A Wide Range of Applications
Reed bed systems can provide efficient treatment for a wide range of wastewaters and sludges including those that are difficult and expensive to treat by conventional means.
Robust and Effective Treatment
The many natural processes operating within such engineered ecosystems are dynamic, robust, and offer a very powerful cleaning and recycling capacity that is very difficult to reproduce mechanically or chemically.
The systems are not susceptible to effluent changes and are able to withstand shock loadings, while maintaining a consistent discharge quality.
No By-products
Throughout their operational lifetime, reed bed treatment systems designed for the most common applications produce no noises or smells.
They produce no sludges or other by-products that might incur additional costs of disposal.
Long-lasting, with Very Low Maintenance Costs
Reed bed systems can operate at costs of up to 90% less than conventional alternatives.
With little (if any) electrical or mechanical parts, reed bed systems are long lasting, wear free, and naturally regenerative.
Being self regulated systems, they are simple to operate without chemical additives or complex electronic controls. They also require minimal staffing levels due to their very low maintenance requirements.
Consequently, operational costs of reed beds are very low, and system lifetimes are very long.
Lower Capital Costs
Depending upon the exact circumstances, actual construction of reed bed systems can be 30% cheaper than conventional alternatives for comparable treatment requirements.
It is clearly the economic benefits of such systems that have at first persuaded companies to opt for the technology. The performance potential is an added bonus.
Environmentally Safe
By investing in a reed bed treatment system, companies can not only benefit from the above advantages, but can also truly claim to be protecting the environment and bringing human economic activity back into balance with nature.
An additional environmental benefit is that reed beds offer considerable wildlife conservation potential. At our site in Billingham for Air Products, the local University often monitors the reed beds for bird life. This large reed bed is now considered a nature reserve.
Excavation works at the Corus site (formerly British Steel created a semi-natural wetland for bird life. It has been monitored in the past by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Gravel or soil-based reed beds?
Gravel and soil based systems are distinct technologies, each with their own pros and cons. However, fundamental physicochemical and ecological properties mean that the biological treatment possible with well-designed soil based systems can far exceed the biological treatment of substrates such as gravel.
At Oceans-ESU we build and install the most appropriate system for your requirements. Consequently, we examine the details of your effluent and the treatment necessary to satisfy discharge consents. Whichever substrate is most appropriate is the one that we will incorporate into your treatment system, and, unlike many other organisations, we have experience of both gravel and soil based systems on a large and small-scale.
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