United Utilities has just revealed their latest way to cope with people’s ‘business’. They have just installed a centrifuge device at their Carlisle treatment works which pulls water out of the treated sewage at 36 revolutions per second.
When the load has been spun the remnants are a crumbly deposit which can be used as a soil conditioner for farming.
The process controller at the plant Robert Corry commented:
“Recycling is nothing new to us. We’ve been doing it for decades. But while the basic process of bacterial breakdown hasn’t changed, new technology gives it a real boost,
“We used to have to squeeze the water out of our treated solid waste using a big press. The centrifuge is more automated and 25% more efficient than the old pressing method.”
The new centrifuge is still undergoing trials but should be fully operational soon. The system has cost United Utilities £17m and comes alongside a new pumping station and a new inlet screen. The next upgrade for the site will be new bridge scrapers and tracks which will cost the company in the region of £1.4m.