aeration grids below the membrane modules promote aerobic microbes that metabolize and digest the wastewater, which then passes through the membranes.
The BioBarrier system's flat-sheet membranes have 0.03 to 1.3 micron pores, providing ultrafiltration. This physically separates the wastewater and treated water so solids and bacteria remain in the tank. The treated water (high-quality effluent), with nearly all contaminants removed, exits the tanks via a small submerged filtrate pump.
The three tanks operate independently to address the winery's wastewater flows, which can vary significantly day to day. During the most water-intensive times -- when wine is bottled and barrels are washed -- all three tank systems run. The BioBarrier HSMBR system in each tank can treat up to six gallons per minute. In a 24-hour period, the three tanks can treat up to 9,000 gallons/34,000 liters of water. The tanks are designed to accommodate the surge protection needed for this high volume of flow, so the treatment process isn't disrupted.
The Castello di Amorosa wastewater system is designed for low maintenance, and requires membrane cleaning and sludge removal only once per year.