innovation. engineered

sludge dewatering made simple

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a highly effective yet simple and low cost solution for dewatering liquid sludges without the use of power or chemicals, reducing transport costs and carbon footprint by up to 2/3 per site

bio-cage is a low cost and virtually maintenance free physical sludge dewatering device that requires no chemicals or power.

Developed by AFECO to address the huge costs faced by water utilities when transporting liquid sludges from remote wastewater treatment sites to sludge treatment centres, bio-cageTM is a truly innovative and effective solution.

Reducing the costs associated with sludge transportation is an ongoing challenge for water utilities and a key target to reduce both operational costs and carbon footprint. Whilst wastewater sludges typically have a low sludge content, the cost of conventionally dewatering these sludges is not commercially viable. There is also a need to keep the dry solids content below a threshold after which tankering becomes problematic and extended storage periods in sludge holding tanks on site can cause septicity.

Bio-cageTM is the perfect solution. Designed, manufactured and installed by our in-house team, bio-cageTM is easily retrofitted into existing sludge holding tanks. Requiring no power or chemicals and with minimal maintenance requirements, bio-cageTM really does offer an appropriate, cost effective and viable solution that will deliver significant operational savings for water utilities.

Installed and performance verified on over 60 wastewater sites in the UK, bio-cageTM generates an average 30% to up to 60% decrease in sludge volume with an associated reduction in transport costs. The average payback of the technology is between 12 and 24 months and it is effective on a range of sludge makes and tank configurations.

AFECO’s development and delivery of bio-cageTM across Southern Water is an ideal example of an effective optimisation initiative – it is both innovative and robust and is delivering quantifiable and proven benefits to the business. This initiative demonstrated the high standards and engineering capability of AFECO.”

                  Anne-Marie McDonald | Optimisation Manager | Southern Water