Overview

Trickling Filter

Overview

A time-tested technology, trickling filters offer a simple, cost-effective, energy-efficient treatment solution. With more than 500 trickling filter installations worldwide, Brentwood’s media and components have been optimized to guarantee the best performance for any application. By maximizing surface area in a given volume, Brentwood’s structured-sheet media provides an ideal environment for microorganism growth.

Brentwood media is rigorously tested for compression strength to ensure the structural integrity required for deep towers and demanding applications. Our dedication to quality and media performance is clear throughout Brentwood’s history with many installations in operation for over 20 years.

Structured-Sheet Media Features

Maximizes surface area per unit volume
Creates even liquid distribution over biofilm
Allows air circulation through media
Provides drainage for excess biomass

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Applications

Trickling filter applications vary based on media selection. Brentwood offers a variety of structured-sheet, plastic media configurations with differing flow patterns and surface areas to meet site-specific treatment objectives: BOD roughing, BOD removal, nitrification, and combined BOD removal and nitrification.

Trickling Filter Technology

Learn how trickling filter technology has evolved over the years to continually meet industry needs.

System Components

Cross Flow Media

By combining high surface area with a maximum number of mixing points per unit volume of media, cross flow media facilitates superior process performance across a wide range of hydraulic wetting rates. The cross-corrugated modules provide continuous and uniform horizontal distribution of both air and water throughout the full media depth.

Vertical Flow Media

Media is also available in vertical flow configurations, which can be combined with cross flow media for superior solids flushing. Vertical flow media allows a thinner biofilm to be retained and minimizes biomass accumulation.

AccuPier® Support System

Fixed-film media is elevated above the concrete tower floors with a corrosion-resistant support system that can be customized for any application and engineered to maximize ventilation and drainage.

AccuGrid® Bio-Grating

Interlocking panels provide a protective layer from foot traffic, hydraulic impact, and UV degradation on top of trickling filter media.

Featured Installations

Bissell Point, Missouri

Bissell Point, the largest wastewater treatment facility in Missouri, expanded their facility in the mid-1980s to provide secondary treatment. The goal of the upgrade was to select a reliable process that would achieve high-rate BOD removal. They opted for trickling filter technology and worked with Brentwood to install roughly 3 million cubic feet of plastic media in 6 towers. Nearly 25 years post-installation, Brentwood’s media is still in operation and consistently meets NPDES discharge limits.

Wall Township, New Jersey

The South Monmouth Regional Sewerage Authority (SMRSA) sought to replace its rock media with plastic media in 2001. They studied many pilot tests and opted to work with Brentwood based on media strength, its inherent superiority in performance, and Brentwood’s manufacturing quality and capacity. The two retrofitted trickling filters with medium-density cross flow plastic media more than doubled the original treatment capacity of the plant’s secondary treatment process.

Services

Process Design Pilot Testing Startup & Operations Assistance

Process Design

Brentwood’s proprietary trickling filter models are developed based on industry-standard methodologies and carefully calibrated for each type of structured-sheet media. Our process assistance has supported hundreds of successful trickling filter installations worldwide and can be applied to preliminary design or existing process evaluation.

Pilot Testing

Our experienced engineers can develop pilot protocols, size the pilot equipment, and analyze performance data to help our clients optimize system design. Brentwood can supply either skid-mounted pilot units to your site, or we can send our mobile testing lab—equipped with advanced instrumentation and PLC control—to run full, sidestream pilot tests.

Startup & Operations Assistance

Brentwood’s systems and components are engineered not only for performance, but for ease of installation. With a dedicated team of site technicians who have assisted in over 500 installations, you can be assured that the system will run properly, and your employees will be educated and prepared to operate the system. Additionally, Brentwood’s process team is available for consultation throughout the lifetime of the trickling filter system to provide maintenance advice and to ensure continued performance results.

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