Top 3 questions from WEFTEC17
WEFTEC17 proved to be one of the best ones yet for LuminUltra! Here are top three questions we were asked: 1. Can you measure ATP in anaerobic systems? Yes, ATP can be measured in aerobic, anoxic and anaerobic systems. ATP is a measure of total biomass and is not specific to any one functional… Read More
International Rivers: Cooperation and Transformation
In many parts of the world there are rivers that flow across national borders. People in several countries depend on river water for drinking, irrigation and power generation. Often the source of these rivers is high in the mountains of one nation while the mouth of the river is thousands of kilometers away in… Read More
The Energy Footprint of Drinking Water
Drinking water and wastewater systems are generally the largest energy consumers for municipal governments. However, there is little published information available on the exact energy usage for specific systems. A recent article in Journal – American Water Works Association, looked to address this knowledge gap for drinking water utilities. The authors surveyed drinking water… Read More
Space2O
In this blog we talk a lot about current issues in the water industry. Whether it’s new technology in the industrial sector, drinking water cleanliness or creative ways to recycle and reuse our most precious resource, we cast a wide net (no pun intended) when it comes the stories we comment on. Our topics… Read More
[Radio Interview] Helping the Water Sector Solve Microbiological Problems in Water
LuminUltra CEO Pat Whalen took part in an interview with Water Online Radio while attending the Annual Conference & Exposition of the American Water Works Association (AWWA’s ACE17) in Philadelphia. The discussion touched on a number of interesting topics that we thought might be of interest to you. You’ll find the interview excerpted below…. Read More
Hurricane Irma: One for the Record Books
Hurricanes are fantastically powerful events. Watching Hurricane Irma churn across the Northern Caribbean and up the west coast of Florida certainly puts the awesome power of wind and water into perspective. Storms like this one are devastating for the unfortunate people who find themselves in the way. One of the most damaging elements of… Read More
Using ATP in Suspended Growth Wastewater Treatment Systems – What is the benefit?
Suspended growth systems, such as activated sludge, are a very common form of secondary wastewater treatment. The potential to optimize and improve the operation of such treatment plants using ATP is tremendous. ATP can directly quantify active biomass, which is key to providing secondary treatment. Two of the many potential uses for ATP in… Read More
Sewage Treatment Plants – Bug Farms and their Farmers
A colleague recently conveyed a conversation he’d had with an operator at a sewage treatment plant. Society tends to have an unfounded stigma of sewage treatment plants, so to soften the blow when asked what he does for a living, the operator replied “I’m a farmer; a bug farmer”. My personal interaction with operators… Read More
Why won’t total microbial content decrease after UV treatment?
UV treatment only recently became widely adopted in the water and wastewater treatment industries but the benefits of sun exposure for water purification have been acknowledged for thousands of years. Ancient Sanskrit and Greek writings dating as far back as 4,000 B.C. identify exposure to sunlight as one of the recommended water treatment methods… Read More
Using ATP to Identify Sludge Bulking – What is the benefit?
Sludge bulking is a severe problem that can plague activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). It has been estimated that 60% of activated sludge WWTP in the USA experience continuous or intermittent sludge bulking. This is concerning as sludge bulking results in poor settling in the secondary clarifier which can cause solids washouts. The… Read More