PROTEUS PRIMARY

Why Proteus Primary?

Here is why.

High TSS & BOD Removal

With Tomorrow Water’s proprietary floating EPP Media, Proteus Primary effectively removes Total Suspended Solids through high-rate physical filtration. Conventional clarifiers could remove 40~50% of TSS while Proteus Primary removes up to 85% of TSS. Increased carbon removal before secondary biological treatment reduces the aeration energy required for secondary treatment by up to 25% and can increase capacity up to 25%. Routing of the additional carbon to anaerobic digester facilities increases digester biogas production up to 30%.

Smaller Footprint

Proteus high throughput and short contact time (as low as 5 minutes) requirement allows a significant footprint reduction of up to 80% compared to conventional clarifiers.

No Chemicals

Proteus operates without the need for chemical additives, providing simultaneous TSS and BOD removal during daily operations and peak wet weather flows. This chemical-free process ensures the lowest and most predictable operating costs.

Retrofits Existing Clarifiers

Plant retrofit and expansion is designed for seamless installation in areas where additional land is unavailable or costs are high. Proteus can retrofit existing rectangular primary clarifiers and circular ones when capital saving from retrofittable APT designs outweigh the footprint-efficiency advantages of new construction.

Less Maintenance

The Proteus primary system is fully automated and requires minimal operators’ attendance. For backwashing, Proteus uses gravity downflow of treated water, eliminating the need for pumping or external water. Automated backwash maintains continuous operation by rotating cells.

SUCCESS FACTOR

World’s FIRST 66 MGD primary treatment,

85% SPACE UTILIZATION EFFICIENCY

01

High-rate filtration solution reveals hidden space in WWTP.

Reduces primary treatment area by up to 85%, allowing for the addition of new energy production facilities within the existing site.

  
      Category
      Proteus
      Gravity Settling Tank
    

      Standard
      Inclined Plate
    

  
      Required Area
      0.15~0.2α
      α
      0.3~0.5α
    

      Surface Loading Rate
      480~960 m³/m²/d
      25~50 m³/m²/d
      25~40 m³/m²/d
    

      Retention Time
      0.3~0.4 hr
      2~3 hr
      1~1.5 hr
    

      Structure Depth
      6~7 m (including inlet)
      3.0~4.5 m
      4.0~5.0 m
    

02

Application of technologies to maximize energy production.

Recovers up to 80% of solids (raw sludge), maximizing energy source acquisition.
Reduces aeration energy consumption during organic matter removal process (biological treatment).

03

Stable treatment quality even with load variations.

Ensures stable water quality compared to gravity-based primary settling tanks, which have unstable treatment quality due to load variations and sludge settling characteristics.

04

Adaptable installation in various forms depending on site conditions.

Suitable for various projects, including the installation, expansion, and improvement of primary treatment facilities in existing wastewater treatment plants.

REFERENCES

SEOUL JUNGNAG
WATER RESOURCE
RECOVERY FACILITY

Capacity: 66 MGD (with initial stormwater capacity of 132 MGD)
Applied Solution: Proteus
Benefits: Replaces gravity settling tanks, reducing primary treatment area by 85%

  
      Category (mg/L)
      BOD
      SS
    
      Influent
      130~378
      100~236
    
      Effluent
      21~90
      13~65
    
      Removal Efficiency
      32~73%
      54~80%

Learn more

Gravity Settling Tank
8,800 m²

PROTEUS
1,400 m²

Linda County, California

Pilot test comparing alternative primary sedimentation solutions for carbon diversion is actively underway, funded by California Energy Commission (CEC).
Genesee County, Michigan

13-Month Pilot - Primary & WWF
Phase 1: Wide range of influents (up to 133 gpm), simulated wet weather flows.
Phase 2: Stable performance with diluted primary effluent.
Plus: Catch a real wet weather event.
Milwaukee Metro Sewerage District (MMSD)

2022 Dual-Use Pilot for MMSD
5 - Month pilot at South Shore WRF
Operated by MMSD, reviewed by Black & Veatch
Tested Primary & Bio Filter P.C. Retrofit Designs
Tested SLRs of 0.9~8.7 gpm/sf (equiv. 40~572 MGD)
TSS up to 1200 ppm, plus low-flow slugs
Jungnang Water Resource Recovery Facility

Leveraging high-rate biofiltration to reclaim valuable space in the Heart of Seoul.
Conventional primary clarifiers were retrofitted with Proteus Primary biofilters to upgrade the facility’s overall process to reclaim needed space while increasing treatment capacity. This process replaced a traditional primary settling, MLE activated sludge, and secondary clarifier process with a novel treatment train based on the Proteus biofilter. In the new design, screened and degritted municipal sewage is passed through three sequential upflow biofilter stages.
Seonam Water Resource Recovery Facility

Addressing Excess Flow and Biological Nutrient Removal through One System.
As climate change shifts weather patterns, waste removal facilities have been forced to deal with wet weather events causing larger and more frequent inflows, often overwhelming the capacity of receiving plants. Korea’s largest waste removal facility, the Seonam Water Recovery Center located in Seoul, functioned as a conventional sludge plant unable to deal with peak wet weather flows and lacking any type of biological nutrient removal.