Cleartec® IFAS System
The Cleartec Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) System is a highly efficient, small footprint, biological treatment solution.
It consists of a submerged fixed film, polypropylene textile media, which promotes attached growth biomass in an aeration basin. This combination promotes higher concentration of biomass, and improved biological treatment.
The Cleartec IFAS System consists of high-surface area textile curtains that serve as a material substrate for attached-growth biomass. This additional biomass comes in a very compact footprint.
The Cleartec media is held in place with rigid support structures, ensuring no risk of media washout into your discharge streams. Aeration and scour of the media is provided by high-efficiency fine bubble diffusers.
The Cleartec IFAS System is a hybrid treatment approach that combines both activated sludge and attached-growth organisms in a single process, providing the best of both solutions. These systems are capable of full Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and ammonia removal, and can also be easily configured for full Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR).
Cleartec IFAS also has the following key features and benefits:
- Most energy efficient IFAS system on the market
- No media washout
- No need for retention screens as the media is fixed to the bioreactor
- Simple installation
- Easy retrofit, effective alternative for expanding treatment capacity
- Maximised treatment capacity with minimal footprint and without overloading secondary clarifiers
- Promotes nitrification (longer Solids Retention Time (SRT))
- Robust treatment process
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A highly energy efficient aeration system
Most IFAS or Moving Bed Bioreactor (MBBR) systems rely on coarse bubble aeration systems for additional mixing or supplemental scouring. The Cleartec IFAS System aeration, mixing and scouring is accomplished using Ovivo Ultra-fine Bubble Diffusers, which are installed directly beneath the media. The vertical arrangement of the media ensures there are no dead zones, which can prevent excessive biomass thickness and nuisance organism proliferation.
Cleartec media is held in place with support frames that are submerged and stationary in the treatment basins, and therefore has no need for retention screens. This completely eliminates concerns regarding media migration and head loss in the treatment basins and media washout into downstream processes or worse, into the discharge stream.
The Cleartec IFAS System is completely modular, which means system retrofits and expansions are simple and easy.
Improved sludge settling
The Cleartec IFAS System consistently exhibits excellent sludge settle ability and low Sludge Volume Index (SVI). This, in conjunction with the fact that a significant portion of the system biomass, the attached-growth portion, remains in the treatment basin means the clarifiers will not be overloaded. This can translate into smaller clarifiers and reduced footprint in new designs, or eliminate the need for new clarifiers in a retrofit expansion.
Due to improved settling and the lack of media retention screens, which run the risk of blinding, the Cleartec IFAS System can operate reliably at substantially higher MLSS concentrations compared with other similar technologies. In addition, the Cleartec IFAS technology is robust enough to handle fluctuating flows and loads.
